12 Ways to Use Honey As A Health and Beauty Product

Honey has been used as a health and beauty product for centuries. In ancient Greece honey was used in many cosmetic and anti-aging preparations, woman would anoint themselves with a mixture of honey and olive oil to protect their skin as well as for facial marks to promote a clear complexion. Throughout Egypt people have been using honey for centuries for its health benefits. It is even said that Egypt’s last active pharaoh, Cleopatra, bathed in a mixture of milk and honey as one of her anti-aging rituals. Even today, beauty formulators still heavily use honey in natural skin care treatments. As a natural humectant, honey can be used in a range of beauty products and can easily be used in at-home remedies to create amazing moisturizing products, full of antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. Below we will talk more about the myriad of wonderful things honey can do for the skin when added to your beauty routine, for the best results though you want to make sure you are using a raw or unpasteurized honey.

1. Moisturizing Mask – So as I stated above, honey is a natural humectant which just means it’s a great moisturizing agent because it can retain or preserve moisture. Here’s a nice DIY recipe you can try at home and see for yourself: You can spread 1 tsp raw honey on clean, dry skin and leave on the skin for 20 minutes, all by itself. Rinse with warm water. And if you need a more in-depth treatment for your skin be sure to try out this recipe: Mix 1 Tbsp. buttermilk, 1 tsp honey and 1 egg yolk, then apply to the face (avoid the eyes!). Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water.

2. Help Scars Fade: In ancient Greece they relied on a mixture of Honey and Olive Oil in a number of their beauty treatments. They often used honey to lighten the skin, and in this way, it is useful in decreasing the appearance of scars by helping to increase healing and regenerate skin tissue. Try this at-home treatment to see the effects: Mix one tsp raw honey with 1 tsp coconut oil or olive oil. Apply to the area with the scar, and then place a hot washcloth over the skin, letting it sit until cool. You can then repeat every day.

3. Acne: Honey is a natural antibacterial and antimicrobial substance, so it’s great to use as an acne treatment, and also to calm redness and irritation. Simply dab honey on your blemishes or affected areas and let sit for 15. Rinse with warm water. It is also great for fighting acne when mixed with tea tree oil.

4. Pore Cleanser: Honey has enzymes in it that make it antibacterial and antimicrobial, which can work wonders to clarify your skin and clear your pores. Mix 2 Tbsp. coconut oil with 1 Tbsp. raw honey and apply to clean, dry skin (avoid the eyes). Then rinse. You’ll start to notice a more even tone and clearer complexion.

5. Rid Yourself of Rough and Dry Skin: By mixing honey with baking soda, you can create a wonderous natural body scrub to get rid of rough and dry skin, thanks to honeys moisturizing properties. To do this take two parts honey and one part baking soda and gently rub on the affected area in a circular motion then rinse with warm water.

6. Honey Bath Soak: Why not treat yourself like a pharaoh with this great bath soak straight from Cleopatra’s book. ¼ cup honey mixed with 2 cups milk and a few drops of essential oil. Add to a hot bath, sit back, and relax. You can keep it simple also by dissolving 2 Tbsp. of raw honey in 1 cup hot water. Then pour the cup into your tub; soak for however long you wish. You can also add a little baking soda to further soften skin.

7. Eczema or Dry Winter Skin: Sometimes we all need a little extra moisture for our skin, especially in those harsh winter months. Just mix 1 Tbsp. of honey with 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and a dash of lemon juice and apply to elbows, knees and/or rough patches and let sit for 20 minutes, like a mask for your body. Rinse thoroughly. Another great way is to amp up your favorite moisturizer by just adding a few extra tablespoons of honey to it, this is especially great when mixed with a shea butter moisturizer.

8. For Nails and Cuticles: Again, I have to say how moisturizing honey really is, so why not use is for smoother, more youthful looking hands. Add is to your mani/pedi experience by mixing 1 tsp honey with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tsp coconut oil. Rub over each cuticle, letting the nutrients and enzymes heal the skin for 10 minutes, then dip into lukewarm water.

