Practical household uses of honey

PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD USES OF HONEY HOME CURES, RECIPES, EVERYDAY HINTS AND TIPS MARGARET BRIGGS This edition is published by Lorenz Books an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd Blaby Road Wigston Leicestershire LE18 4SE info@anness.com www.lorenzbooks.com www.annesspublishing.com © Anness Publishing Ltd 2012 ISBN: 9781781140536 All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Publisher: Joanna Lorenz Senior Editor: Felicity Forster Cover Design: Nigel Partridge Production Controller: Mai-Ling Collyer PUBLISHER’S NOTE Although the advice and information in this book are believed to be accurate and true at the time of going to press, neither the authors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions that may have been made nor for any inaccuracies nor for any loss, harm or injury that comes about from following instructions or advice in this book CONTENTS Introduction Know Your Bees The History Behind Honey Bee-keeping for ‘Beeginners’ Types of Honey The Health Benefits of Using Honey Beauty Treatments with Honey Culinary Uses of Honey Drinks Sauces and Marinades Starters and Appetizers Main Dishes Cakes, Biscuits and Desserts Fascinating Facts & Appendices Appendix — List of Honeys Appendix — Sources of Nectar in the Northern Hemisphere Introduction Honey bees have been around longer than humans We know that thanks to fossil evidence from 150 million years ago But from the earliest times man has used this natural product to nourish, heal, purify and protect It is well known that prehistoric man worshipped the sun as the supreme giver and sustainer of life How many of us are aware, however, that honey figured in the rituals of the Babylonians and Assyrians? They used to pour honey on the foundations and walls of their temples Similar customs existed among the ancient Egyptians and, across the other side of the world, the Incas Hindus and Persians used honey in religious services, considering it a sacred, divine food and cleanser Some of these ancient rituals still exist today in parts of Africa and honey collection still has certain time constraints relating to ancient beliefs Although early man didn’t know about the antibacterial qualities of honey and the benefits of eating honey for health and energy, he knew that he liked the sweet taste and that it was produced by some alchemy involving bees It was the How doth the little busy bee Improve each shining hour, And gather honey all the day From every shining flower! How skilfully she builds her cell! How neat she spreads the wax! And labours hard to store it well With the sweet food she makes This excerpt from a poem by Isaac Watts was parodied by Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland I eat my peas with honey, I’ve done it all my life, It makes the peas taste funny, But it keeps them on the knife Anon The pedigree of honey Does not concern the bee, A clover, any time, to him, Is aristocracy Emily Dickinson PROVERBS More flies are taken with a drop of honey than a Tun of Vinegar Thomas Fuller, 1732 When you shoot an arrow of truth, dip its point in honey Arab proverb Life is the flower of which love is the honey Victor Hugo Lovers, like bees, lead a honey sweet life Graffiti found in Pompeii HYDROMEL, OR HONEY WINE: FROM THE CLOSET OF SIR KENELM DIGBY KNIGHT, OPENED (1699) “Take 18 quarts of spring water and one quart of honey: when the water is warm, put the honey into it When it boileth up, skim it very well and continue skimming it, as long as any scum will rise Then put in one race [root] of Ginger, four Cloves and a little sprig of Rosemary Let these boil in the Liquor so long, till in all it have boiled one hour Then set it to cool, till it be blood-warm, and then put to it a spoonful of Ale-yeast When it is worked up, put it into a vessel of a fit size: and after two to three days, bottle it up You may drink it after six weeks or two months This was the hydromel that I gave the Queen, which was exceedingly liked by everybody.” APPENDIX LIST OF HONEYS Acacia Alfalfa Apple blossom Aster Athel tree Avocado Bamboo Basswood Bergamot Blackberry Blue curis Blue gum (Eucalyptus) Blueberry Bluevine Boneset Buckwheat Cantaloupe Cape vine Cherry blossom Chestnut Chinquapin Clover Coralvine Coriander Cotton Cranberry Eucalyptus Fireweed Gallberry Golden rod Grape Hawthorn Hedysarum Coronarium Holly Iron bark (Eucalyptus) Horeminy Kamahi Lavender Leatherwood Lime blossom Locust Manuka Manzanita Marigold Mesquite Mexican clover Mint Mountain laurel Mustard Nodding thistle Orange Orange blossom Palmetto Pepperbush Peppermint Peppervine Poison oak Poplar Privet Prune Raspberry Rata Rewarewa River red gum (Eucalyptus) Sage Sea lavender Snowbush Sourwood Soybean Spanish needle Spearmint Star thistle Strawberry tree Stringybark (Eucalyptus) Sumac Sunflower Tawari Thistle Thyme Titi Trefoil Tulip tree Tupelo Viper’s bugloss Yellow box (Eucalyptus) APPENDIX SOURCES OF NECTAR IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE Alfalfa Apple blossom Aster Basswood Blackberry Blackthorn Clover Dandelion Field beans Fireweed Globe thistle Golden rod Heather Knapweed Lavender Milkweed Oilseed rape Pussy willow Raspberry Rosebay willowherb Sea lavender Smartweed Soybean Sumac Willow Table of Contents Introduction Know Your Bees The History Behind Honey Bee-keeping for ‘Beeginners’ Types of Honey The Health Benefits of Using Honey Beauty Treatments with Honey Culinary Uses of Honey Drinks Sauces and Marinades Starters and Appetizers Main Dishes Cakes, Biscuits and Desserts Fascinating Facts & Appendices Appendix — List of Honeys Appendix — Sources of Nectar in the Northern Hemisphere ... Know Your Bees The History Behind Honey Bee-keeping for ‘Beeginners’ Types of Honey The Health Benefits of Using Honey Beauty Treatments with Honey Culinary Uses of Honey Drinks Sauces and Marinades.. .PRACTICAL HOUSEHOLD USES OF HONEY HOME CURES, RECIPES, EVERYDAY HINTS AND TIPS MARGARET BRIGGS This edition is published by Lorenz Books an imprint of Anness Publishing Ltd... and sustainer of life How many of us are aware, however, that honey figured in the rituals of the Babylonians and Assyrians? They used to pour honey on the foundations and walls of their temples