Howland Blackiston - Honey For Dummies

Honey For Dummies®

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Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2021932806

ISBN 978-1-119-78093-9 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-78094-6 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-78095-3 (ebk)

1 Cover

2 Title Page

3 Copyright

4 Introduction About This Book Foolish Assumptions Icons Used in This Book Beyond the Book Where to Go from Here

5 Part 1: Honey, Give Me the Lowdown Chapter 1: Dipping into Honey’s History and Its Importance Today Introducing Discoscapa apicula — the World’s Oldest Bee? Raising Bees in Ancient Egypt Embalming with Honey and More Discovering the World’s Oldest BeeHives In Praise of Honey Finding Honey in Literature and Folklore Honey Bees Come to America Honey Today: Celebrity Status Chapter 2: Looking at How Honey Is Made and Harvested Gathering Their Groceries Understanding the Composition of Honey Harvesting Honey: From Bee to Bottle Chapter 3: Appreciating the Different Styles of Honey Walkin’ Talkin’ Honeycomb Savoring Liquid Gold — Extracted Honey Getting Chunky with Chunk Honey Whipping Your Honey What’s the Story on Honey Straws?

6 Part 2: Nutrition, Health, and Honey Chapter 4: All About Apitherapy Bee Venom Bee Pollen Royal Jelly Propolis Beeswax Enjoying the Many Benefits of Honey Chapter 5: Making Honey Remedies at Home Mixing Up Some Honey-Based Hair and Skincare Products Honey-Based Elixirs

7 Part 3: Honey Varietals Chapter 6: Discovering the World’s Top Honey Producers 1. China (500,000 tons) 2. Iran (112,000 tons) 3. Turkey (110,000 tons) 4. India (85,000 tons) 5. United States (81,000 tons) 6. Russian Federation (70,000 tons) 7. Ukraine (66,500 tons) 8. Mexico (57,000 tons) 9. Brazil (42,400 tons) 10. New Zealand (23,000 tons) Chapter 7: Getting to Know 50 Varietals of Honey Learning about Varietal Honeys A Word about Wildflower Honey Chapter 8: All That Glistens Is Not Liquid Gold Laundering Honey Transshipping Honey Removing Pollen to Conceal the Honey’s Origin Blending Honeys Cutting Honey Intervention of Humans

8 Part 4: Becoming a Honey Tasting Expert Chapter 9: Thinking Like a Honey Sommelier Differentiating Taste and Flavor Are You a Supertaster? The Nose Remembers Describing What You Taste Tuning Up Your Taste Buds and Sharpening Your Sniffer Chapter 10: Knowing How to Taste Honey Looking, Smelling, and Tasting: Sensory Analysis Creating the Right Environment for Tasting Setting Up For Honey Tasting Writing Tasting Notes Defining the Color of Honey Smelling Your Honey Profiling Honey Characteristics Using the Aroma and Flavor Chart Trigeminals Determining the Honey’s “Finish” Talking About Texture Chapter 11: Taking the Terror Out Of Terroir Capturing the Flavors of Local Foods Influencing Nectar Getting the Dirt on Honey (Geology) Honey and Geography Knowing What Weather Has to Do with It Chapter 12: Looking at What Can Go Wrong With Honey Recognizing Defects Crossing Crystallization Defects Knowing Why a Honey Tastes Like Beer

9 Part 5: Hey, Honey, Let’s Party Chapter 13: Shopping for Your Honey Knowing Where to Shop Deciphering Labels Fair Trade Honey Chapter 14: Brewing Honey Wine (Mead) Discovering Mead’s Long History Introducing Seven Types of Mead Getting the Necessary Mead-Making Equipment Understanding Useful Mead-Making Terms Chapter 15: Cooking with Honey Chapter 16: Baking with Honey Swapping Out Sugar for Honey Checking Out Some Recipes Chapter 17: Using Honey for Thirst-Quenching and Celebratory Beverages Making Honey-Inspired Beverages Mixing Honey-Based Cocktails Chapter 18: Pairing Honey with Cheese and Other Foods Pairing Honey with Cheese Conjuring Creative Pairings Considering Classic Pairings of Honey and Food Chapter 19: Honey, Let’s Have a Party Planning the Party Assembling the Right Stuff Developing Your Menu Creating Honey Grazing Boards Piloting Tasting Flights Including Fun Honey Games Show Friends How It Went

10 Part 6: The Part of Tens Chapter 20: Ten Great Honey Festivals Oregon Honey Festival, Ashland, Oregon Philadelphia Honey Festival NYC Honey Week, Rockaway Beach Honey Bee Fest, New York Sweet Bee’s Honey Festival, New York Vermont’s Golden Honey Festival Arizona Honeybee Festival, Phoenix Michigan Honey Festival Tennessee Honey Festival Uvalde Honey Festival, Texas Chapter 21: More Than Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Honey What’s the best way to store honey once the jar has been opened? Does honey ever spoil or go bad? Why does my honey look like it has two different layers? My honey has crystallized; can I get the honey liquid again? What’s organic honey? What’s the difference between Grade A and Grade B honey? What accounts for the different colors and flavors of honey? Why do honey bees make honey? Is it true that eating local honey will relieve pollen-related allergies? What does “raw” honey mean? How can I test my honey for authenticity? Why does honey from the same local beekeeper taste different sometimes? Why shouldn’t you feed honey to a baby? How many flowers must honey bees visit to make one pound of honey? How much honey does a worker honey bee make in her lifetime? What famous Scottish liqueur is made with honey? What’s the U.S. per capita consumption of honey? How many honey-producing colonies of bees are there in the United States? Do all bees make honey? Chapter 22: Ten Honeys for your Bucket List The Most Expensive Honey in the World: Elvish Most Sacred Honey: Sidr Most-Difficult-to-Get Honey: Pitcairn Island Most International Awards: Sourwood Most Bitter Honey: Strawberry Tree Honey Psychedelic Mad Honey: Deli Bal Most Unique Texture: Ling Heather Honey Volcanic Honey: Wenchi Silkiest Honey: Ulmo Honey Most Buttery Honey: Kāmahi