9. Amplify Your Shampoo: By adding 1 tsp of honey with your regular shampoo, you can strengthen and help retain moisture in your hair. The trick is in thoroughly mixing the shampoo and honey; you might want to first try mixing in a bowl and really let the honey blend into the shampoo so it’s not quite as viscous and difficult to deal with. But do not fear, the honey washes out. It may seem daunting, but this trick will help condition and nourish dry, damaged strands.

10. Conditioning Mask: Raw honey will help boost shine and volume. For an at-home hair mask, mix 1 Tbsp. raw honey with 2 Tbsps. coconut oil. Apply completely to your hair, tips to roots. Let the mix work its magic for 20 minutes then rinse well (in a hot shower, to make sure all the ingredients “melt” out). You can substitute the coconut oil with olive oil.

11. Soothing Sunburns: Honey is soothing, protecting and will hydrate sunburned skin.  Mix 1 part honey with 2 parts Aloe Vera for a powerful, antimicrobial healing ointment.

12. Soft and Smooth Lips: If you have very chapped lips, you can apply honey directly to the lips and let it sit and do its moisturizing magic.

How do Bees Make Honey?

I don’t know about you but when my little girl asked me “How is honey made?” I didn’t have a clue how to answer her. So together we researched a bit and learned all about how bees create honey together. Here are a few simple steps to explain how it is done.

First honey bees collect pollen and nectar in the spring when most flowers and plants are in bloom. Bees have a long tube-like tongues call proboscis, similar to a straw, that they use to suck the nectar out of the flowers. The nectar is than stored in their stomachs and carried back to the beehive.

Now inside of the bee’s stomach the nectar mixes with the proteins and enzymes produced in their stomachs, which converts the nectar into honey.

Back at the hive bees then drop honey into hexagonal cells made of wax also produced by the bees, also known as a honey comb. They then will repeat this process until all the combs are full.

Next the bees will work towards evaporating the honey to prepare is for long-tern storage. The bees fan their wings to evaporate and thicken the honey. Honey is about 10-20% water, whereas nectar is about 80%.

Once the honey has been thickened, the bees cap the honeycomb with wax and move on to the next empty comb, starting all over again.

So, in a nutshell, the honey we love to eat is just flower nectar eaten and then regurgitated by bees that has been enhances with the nutritional properties in their stomachs, that is then dehydrated.

The bees make all of the extra honey to store in their hives as food for the winters when there are no blossoms and therefore little nectar available to make more of their delicious honey. Luckily for us the bees only need a small portion of the honey to get through the winter, meaning that there is plenty of honey that can then be harvested by bee keepers, for the rest of us to enjoy. 

Recently I was given the opportunity to go visit some of our beehives and talk to some of the beekeepers about the hives and how they harvest the honey. The beekeepers will remove the honey filled combs from the beehives, as pictured here.

They will extract the liquid honey by first removing the wax cap with a sharp knife or a machine and then placing the bee hive frames in a large centrifuge to get the honey out of the comb. Beekeepers have the choice of reusing the comb, as we do, by putting it back into the bee hives to be refilled with honey so that the bees do not have to rebuild new combs.

Amazing Benefits of Cinnamon Honey

Gorder’s Honey was established in 1992 in Blackfoot, Idaho. In 2015, it was bought by its current owner David Dance where it relocated to its current location in Idaho Falls. In 2017, we are celebrating Gorder’s 25th anniversary by making another transition. In the coming months, we will be rebranding Gorder’s Honey under a new name. Please look for our new Label, Rocky Mountain Honey in stores coming soon. The same great honey and taste with a new updated look.

I have written before about the amazing benefits received by consuming raw honey, but today in honor of a new product coming soon to the Gorder’s Honey Company, soon to be the Rocky Mountain Honey company, let’s talk about the benefits of Cinnamon Honey!

Honey has so many great natural properties as a blend of natural sugar, minerals, vitamins, trace enzymes and amino acids that boast many health benefits. As I’ve talked about in the past honey also attracts and retains moisture, which means it can even be used in your beauty routine as a hair conditioner or body scrub when mixed with a few other natural ingredients. But whatever you’re using it for health or beauty reasons, stick to raw, unfiltered, unpasteurized organic honey.

