Honey has been consumed by humans for thousands of years. The 100% pure natural sweetener is used in baking, spreads, teas, barbecue sauce, and even in the honey beer, mead. Egyptians used fermented honey for their alcoholic beverages, the Romans dressed their wounds with it for its antiseptic properties. Honey's low pH make it unfavorable to bacteria so it virtually never goes bad. No joke, archaeologists dug up 2000 year old jars of Egyptian honey and they said it still tasted delicious!
Types of Honey
Here are a few guidelines to help you in your quest for the most delicious honeys.
* Mono-floral honey comes from only one particular flower. Beekeepers do this by limiting the bees' access to only one type of flower.
** Clover is the most popular honey in the United States. It has a mild, pleasing taste.
** Orange blossom honey has a hint of citrus taste. Produced in Florida, California, and Texas.
** Eucalyptus honey tends to be stronger in flavor than other honey. Made in California.
** Alfalfa honey is produced in much of North America. Relatively mild and pleasant.
** Blueberry honey is made in New England from the tiny white flowers of blueberry bushes.
* Poly-floral honey is either a mixture of different honey, or made for the pollen of several different flowers. This provides limitless possibilities of flavor and color.
* Honey can be sold in a variety of forms, including liquid, comb, chunk, and granulated honey.
* The USDA grades honey from A, B, C, to Substandard. This measure is based on a number of factors including water content, flavor, aroma, clarity, absence of defects, and color.
