It is a quick source of energy, being composed mainly of carbohydrates (about 82 percent). Interestingly, with the energy provided in just one ounce [30 g] of honey, a bee could theoretically fly around the world!
Do bees make honey just for man’s benefit? No, they depend upon honey
for food. A standard-size hive of bees needs between 20 and 30 pounds [10
to 15 kg] of honey to survive the winter. But in a good season, a
hive can produce some 60 pounds [25 kg] of honey,
allowing for a surplus to be harvested and enjoyed by humans as well as by
animals such as bears and raccoons.
How do bees make honey? Foraging bees collect nectar
from flowers, sucking it up with their tubelike tongues. They carry it back to
the hive in one of their stomachs. The nectar is transferred to other bees who chew
it for about half an hour, mixing it with enzymes from glands in their mouth.
Then they place it in hexagonal cells made of beeswax and fan it with their
wings to dehydrate it. After the water content is
reduced to less than 18 percent, the cells are capped with a thin layer of
wax. Capped honey can keep almost indefinitely.
Honey’s Medicinal Properties
In addition to being a marvelous food—a veritable storehouse of B
vitamins, various minerals, and antioxidants—honey is one of the oldest known
medicines in continuous use. Honey has been used for centuries to treat a wide
range of medical problems like wounds, burns, cataracts, skin ulcers and
scrapes.
Commenting on recent interest in the medicinal value of honey, the CNN
news organization reports: “Honey fell from favor as a wound dressing when
antibiotic dressings were developed during World War II. But the new
research and the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria are putting this
old-time folk remedy into the contemporary medicine chest.” For example, one
area of research has involved the treatment of burns. It was noted that
patients had a faster healing time and less pain and scarring when honey
dressings were used.
Honey has
been found to reduce inflammation and to promote the growth of healthy tissue.
How many other foods do you know of that are so
nutritious and delicious yet have medicinal use?
Honey is
sweeter than table sugar. Therefore, as a substitute for sugar, use only half
to three quarters as much honey as you would sugar. Also, since honey is about
18 percent water, reduce the liquids in your recipe accordingly. If there
are no liquids, add two tablespoons [30 ml] of flour per
cup [200 ml] of honey. For baked goods, also add one half
teaspoon [2 ml] of baking soda per cup [200 ml]
of honey and reduce the temperature of your oven by 25 degrees
Fahrenheit [15°C].
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