Now cinnamon too has so many great benefits too, other than the fact that it is a delicious add-on to toast, oatmeal and desserts. Cinnamon, like honey, has powerful medicinal properties too. This natural spice is loaded with antioxidants and works as an anti-inflammatory in the body to help fight infections and repair tissue damage. It’s been linked with reduced risk of heart disease, reduced cholesterol levels and reduced blood sugar levels. The antifungal and antibacterial properties in the popular spice make it a perfect natural remedy for infections and even bad breath!

On their own, these two ingredients have many uses and boast multiple health benefits. But what happens when you put them together?

Combining just a teaspoon of honey and cinnamon can provide you with a strong mix that battles illnesses and diseases naturally.

1. Bladder Infection Remedy

If you are battling an inflamed bladder, you can use this natural remedy to help soothe it. Combine 2 tablespoons of cinnamon with 1 tablespoon of honey into a glass of lukewarm water. The mixture will help destroy the bacteria in your bladder that’s causing the infection.

2. Heart Disease Prevention

A daily dose of cinnamon and honey can help keep your body healthy and protect against heart disease. Half of a teaspoon of cinnamon mixed with 1 teaspoon of honey in the morning can strengthen the heart, lower cholesterol and help to prevent a heart attack.

3. Flu and Cold Remedy

The flu and the common cold always seem to creep up, no matter how healthy of a routine you try to keep. To help strengthen your immune system and get rid of your cold or flu faster, combine a little cinnamon with a teaspoon of warm honey. Consume for three days and your illness should subside.

4. Arthritis Management

To help with the pain of arthritis naturally, consume a mix of honey and cinnamon each day. Combine 2 teaspoons of honey with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and mix into a cup of warm water. Drink each morning and evening.

5. Cholesterol Control

If you suffer from high cholesterol, this drink may do the trick. Mix 3 teaspoons of cinnamon with 2 teaspoons of honey into a half liter of water. Drink it throughout the day to help lower cholesterol levels.

6. Toothache Remedy

For an aching tooth, make a paste of one teaspoon of cinnamon and five teaspoons of honey. Apply to the affected tooth up to three times a day until the pain subsides.

So be on the lookout for our new name and product, the same great raw, natural, and unpasteurized clover honey with a new cinnamon twist. This product is great on bagels, in yogurt or oatmeal, and in so many great baking recipes. And don’t forget to add this product to beauty routine to help give you clear blemish free skin!

20 Home Remedies Using Honey

20 Home Remedies Using Honey

Honey is a delicious and natural sweetener many of us are already familiar with. For those looking to eat fewer processed foods, honey may seem like a good natural choice as a sweetener, but besides being a great choice for a natural sweetener, honey can be used in many home remedies

Types of Honey

There are several types of honey each with their own natural benefits and uses.

Manuka honey is a common natural healing agent that has been used for centuries as a topical antibiotic on wounds and acne. It can also be used for sore throats, colds, and other common ailments due to these properties. Other types of honey with antibacterial properties are eucalyptus and linden honey.

Acacia honey helps cleanse the liver and digestive tract.

Buckwheat honey, usually darker in color than its other counterparts, is full of antioxidants due to that deep color.

Neem honey has been used to treat high blood pressure and diabetes.

If you’re ready to incorporate raw honey into your diet then check out these honey uses.

20 Uses For Honey in Natural Remedies

Improve digestion – Use a tablespoon or two to counteract indigestion since it doesn’t ferment in the stomach.

Relieve nausea – Mix honey with ginger and lemon juice to help counteract nausea.

Acne cure – It can be used as an affordable face cleanser to fight off acne, gentle on sensitive/all skin types. Take half a teaspoon, warm between hands and spread on face gently, leave on for 10 minutes then rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Exfoliator – Honey makes a great exfoliator! Use honey on dry winter skin by adding two cups of honey to a bath, soak for 15 minutes, then add one cup of baking soda for the final 15 minutes.

Improve diabetes – Consumption of raw honey can reduce risk of developing diabetes and help aid medication used to treat diabetes. Raw honey increases insulin and decreases hyperglycemia. Add a little at a time and see how your blood sugar reacts to it.

Lower cholesterol – It can help reduce cholesterol and therefore decrease your risk for coronary artery disease.

Improve circulation – Raw honey makes your brain function optimally by strengthening the heart and improving blood circulation.

Antioxidant support – Consumption of raw honey increases plaque-fighting antioxidants.

