Tag low glycemic

NATIONAL HONEY MONTH

Jensperspectiveblog 2 Comments

Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by honey bees, and derived from the nectar of flowers. According to the United States National Honey Board and various international food regulations, “honey stipulates a pure product that does not allow for the addition of any other substance…this includes, but is not limited to, water or other sweeteners”.

Honey is Not All the Same.
Honey is available in many varieties! Did you realize that honey is available in many different varieties? When bees visit mostly one kind of flower as they gather nectar, the honey they produce has a unique taste, aroma and color from that particular flower. Other honeys are delicious blends of floral sources (look for Mixed Flower, Polyfloral, Wildflower).  The Honey Locator is a website you can use to find suppliers of these many varieties of honey. 

September is significant for honey producers as it is the month that marks the end of the honey collection season for many beekeepers in the United States.

Honey and its use
The main uses of honey are in cooking, baking, as a spread on breads, and as an addition to various beverages such as tea and as a sweetener in commercial beverages. Because honey is hygroscopic (drawing moisture from the air), a small quantity of honey added to a pastry recipe will retard staling.

Medicinal uses and health effects of honey
For at least 2700 years, honey has been used to treat a variety of ailments through topical application, but only recently have the antiseptic and antibacterial properties of honey been chemically explained. As an antimicrobial agent honey may have the potential for treating a variety of ailments.

  • Topical honey has been used successfully in a comprehensive treatment of diabetic ulcers when the patient cannot use other topical antibiotics. Some studies suggest that the topical use of honey may reduce odors, swelling, and scarring when used to treat wounds.
  • Raw honey also contains enzymes that help in digestion, several vitamins and antioxidants.
  • Honey may also prevent the dressing from sticking to the healing wounds.
  • Honey has been shown to be an effective treatment for conjunctivitis in rats.
  • Honey (especially when combined with lemon) is often taken orally by pharyngitis and laryngitis sufferers, in order to soothe them.
  • Honey has been a part of many folk cures, it is common and cheap (compared to pharmaceuticals), and cannot be patented.

A Honey for All Skins
Skin is the body’s largest organ and its most exposed. Throughout life, the skin comes into contact with more damaging conditions and environments than any other part of the body. Pamper it with one of the world’s oldest skin care secrets, honey.  read more http://www.honey.com/consumers/sb/skins.asp

History
The awareness month was initiated by The National Honey Board, a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) founded and overseen organization. (a US government established, USDA-overseen, organization) in 1989.

Biblical Period
The Old Testament contains many references to honey as a symbol for all that is pleasant and desirable. For example, the book of Exodus famously describes the Promised Land as a ‘land flowing with milk and honey’ (33:3). There, however, the Hebrew devash refers to the sweet syrup produced from the juice of the date. In contrast, bees’ honey is referred to explicitly in The Book of Judges when Samson found a swarm of bees and honey in the carcass of a lion (14:8). Matthew 3:4 John the Baptist lived for a long period of time in the wilderness on a diet consisting of locusts and wild honey. The word “honey” appears 61 times in the King James Version of the Bible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honeyy

HOW TO OBSERVE

Add some honey to your diet and use #NationalHoneyMonth to post on social media.

NATIONAL SOURDOUGH BREAD DAY

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National Sourdough Bread Day on April 1st recognizes one of the world’s oldest leavened breads. 

Sourdough is produced through the process of long fermentation of the dough using lactobacilli and yeasts. The use of naturally occurring yeasts and friendly bacteria versus cultivated yeast causes the bread to have a slightly sour, but pleasant taste. 

Most likely the first form of leavening available to bakers, it is believed sourdough originated in Ancient Egyptian times around 1500 BC. During the European Middle Ages, it also remained the usual form of leavening.

As part of the California Gold Rush, sourdough was the principal bread made in Northern California and is still a part of the culture of San Francisco today. The bread was so common at that time the word “sourdough” became a nickname for the gold prospectors. In The Yukon and Alaska, a “sourdough” is also a nickname given to someone who has spent an entire winter north of the Arctic Circle. It refers to their tradition of protecting their sourdough during the coldest months by keeping it close to their body. The sourdough tradition was also carried into Alaska and western Canadian territories during the Klondike Gold Rush.

San Francisco sourdough is the most famous sourdough bread made in the United States today. In contrast to sourdough production in other areas of the country, the San Francisco variety has remained in continuous production since 1849, with some bakeries able to trace their starters back to California’s Gold Rush period. Many restaurant chains keep it as a menu staple. Sourdough bread is a great side to your soup, stew or toasted with your morning cereal.

More Breads…..

HOW TO OBSERVE #SourdoughBreadDay

Bake some homemade sourdough bread. Share a recipe or order some from your favorite bakery. Celebrate by tagging them and letting them know how much you appreciate them.

Use #SourdoughBreadDay to post on social media.