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Honey, nature's own food


Enid Donaldson-Mignotte

HONEY HAS been a favourite sweet of mankind since prehistoric times. It is nature's own convenience food. It provides quick food energy because the sugars are in an easily digestible form. Honey is highly prized for its special flavour, alone, with bread or with other foods.

Most of the honey on the retail market is sold in liquid or "creamed" form. Liquid honey ­ is extracted from the comb and strained. Freshly extracted honey may crystallise within a few weeks. When heat-treated to remain liquid, it should keep for several months at room temperature and is best kept tightly covered.

Creamed honey ­ is made by seeding liquid honey with finely granulated honey and storing it under controlled conditions until completely granulated. Since it has a smooth, fine texture and spreads easily, it is becoming increasingly popular.

Comb honey - is natural honey sealed in wax that is made by the bees in the hive. It may be sold in sections in wooden frames or it may be cut in sections and each piece wrapped separately.

Chunk Honey - is labelled as such. It is sold in a container and consists of pieces of honey comb as well as liquid.

Honey hints

Cakes and cookies made with hone are noted for their keeping qualities. The ability of honey to absorb and retain moisture and thus retard the drying out and staling of baked goods is of great importance to the homemakers who wishes to do her baking in advance. This property combined with the food value and flavour of honey, is valuable to the baker.

To liquefy honey that has granulated or solidified: Place container in a bowl of warm water - not warmer than the hand can bear - until all crystals are melted. See that the honey container does not rest on the bottom of the water container.

To replace sugar with honey in a cake or cookie recipe that calls for all sugar:

A general rule is to reduce the amount of liquid by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey used to replace sugar.

Measuring honey

Honey is so thick that it may be difficult to measure. Lightly grease the cup or spoon so the honey will pour more readily. Use a spatula or rubber scraper to ensure full measure in the recipe.

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