Restore Sleep – Raw honey promotes restorative sleep. Add a tablespoon to warm milk to help increase melatonin and help you sleep.

Pre-biotic support – Raw honey is full of natural prebiotics which promote the growth of good bacteria in the intestine.

Improve allergies – If sourced locally, raw honey can help reduce seasonal allergies.

Lose weight – Substituting raw honey for white sugar can help in weight management

Moisturize – A spoonful of raw honey mixed with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon can be used as a hydrating lotion.

Hair mask – Raw honey hair mask can help boost shine, mix 1 tsp of raw honey with 5 cups of warm water, rinse thoroughly, air dry and style as usual.

Eczema relief – Use to treat mild eczema. Use it as a topical mixture of equal parts of honey and cinnamon.

Reduce inflammation – Raw honey has anti-inflammatory agents that can treat respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Heal wounds – Raw honey used topically can help quicken healing time for mild burns, wounds, rashes, and abrasions.

Cure UTI – Honey can help improve urinary tract infections due to its antibacterial properties.

Shampoo – Raw honey can cleanse and restore the health of your hair and scalp.

Relieve sore throat – Honey uses for sore throats is another fantastic remedy.  Simply mix it with lemon essential oil and peppermint oil for fast acting benefits.

As you can see, there are many uses for honey in personal care products, as medicine, and of course, a way to naturally sweeten up your diet without the negative side effects of sugar.  

With so many great benefits, why not try adding a little raw honey to your diet?

NOTE: MEDICAL DISCLAIMER

All pages and contents presented are intended for informational and educational purposes and should not be construed as professional medical diagnoses, advice or instruction, which can only be given by your personal health care provider. Benefits of Honey does not make any claims on the effectiveness of any folk remedies, nor do we officially endorse the use of alternative therapies over conventional medicine. You should never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read here.

Bee Extinction: The End of Humanity?

Bee Extinction: The End of Humanity?

“Mankind will not survive the disappearance of honeybees for more than five years.”

          -Albert Einstein.

Studies over the last several years have shown that we may soon see if Einstein’s prophecy will come to pass. A massive decline in bee population has been reported in the US by beekeepers, in some states the decline is severe as 70% of the population. The decline in population is so severe that for the first time in history the honey bee is being classified as an endangered species.

This phenomenon causing the decline in bee population is being call the Bee Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).

But what does Colony Collapse Disorder really mean?

Colony Collapse Disorder is a disorder defined by worker bees in a bee colony disappearing, which in turn decimated the bee population. The earliest recorded occurrences of CCD were documented as early as 1869 and episodes of CCD have been occurring at least once every decade since then.

CCD is not to be confused with simple bee migration though. There are several key differences between CCD and Bees migrating. In an episode of CCD hives were found to still contain large stores of honey and pollen inside but there were no worker bees to be found, whilst migrating bees will carry their stores of food with them to be used later. Another good indication of CCD versus migration has to do with the Queen. In an episode of CCD, the worker bees will abandon their queen when they disappear, whereas migrating bees with carry their queen to the new location.

What Causes Colony Collapse Disorder?

Scientists have been able to identify several factors they believe to be the cause of CCD in Honeybees. The first and most destructive to the bees in presence of varroa mites invading hives. Varroa mites are a parasite which can only breed inside of bee colonies and carry deadly viruses that they pass to the bees which can cause paralysis in bees and cause deformed wing syndrome. On top of the viruses, bees can get directly from these little pests is the fact that once the viruses have weakened the immunity of their hosting bees they make them susceptible to any number of other ailments.  Varroa mites will also feed on bee larvae, further decimating their numbers.

Besides Varroa mites bees also have to contend with other factors that cause CCD such as fungal infections, invading hive beetles, the use of pesticides, and even weather changes.

Though it is said that pesticides with rarely lead to the death of bees they have been linked to the change in development in bee, especially in pesticides containing thiamethoxam and clothianidin chemicals. Neonicotinoids is a relatively new class of insecticides that are known to affect the central nervous system of insects that results in paralysis and death. When bees are exposed to neonicotinoids, they go into a shock and are no longer able to find their way back to the hive.

