Ways to Use Honey
Honey is a healthy natural sweetener that is enjoyed everyday by millions of people. But, we don’t always make the most of this special treat. There are hundreds of ways to use honey that go far beyond just eating it – though that is nice too! Join me for a quick buzz through some of the most common ways people use honey to make their lives sweeter.
Where does it come from? Bees make honey and they do a darn good job of it. It is only one of several amazing products from bees. Prepare to be enlightened at the numerous things you can do with honey.
Practical Ways to Use Honey
Honey was one of the original natural sweeteners and it is still used for that purpose today. Honey is made from nectar but it is composed of several sugars – glucose, fructose, sucrose etc. Ultimately, this special chemistry is what makes honey so versatile and perfect for many applications.
Ways to Use Honey in Food
Due to a mind-boggling number of ways to use honey – we can only scratch the surface. But, we must give a nod of appreciation to the use of honey as food – including our favorite honey recipes.
Enjoy Eating Honey Raw
Hands down one of best ways to use honey is to eat it. Straight from the jar it is a natural energy boost. You can even make your own honey sticks to take with you on a hike.
Make Creamed Honey
A natural process honey crystallizes over time – becoming thick and gritty. You can use this natural tendency of honey to create a smooth spreadable crystallized product. Also called, whipped, spun or creamed, you can make your own creamed honey to enjoy.
Create Honey Infusions
You can create many special honey infusions using various herbs and spices. A local favorite is Hot honey made using Jalapeno peppers. Adjust the “heat” in the recipe by the number of peppers used. But, don’t blame me if you burn your tongue!
Enjoy Honeycomb
Yes, you can eat beeswax. In fact, there are many interesting ways to enjoy eating honeycomb paired with cheese is a favorite. Place small pieces of comb on a platter with slices of cheeses like brie, goat cheese, or gorgonzola.
Sweeten Your Drinks with Honey
Instead of sugar, try honey to sweeten tea. You will get sweetness and flavor. This also adds the vitamins and minerals found in honey.
If you want to get truly creative, why not create this Honey bee Latte with espresso. It is a nice treat to help you get through a long afternoon at work. On a hot day, try a bit of honey-sweeten lemonade.
Honey in Baked Goods
The baking industry makes good use of honey. They know that in recipes for baking with honey, it provides flavor and helps baked goods remain moist. It will do the same for your home baked goods.
Honey in Marinades & Sauces
You can incorporate honey into many different marinades for meats or tofu. It helps to tenderize meat and adds sweetness with new flavors. I enjoy making this recipe for homemade honey teriyaki sauce – it makes a great marinade for chicken.
Health Benefits of Honey
Honey can be used as medicine and for better health. It has serious immune-boosting properties. The antioxidants and antibacterial compounds found in raw honey vs regular honey help strengthen the body’s defenses against infections and diseases.
Relieve Allergy Symptoms
Many people firmly believe that a tablespoon of local raw honey a day helps protect you from the severity of seasonal allergies.
Though researchers are yet to support this claim – don’t try to tell that to the thousands of folks that believe local raw honey helps their allergy symptoms. You may even give some honey to your dog to aid with allergies – but check with your vet first!
Treat Minor Burns & Wounds
Honey has been used as a treatment for minor burns for thousands of years. Lightly apply to a minor burn and cover with a bandage. For ease of use, make your own honey burn salve with aloe.
As a wound treatment, honey has a long history of promoting healing and reducing inflammation. For minor scrapes and scratches, just spread a bit of honey on the cleaned wound site and bandage.
Soothe a Cough or Sore Throat
This tasty homemade honey remedy for cough relief won’t cure you but it will ease your symptoms. Another good idea during cold season is to pair it with lemon juice.
If you enjoy making natural products – try making homemade cough drops. They provide some symptom relief and you can pronounce every ingredient in the recipe.
When a really nasty sore throat arrives, try this – infuse honey with lemon and ginger. It has helped me through many a sore throat.
Relieve Anxiety
The use of honey in herbal tea (such as chamomile) with a bit of lemon juice added is believe to be very relaxing.
It may help soothe those of us who suffer from nervousness and anxiety (per Dr. Oz). Start with a tablespoon per cup and adjust as needed.
Improve Digestion
Honey contains enzymes that can aid in the human digestive processes. It is considered a prebiotic and may be beneficial for some suffers of stomach discomfort.
A teaspoon of honey per day may provide relief to those suffering from acid reflux or other minor digestive issues. Of course, your doctor is the best one to advise you on stomach issues. It is not appropriate for everyone.
Remember, infants (under 1 year old) should never be given raw honey due to the small risk of botulism. (A risk present in most raw foods.)
Honey as a Sleep Aid
If you are one of the millions of people that have a bit of trouble falling asleep at night, give this recipe a try.
Mix a little honey with warm milk or herbal tea before bedtime. You may benefit from the calming and sleep-inducing properties of honey.
Using Honey for Skin & Hair Care
You find many attributes in honey that promote healthy skin and hair. It is antibacterial, antifungal and an antioxidant powerhouse. It is also a humectant that seals in moisture.
Soothe Dry Skin
Egyptian Queen Cleopatra reportedly took baths in milk and honey. But, if you want a less messy alternative, consider making a DIY honey salt scrub or even a fizzing honey bath bomb for your beauty treatment.
Beeswax is very good for skin care too. You will often find honey and beeswax used together as a mixture with other oils and butters (olive oil, coconut oil etc.) to promote skin healing.
Honey is soothing to the sensitive skin of our lips. Make your own beeswax lip balm and include a little honey. It must be mixed well though to prevent separation from the waxes and oils in homemade products.
Condition Your Hair
Honey can be a part of your hair care regime too. A common method is to mix honey with a bit of melted coconut oil. Apply to hair and scalp, let sit for a few minutes and then rinse well.
Storing Honey to Use Later
When stored properly – honey doesn’t go bad. Did you know you can even freeze honey for long term storage!
But, failure to store your honey properly may result in crystallization and the crystals will be large and gritty. Don’t panic if this happens – you can decrystallize honey back to liquid form.
FAQs
Honey is a sugar but it does not raise blood sugar levels as fast as normal sugar. Its GI index is lower making it a better choice for some people.
Bees bring nectar back to the hive, in a special organ -called a “honey stomach” or crop.
This has lead to some misconceptions and the rumor that honey is bee vomit? It is certainly not bee vomit as no real digestion takes place in the crop.
Honey is a humectant that helps lock in natural moisture. It also is an exfoliant and helps smooth the skin surface.
Honey will not go bad as long as you store it in a jar with a tight-fitting lid to protect it from moisture.
Honey is a natural sugar. It does have carbs and calories so don’t overindulge. A very few people may be allergic to honey (or the bee pollen in it) but this is not common.
Final Thoughts
Honey stands as a remarkable natural sweetener with a multitude of uses beyond just taste. Don’t confine that jar of sweetness to food recipes only, there are many ways to use honey. Honey’s versatility knowns no bounds.