What is Honey ? Pure liquid honeyMature honeybees collect nectar from plant blossoms. Nectar is 80 to 95 percent water and 5 to 20 percent sucrose (table sugar). As the bee transports the nectar back to the hive, a protein enzyme in her honey stomach, called invertase, breaks the sucrose down into the two simple sugars, fructose and glucose. Young bees remove water from the sugar solution using two methods. They pass the nectar from bee to bee and 'drink' the water out of the nectar by absorbing it through their stomach wall. They also create heat and air flow in the hive by vibrating their wings and flight muscles, thus evaporating water out of the nectar which has been stored in open cells. When most of the sucrose has been converted to fructose and glucose AND enough water has been dehydrated out of the mixture to bring it approximately 17.8% water content, we have a delicious sticky mixture, called honey! After honey is made, bees cap it with beeswax to maintain the low moisture content.

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Perfect time of the year to eat your honey to help with hay fever/allergies. I have 6lbs Pails -$30

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Happy Apitherapy day From my favourite bee blogger Ron Miksha Filip Terč, Father of Apitherapy 1844-1917 Terč was born in a remote Czech village in western Bohemia, but ended up in Slovenia where he worked as a physician. As a young man, he suffered badly from rheumatoid pain until, at age 22, he was accidentally stung by an aggressive mob of irritated honey bees. It changed his life. The pain was gone. Terč began a serious study of the effects of bee venom therapy. He published the world's first article on the clinical trials of bee sting therapy, the 1888 paper “Report on the Peculiar Connection between Bee Stings and Rheumatism”. He presented the results of his treatment of 680 patients with the collective application of 39,000 stings. 82% showed a complete cure, 15% had a partial recovery, while 3% had no relief from their rheumatoid condition. Those are an impressive number of trials and very impressive results. His work was published 130 ago. His results have not been disputed, but the medical profession was slow at accepting the link between rheumatism, auto-immune dysfunctions, and bee venom. With the rise in cases of immune disorders (ranging from multiple sclerosis to lupus to allergies), the use of apitherapy treatments are becoming more widely available. If you'd like to learn more, there is a great collection of materials at the Bees for Life: World Apitherapy Network website.

Strawberry Honey Jam Recipe – 4 Natural Ingredients! I have to say that for a first attempt to make an all natural jam – it’s become a huge hit in the house! It’s a touch thinner than traditional jam since pectin is the traditional thickening agent, but oh so good! The best part is it’s simple to make and uses only 4 natural ingredients, using apples, which are high in pectin, to thicken the jam. It is the perfect consistency for that PB&J sandwich or the perfect topping on that bowl of ice cream. Whatever you choose to do with it – you can rest easy knowing that all the ingredients are natural and not full of white sugar! Strawberry Honey Jam INGREDIENTS: 6 lbs of fresh strawberries 3 3/4 cup raw honey 2 small granny smith apples 1 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 of a large lemon) INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Hull strawberries and cut in each strawberry in half (or quarters if large), place in a large stockpot 2. Cut the sides of the apples away from the core and grate the apple leaving the skins on. (I used my food processor) Place in pot with the strawberries. 3. Juice a lemon until you get 1 1/2 tablespoons of juice and poor into the stock pot. 4. Pour the honey into the pot and stir. 5. Heat mixture on high until boiling stirring occasionally. As soon as the mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to medium low to simmer. 6. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes until the strawberries become soft. Using a potato masher, mash the strawberries so there are no recognizable sections. If you have an Immersion Blender, you can save time and use this instead. 7. Simmer for another 15-45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The longer the mixture simmers, the thicker the consistency. (Remember, this will not be as thick as the consistency made with sugar and/or pectin). 8. Strawberry Honey Jam can either be placed in freezer safe jars, or canned using a water bath for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

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I will have to try this one out soon :) Honey Facial Mask You will have clean face with the help of Mother Nature. This mask will eliminate spots, scars and tracks of blackheads like magic without wasting your money on expensive products. All of the ingredients are well-known and easily available. Take a look at this recipe: You need: * a teaspoon of honey * half a teaspoon of nutmeg * one teaspoonful of lemon juice * half a teaspoonful of powdered cinnamon Preparation: Mix all of the ingredients to create a mixture. If your face is very sensitive, add a little more honey to make the mask thicker. The honey has been used since Ancient times because of its well-known qualities. Avoid using honey in cases of rosacea or similar diseases. You can also use white clay instead of honey .Avoi the mouth and the eyes when applying the mask. Let it dry for 10 minutes and rinse with warm water. After the treatment, apply some moisturizer on your skin. When you first apply this mask you might feel a tingling sensation, but don’t worry. It will last shortly.

5 Things You Didn't Know About Honey

Story at-a-glance - Honey is a blend of sugar, trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids that has antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antioxidant properties Honey works as well as dextromethorphan, a common ingredient in over-the-counter cough medications, to soothe cough and related sleeping difficulties Unprocessed honey can help treat skin infections, helps wounds heal, and improves dandruff and itchy scalp It takes about 60,000 bees, collectively traveling up to 55,000 miles and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey Choose raw, unfiltered honey for medicinal properties; most honey on the market is highly processed and may even contain additives like corn syrup http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/10/20/health-benefits-honey.aspx

Need stocking stuffers😃 Organic Lip balm $3 each (2 for $5) Honey Butter 250ml - $5 Unpasteurized creamed honey 6lbs - $30

Tips for using honey When substituting honey for sugar and baking goods: -For every cup of sugar called for, use three-quarter cup of honey -reduce the liquid in the recipe by quarter cup for each cup of honey used -add about half a teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of honey used -reduce the oven temperature by 25° to print overbrowning -before you measure your honey coat the measuring spoon or cup with non-stick cooking spray. This makes cleanup much easier.

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Still have 6lbs pails of honey for sale ($30 each pail) And beeswax for sale Flower shaped beeswax $7.50 each (6 flowers equals one pound) Gold bar shaped beeswax $5.50 each (8 bars equals one pound)

Killian Honey's cover photo