As weather patterns change sporadically they can cause the onset of CCD. A sudden rain can wash away pollen which is important to the bee’s health and nutrition or in the longer dry seasons can cause a strained buildup of honey.

So why would this mean the end of humanity?

Some plants are pollinated by wind, but that rate is very slow. Insects are the primary pollinators on the planet. Beetles and butterflies also pollinate, but bees are the most efficient insects for this purpose. Over 60% of all fruits and vegetables consumed by humans are pollinated by bees. They are the primary pollinators if not the only pollinators of many of these fruits and vegetables. Many plants such as almonds, pears, apples, strawberries, and blackberries are only pollinated by bees. Almond trees would be among the first casualties.

Rapeseed, more commonly known for the end product it produces known as Canola oil, is one that is almost completely dependent on honeybees for pollination. Canola oil is grown not only for cooking oil, but it is also used to produce biofuel. If we were to run out of biofuel, we’d have to rely on fossil fuels completely, thus putting further pressure on the environment.

Cotton is also very reliant on pollination from bees. The disappearance of bees will lead to a huge setback in cotton production, as it will significantly reduce your clothing options.

The decline of bee population has become a global problem in farming many fruits and vegetables. The detriment of the decline has had farmers hiring local beekeepers to have hives brought to their farms to assist them in pollinating their plants.

If bees went extinct, there would be a massive decline in the production of crops. Although crops like rice and wheat don’t require insect pollination, ask yourself how long can people survive by eating rice and bread all their life?

So, if bees were to go extinct, here’s a short list of food we would be sure to lose:

1. Apples
2. Almonds
3. Blueberries
4. Cherries
5. Avocados
6. Cucumbers
7. Onions
8. Grapefruits
9. Oranges
10. Pumpkins
11. Watermelons
12. Peaches
13. Blackberries
14. Raspberries
15. Plums
16. Pears
17. Rapeseed

With a declining population of herbivores, we will start to see a declining population of carnivores as well. Though the declining populations might benefit scavengers such as eagles, vultures, and ravens in the short term.

One more worry of losing bees is the topographic changes we will experience.

Imagine a landscape where plants, unable to grow any longer would become barren. Grassland would disappear and large-scale desert will take their place.

This will be a common sight if bees disappear.

A treeless Earth would make its inhabitants more susceptible to natural disasters like floods and landslides which are mitigated by the presence of tree roots that holds together the soil. Not only does it lessen such dangers, the presence of tree roots retains the nutrients in the soil on which we grow our food.

On a planet without bees, the surface of our home would be barren and the vast richness of Earth’s green cover would disappear. This would, in turn, affect the abundance of wildlife and species that survive in their forest and jungle habitats.

Food webs and food chains would collapse. Not only are bees important for livestock and domesticated animals that rely on bee-pollinated plants, but wild mammals and birds also depend on pollination for the supply of their food. A world devoid of bees would signal the demise of complex food chains and food webs that delicately balances the existence of all living creatures on this planet.

Herbivores, who depend on certain plant species, will be affected first. They would go extinct if plants ceased to exist. For example, many cattle used for milk and meat depend on alfalfa and lupins, both of which depend on insect pollination. If the cow’s food supply declines, then meat and milk production will decrease. This will seriously affect the human diet.

Our blue planet is so far, the only planet that we know of that sustains life; it boasts of a rich biodiversity that makes it a unique place in the universe.

The rich biodiversity of our home planet is in part contributed by the existence of bees and their role in pollination. As these bees fly from flower to flower, plant to plant, they transfer pollen that allows plants to get fertilized and yield crops, fruits and vegetables.

Not only are they of utmost importance to humans and other species, by they also pollinate gardens, wild country sides and add to the beauty of the Earth’s landscape.

Without bees, our planet would be bereft of its beauty and its biodiversity greatly reduced.

In short, we may initially survive the extinction of bees, but what kind of world will we live in without them cultivating our world. And how long would we survive for?

The Science Behind Honey’s Eternal Shelf Life

The Science Behind Honey’s Eternal Shelf Life

While excavating ancient Egyptian tombs, archeologists have often found pots of honey amongst the tombs artifacts. And more surprising still is that these thousands of years old honey is still preserved. Over the years as archeologists have uncovered these ancient honey pots and have discovered that the honey remains unspoiled, a remarkable testament to the eternal shelf-life of honey.

