You are what you eat

Florida establishes nation's first honey regulation

It may come as a surprise to most consumers that the U.S. has no established definition of honey, nor are national regulations in place that would keep adulterated honey from being sold as pure honey.

Frustration with the situation has prompted the state of Florida to enact a regulation that

is being touted as the first regulation in the nation - and possibly in the world - requiring that any product that is produced, processed or sold in Florida as honey must be "natural food product resulting from the harvest of nectar by honeybees."

If the product includes sugar water, flavorings, antibiotics sprayed into hives to keep bees healthy or anything else that is not honey produced by bees, it cannot be sold as honey in Florida.

It's high time that the US passed such a "Standard of Identity." As I posted earlier, the lack of standards has resulted in problems with imported honey, particularly from China and India.

Kudos to the state of Florida and the beekeepers who pressed for such regulation. I just wish the FDA would follow suit. In the meantime, your best bet is to buy from local producers of honey.

Honey

Of late, I've been trying to get into the habit of using honey instead of sugar. We buy unpasteurized honey from nearby Honeyflow Farm, which grows U-pick grapes and collects honey from its many hives (they are open only in September and October, but honey, beeswax candles, and honey soap can be ordered on-line). Unpasteurized, not supermarket, honey provides maximum health benefits, as no enzymes or other naturally occurring substances are destroyed. The honey we buy is strained but not completely filtered, and it's darker than most honey offered by supermarkets.

Why honey?

First, unlike sugar, honey contains vitamins, minerals, and amino acids (among other substances). That makes it an actual food, not just a sweetener. In addition, it's recently been discovered that honey is a powerful anti-oxidant, and that the darker the honey, the greater the anti-oxidant effect. Another study shows that eating honey may increase calcium absorption. And yet another suggests that honey does not affect blood sugar levels as greatly as sugar; while it does raise blood sugar levels like any other sugar, the blood sugar level does not rise or drop as suddenly:

A limited study at the University of Memphis Exercise and Sports Nutrition Laboratory found honey to be one of the most effective forms of carbohydrate gels to ingest just prior to exercise. According to Dr. Richard Kreider, the study’s lead investigator, “honey appears to be a carbohydrate source that is relatively mild on its effects upon blood sugar compared to other carbohydrate sources.”

(See this as well.)

We can sum it up this way:

Honey contains at least 15 nutrients whereas sugar has none. Honey is an aid to digestion when taken in the raw state due to its enzyme content while sugar interferes with digestion. Honey enters the bloodstream slowly, 2 calories per minute. Sugar enters quickly at 10 calories per minute, causing blood sugars to fluctuate rapidly and wildly. Sugar causes calcium leakage from bones, contributing to osteoporosis while honey does not.

In addition, at least one study indicates that honey may boost the growth of beneficial probiotic bacteria in the gut. Supplements to increase probiotic bacteria are a big business, intended to re-establish natural gut flora after a course of antibiotics or the loss of such flora due to other causes, such as stress, disease, or exposure to toxins.

While honey has more calories per tablespoon than sugar--64 vs. 48--honey is sweeter than sugar, so less is needed: about one tablespoon of honey gives the sweetness of one-and-a half tablespoons of sugar, or one-third less sweetener. So in actuality, using honey does not have to mean more calories. 

In baking, honey adds moistness (moistness that lasts longer, too) and superior flavor. Advice varies on substituting honey for sugar in a given recipe and is a matter of taste, with some people using a cup of honey for a cup of sugar, and others using  2/3 or 3/4 cup honey per cup  of sugar. I find that 2/3 cup works very well. For every cup of honey used, decrease the liquid in the recipe by 1/4. The oven temperature must be lowered by 25 degrees to prevent over-browning. Some people also add 1/4 tsp. of baking soda per cup of honey, because honey is highly acidic and the soda offsets that. I've never resorted to that and so far have had good results.

Of course there are some things for which honey can't be used, such as streusel-type toppings (for that I would look for the least processed brown sugar I could find in the store, such as turbinado [made by steaming unrefined raw sugar]).

Honey does not mold or "go bad," due to its antimicrobial and antifungal properties and its high acidity. It may crystallize, but all you have to do is let the container sit in some hot water and the honey will become liquid again.

According to folklore, there are many other benefits to using honey, some of which may yet be borne out by scientific studies. And honey is also being used in Europe and elsewhere outside the U.S. to treat gastric ulcers and skin wounds, burns, and infections, succeeding even in combating antibiotic-resistent bacteria.

Switching from sugar to honey makes sense, and your taste buds will appreciate it, too. Honey should be a part of your diet, especially if you're trying to cut down on processed foods.

Cherry bourbon jelly

Believe me, your adult friends will love this.

Be sure you buy quality bourbon, not cheap stuff--the bourbon flavor is quite noticeable.

For this recipe, only the juice of the canned cherries is used, so you may want to make it when you've got some sort of dessert or baking in mind in order to use the cherries themselves.

Some supermarkets do not carry canned sour cherries. In my neck of the woods, Meijer carries them.

The recipe is said to make four half-pints, and indeed you will need four jars, but I have never quite filled that fourth jar--so I get to keep it instead of giving it away.

