She is truly a queen. Her court as I call it has a 24-hour royal service. Bees do not sleep, and the average bee produces one and one/half teaspoons of honey in a lifetime. Honey comes from the nectar of flowering plants and bees gather pollen and perform the vital service of pollinating fruit, vegetables and other types of plants in our food chain.
Honey is as old as written history and sacred writings in Egypt and India. Cave paintings in Spain have depictions dating back to 7,000 B.C. and fossils date back about 150 million years. Honey was considered valuable and often used as a form of currency, tribute or offering. In Germany, the peasants paid their feudal lords with beeswax and honey.
The earliest recorded beekeepers were found in the sun temple near Cairo and were often symbolized as royalty. Honey cakes were often baked by the Egyptians and Greeks as offerings to the gods.
Honey is the first sweetener known to man. Bears love honey but it isn’t just for the sweetness. They raid beehives in search of honey and will consume the bees, and larvae, which adds protein to their diet. The hives satisfy their sweet tooth with a quick meal of vitamins and minerals. Honey also has a presence in Christianity with the use of beeswax for church candles. There are also mentions of honey in the Bible.
John the Baptist was said to have survived off of wild honey and locusts in the dessert. Samson ate honey out of a skull of a lion carcass. Jacob sent his sons with gifts of spice, balm, honey and myrrh with pistachio nuts, and almonds for the Pharoah of Egypt. The armies of Israel found honey but were instructed not to eat it by the order of King Saul, so they would not be distracted.
A very poignant reference is when God spoke to Moses through the burning bush with the promise to deliver his people to a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey. However, this could also be viewed as a figurative as well as literal description of the Promised Land.
Bees were thought to have special powers and were found on many emblems such as those of Pope Urban VIII, a sign of the King of Lower Egypt during the First Dynasty, Napoleons’ flag and robe, the symbol of the Greek goddess Artemis, and the emblem of Eros and Cupid.
There are about 320 varieties of honey that vary in color and taste, odor and flavor because of the plants the bees visit. Honey contains mostly sugar and a mix of amino acids, minerals, vitamins, zinc and antioxidants. It is also a natural sweetener, and anti-inflammatory agent. It is used to treat coughs, burns and wounds for healing. Local honey is beneficial for allergies.
There is a difference between raw and regular honey. Raw honey comes directly from the honeycomb but, today, honey purchased in grocery stores is processed thru pasteurization which involves heating. During pasteurization, additional sugar may be added.
Raw honey comes from the honeycomb. The beekeeper will filter the honey to remove debris of pollen and beeswax. Because it is not pasteurized it may appear cloudy or opaque, but it is still safe to eat.
Honey contains about 80% sugar and can be a good substitute for people with diabetes. Keep in mind that although healthy it contains 64 calories per tablespoon.
Live, love life and honey.