So why does honey seem to never spoil?

Just to quickly name a few factors as to why honey has an eternal shelf life—its acidity, its lack of moisture and the presence of hydrogen peroxide—work in perfect harmony, allowing the sticky treat to last forever.

Other examples of food that also has an eternal shelf life in their raw forms are salt, sugar, dried rice just to name a few. Honey however can remain preserved in a completely edible form which is different from these others. You wouldn’t eat uncooked rice or straight salt, you could however eat the thousand-year-old honey straight from the tomb without any preparation the same as if it had been bottled that same day.

So, let’s talk more about what makes this special food so special.

Just to start we can all agree that honey is a sugar. Sugars are hygroscopic, meaning that contain very little water in their natural state but can suck moisture from the air when left unsealed. Honey in its raw and natural form have very low moisture content. For this reason, honey is a poor environment for most bacteria and microorganisms to live. They would basically just get smothered by all its thick, rich goodness. In order for honey to spoil it would have to have something inside of it that can spoil. With it being such an inhospitable environment for the organisms, they do not live long enough to to have a chance to spoil within the honey.

As I stated above honey is naturally acidic, extremely so. The pH of honey is between a 3 and 4.5 approximately which is getting on the higher end of the pH scale for acidity. Being that it is so acidic means that it will pretty much kill off anything that attempts to grow there, which only adds to its already inhospitable environment for organisms. This also makes honey a great antibiotic for medicinal purposes.

This can also be true for other foods, such as molasses. Molasses is a byproduct of cane sugar however so though it will take a long time it will eventually spoil.

So why is honey different from other sugars in this way?

Must be magic, right?

Not really but pretty close, something more along the line of a special kind of alchemy is used to make honey. As you all may know, Nectar is first gathered by bees to make honey, which naturally has a high-water content, about 60 to 80 percent.

So how does this high moisture content nectar become honey which has a low moisture content?

During the process of making honey the bees play a huge role in removing much of this moisture, it a very surprising way. By flapping their wings when transferring the nectar to the hive and in the process of moving through the hive they dry out the nectar.

Now we both known it can’t just come down to drying out the nectar and you would be right. The bee’s stomach also plays a big role in honey’s resilience. Bees have an enzyme in their stomachs call glucose oxidase and when bees regurgitate the nectar from their mouths into the combs to make the honey, this enzyme mixes with the nectar, which in turn breaks down the nectar into two different by products, gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. Now we all know what hydrogen peroxide is, it is an antiseptic used to prevent infection of cuts, scraps, or burns. So, if you didn’t think microorganism and bacteria had a chance before, they most certainly do not now as the hydrogen peroxide works against them the insure that nothing bad could possibly grow within the honey.

This is just another great reason why people have been using honey for centuries to treat injuries. Seeing as it is so thick, kills bacteria and microorganism, and contains hydrogen peroxide, honey creates the perfect barrier against wounds so that they don’t become infected.

Honey being used for medicinal purposes was records earliest in Sumerian tablets in the city of Summer. Based on their ancient records we have learned that they used honey in almost half of their medicines, making all sorts of ointments to treat anything from skin to eye diseases. They would simply cover the wound or diseased area with honey to act as a bandage to keep out infection and help the healing process.

As I stated earlier, if honey isn’t in a seal container, it will start to suck moisture out of it surroundings. Moisture can lead to infection, so by sucking the moisture out of the wound it helps to stave off infection. Pair this with the minute amount of hydrogen peroxide within the honey you have a very useful natural band-aide to keep away infection and promote healing. But don’t just take my word for it. Many would write off honey being used in such a way as folk medicine, an old wife’s tale. However, in the last decade a medical device company known as Derma Sciences has been researching and marketing MEDIHONEY, a bandage used in hospitals around the world that is covered in honey.

Many of the honey you can buy from big supermarkets has likely been heated, strained, and processed. Which means that it no longer contains the particulates from raw honey, such as pollen and enzymes. For this reason, the honey does not really crystallize because it there are no longer any molecules for the liquid to crystallize around. However, if you make sure to check the labels and buy raw, unprocessed honey from the supermarket or a local vendor then the particulates with have not been strained out or destroyed by overheating the honey. The honey will have a higher rate for how quickly it will crystallize. This is nothing to worry about, however, your honey has not gone bad or spoiled. Crystallization is completely normal occurrence in raw honey.