For processing instructions, see the recipe for honey mustard. Pectin can be found at the supermarket.

• 2 cans (16 oz. each) sour cherries
• 1 pkg. powdered pectin
• 2 and 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup bourbon

Drain cherries, reserving 1 and 1/2 cups of juice. Combine reserved juice and pectin in a large saucepot. Bring to a rolling boil (and I mean a rolling boil). Add sugar and return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary. Stir in bourbon. Pour into hot, sterilized jars (see note below), leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Slide a narrow rubber spatula or knife down the sides of the jar to remove any air bubbles. Adjust caps and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

[Note: To sterilize jars: Place empty jars right-side-up on a rack in a boiling-water canner (or stockpot). Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to one inch above the jar tops. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than l,000 feet. If you live above 1,000 feet, boil for 11 minutes. Remove hot, sterilized jars one at a time and drain. Save hot water for processing filled jars.]

Spiced honey

This delicious honey can be spread on toast or used to sweeten your tea, coffee, or cereal.

For instructions on how to process in a boiling-water bath, see the entry on honey mustard.

• 1 lemon
• 12 whole cloves
• 3 sticks cinnamon
• 2 and 2/3 cups honey

Cut lemon into 6 thin slices. Place two cloves in each slice. Put lemon slices, cinnamon sticks, and honey in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Place a cinnamon stick and two lemon slices into each jar. Ladle hot honey into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath.

Two jelly recipes

I like to give homemade gifts at Christmas. Two easy favorites are Spiced Sherry Jelly and Bourbon-Cherry Jelly.

Jelly isn't hard to make, especially when there's no fruit to crush, seeds to strain out, etc. It does require hot-water-bath processing, but that's easy too, and no special equipment is needed. You can use a large pot or kettle and a rack on which the jelly jars will sit. We've also used a pasta cooker, one of those pots with a perforated inner pot, setting the jars on the bottom of the inner pot. One thing that would be helpful is a jar-lifter, but you can try taking the hot jars out of the water with tongs, tongs and a spatula or spoon, or the like.

You'll need four half-pint canning jars with lids and rings. Sterilize the jars, either in boiling water, or as I do it, by setting them on a tray and placing in a 250-degree oven for half an hour. (I find this is much less messy.) Wash the rings and lids in hot, soapy water. Place the lids in a pan of hot water--not boiling--and keep hot on a back burner, not letting the water boil. Start your kettle of water boiling. The water must be an inch or two above the tops of the jars. Fill the sterilized jar with the hot jelly to about a half-inch from the top of the jar, place the lid on, and tighten the ring, being careful all the while not to burn yourself on the hot jar. If you spill jelly on the rim of the jar, wipe with a clean damp cloth. Otherwise the jar may not seal.

To process, the water in the pot should be at a boil.  Use a jar-lifter, tongs, or whatever to lower the filled jelly jars into the water. Cover the pot, bring to a rolling boil, and start timing. The water should boil gently and steadily during processing. For these recipes, 5 minutes should do it. Remove the jars and set them on a towel on the counter, or on a wooden cutting board. (Hot jars and a cold counter top can make for a cracked jar.) You should hear the lids of the jars pop as they seal. Sometimes they don't make noise, but by looking at the lid you can tell it's sealed if the lid is concave and the little button at the center is no longer visible. It might take a little time before you see or hear that the jars have sealed. Let cool, label, and store. Opened jars should be kept refrigerated.

I find that jelly recipes usually don't quite fill the four jars. This is okay. Just process the partially filled jar with the others. When I give jelly as gifts, one of the bonuses is keeping those partly filled jars for myself!

Spiced Sherry Jelly

  Note: I didn't have any allspice when I made the jelly, so I just omitted it! It should taste even better if you use the allspice.

1/2-inch long cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. whole cloves
1/2 tsp. whole allspice
1/2 cup cream sherry
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 packet powdered fruit pectin (Sure-Jell)
3 cups sugar
Prepare the jars as described above.

Tie cinnamon, cloves, and allspice in a double thickness of cheesecloth, or use a basket-style coffee filter and tie shut (that's what I always use in lieu of cheesecloth).

In a large, heavy saucepan, place the spice bag; add sherry, water, lemon juice, and pectin. Heat mixture to boiling over high heat, stirring frequently. Once it comes to a boil, immediately stir in sugar. Stirring constantly, heat until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Boil one minute. (Make sure it really is a good rolling boil that doesn't stop even while stirring, or your jelly may not set.) Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with a spoon. Ladle into jars and process as described above.

Bourbon-Cherry Jelly

  The only place around here where I can find canned sour cherries packed in water is Meijer's. Only the liquid in the can is used, so I use the cherries to make pie filling. You may be more imaginative and find other uses for the cherries!

I use Old Granddad bourbon.

2 cans (16 oz.) water-packed sour cherries
1 packet powdered pectin
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup bourbon

Drain cherries into a measuring cup. You'll need 1 1/2 cups juice. Combine the juice and the pectin in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. Add sugar and return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.Remove from heat. Skim any foam off with a spoon. Stir in the bourbon. Ladle into jars and process as described above.