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- Written by Nancy J. Schaaf, RN Nancy J. Schaaf, RN
Not only does September typically usher in college football season, those last-minute summer vacations, and the beginnings of fall-like weather in some parts of the U.S., but the month also happens to celebrate one of our favorite foods: honey!
Did you know that National Honey Month is just as much about honeybees as it is the honey they make?
The National Honey Board has always recognized the importance of honeybees and the benefits of honey, so in 1989, the NHB worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to give honey the praise its due.
September was officially deemed National Honey Month because it is the month when the majority of honey is harvested in the United States.
Honey is a one-ingredient recipe made by bees, flowers, and Mother Nature herself. Honeybees visit millions of blossoms in their lifetimes, making pollination of plants possible and collecting nectar to bring back to the hive.
Lucky for us, bees make more honey than their colony needs, and beekeepers remove the excess and bottle it, just like they’ve been doing for centuries.
Honey is said to be nature’s gold. It has antibacterial and antifungal properties and acts as a prebiotic, helping feed the good bacteria in your digestive system to keep your gut healthy.
Honey has even been touted as a way to speed up wound healing and soothe a sore throat. A thin coat of honey can be applied on the skin to disinfect and heal minor skin wounds and chapped lips.
Research has shown that honey contains a wide array of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids. Flavonoids and phenolic acids, which act as antioxidants, are found in honey. The amount and type of these compounds depend largely on the floral source.
Honey is a versatile staple to keep in the kitchen: It can be used as a substitute for sugar in recipes, drizzled into your tea, or spread on biscuits. Compared to sugar, honey has more vitamins and minerals, is sweeter, and raises one’s blood sugar more slowly. If you buy locally made honey, it is unrefined and natural.
Honey is now considered good for oral hygiene; it is thought to have a calming effect on the mind and promotes sleep, too. Honey also helps indigestion and has sometimes been used to treat cardiovascular disease and respiratory complaints.
For relief of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory problems, mix 1 teaspoon of finely chopped thyme in a little honey. Take the mixture orally as needed to soothe inflamed lungs and airways.
Honey has also been recommended for those who suffer from hay fever. The hay fever sufferer is advised to eat honey that is harvested locally. This helps build immunity to local pollen by ingesting honey made from it.
Today, most of our honey comes from bee farmers. In the middle of the 19th century, L.L. Langstroth invented a movable frame hive that increased honey production throughout the U.S.
Today, it is estimated there are 5 billion colonies of bees in this country, including wild and raised. There are approximately 211,600 beekeepers in the U.S., with over 3 million commercial honey-producing colonies. Utah is called the Beehive State.
So, as you enjoy honey in your tea or baked goods, remember to thank the bees!
Honey Muffins
Recipe courtesy of Mitzi Dulan, RD, CSSD, made for the National Honey Board (honey.com)
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup strained honey
- 3 cups sifted flour
- 3 tsps. baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 3 eggs, well beaten
- ¼ cup melted shortening
1. Blend the milk, honey, and sugar, stirring very thoroughly.
2. Combine the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add the eggs and shortening and mix very lightly but quickly.
4. Bake in well-greased muffin pans at 375 degrees F for about 20 minutes.
Nancy J. Schaaf, a retired RN, worked as a school nurse, a nurse supervisor at a men’s prison, and a health educator. She earned her BSN at Edinboro University. She is a freelance writer whose health articles appear in magazines throughout the U.S. and Canada. She can be reached at nancyjschaaf@gmail.com.