You can check out this article here about how to safely decrystallize your honey: http://health-benefits-of-raw-honey.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-to-decrystallize-honey-its-mid.html?spref=fb

The final factor that is key to Honey having a long shelf life is in fact the way in which honey is stored. A jar of honey being sealed properly is key to its survival. If left open in a humid environment, it will spoil. Because honey can such moisture from the environment it leaves itself vulnerable to bacteria. So as long as honey is sealed up with no added water to it, it will have a very long and useful shelf life.

So, if you’re interested in keeping honey for hundreds of years, do what the bees do and keep it sealed, which may prove a hard thing to do with such a delicious and versatile treat.

17 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Honey, But Should!

17 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Honey, But Should!

Not all honey is created equal. Or, more accurately, not all honey on the grocery store shelves is equal. Some international honey has been treated and no longer has the health benefits discussed here.

If you can possibly buy from a local farmer, farmer’s market, or a reputable local company, it really is the healthiest choice.

Honey and Baking

1. You should never refrigerate honey. Tis will make the honey crystallize faster.

2. Slightly warmed honey is easier to measure out and mix.

3. One 12-ounce honey bear is equal to one cup.

4. Honey never spoils. While excavating Egypt’s famous pyramids, archaeologists have found pots of honey in an ancient tomb. The honey, dating back approximately 3,000 years, is the world’s oldest sample and was still perfectly edible. If it crystallizes or becomes granular, place the open container in a bowl of hot water until it liquifies again. You can get more information on how to decrystalize honey here: http://health-benefits-of-raw-honey.blogspot.com/2017/07/how-to-decrystallize-honey-its-mid.html?spref=fb.

5. To replace sugar with honey in a recipe, substitute 1/2 to 2/3 cup of honey per cup of sugar, and decrease the amount of liquids by 1/4 cup per cup of honey used.  Stir the mixture very thoroughly. Lower the baking temperature by 25 degrees. Watch the baking time carefully since foods brown more quickly when honey is used. You can get more information on using honey in your baking here: http://health-benefits-of-raw-honey.blogspot.com/2017/07/4-rules-for-swapping-out-sugar-in-favor.html?spref=fb

Health Benefits of Honey

6. Honey contains antioxidants, which help protect against cellular damage.

7. Use honey on wounds, including burns, to help them heal faster. Honey is a natural antibiotic.

8. Manuka honey is the preferred variety for first aid treatment.

9. It can be used as a treatment for chapped lips!

10. A good rehydration beverage combines 1/2 c. honey, 1/2 t. salt, 2 c. orange juice, and 5 1/2 c. water. Use lukewarm water to help the honey dissolve faster, then cool.

11. Adding a little local honey (produced within 50 miles) to your diet may help prevent some allergies. The bees have been collecting pollen from plants in your specific area, the same pollen that is the culprit behind many allergies. Tiny doses of this pollen has the same effect as allergy shots, helping the body build immunity against pollen. (Note: filtered honey has had the pollen removed, so do not expect the same benefits from filtered honey.) You can get more information on how honey can help prevent allergies: http://health-benefits-of-raw-honey.blogspot.com/2017/07/honey-for-allergies.html?spref=fb

Odd Bits and Pieces

12. Bees have been known to produce blue and green honey. This is usually a result of bees feeding on sugars that have been dyed. This most commonly has been known to happen in hives located close to M&M factories.

13. It can be purchased in a crystal form. When rehydrated, it can be used as liquid honey.

14. Honey should be stored in closed containers because it absorbs moisture from the air, which can cause it to ferment.

15. An African bird called the Honeyguide locates and feeds on wild honey. The Honeyguide becomes very chatty when it finds a beehive, making it possible for people to retrieve honey themselves.

16. Ancient Egyptians used honey as a form of money and fed it to their sacred animals.

17. Honeybees are the only insect that actually produce food for humans! Just one reason to learn about beekeeping and becoming a beekeeper, or just make your backyard or garden bee-friendly. Pay back the favor!