The word charcuterie is a term that summons visions of thoughtfully-plated fare and high-end gatherings, much like a plate of hors d'oeuvres or a dainty amuse-bouche, but it’s their accouterments that truly elevate a simple plate of carnivore-centric snacks into a charcuterie board. So, beyond meat, what makes a “perfect” charcuterie assortment? Here are a few tips and tricks to guide you on your culinary path to deliciousness
It may be used to seal and protect a beehive in its natural state, but propolis – the miraculous “bee glue” that keeps beehives humming along – opens up a world of useful possibilities as well. While the honey and beeswax it protects enjoy recognition and great “PR,” this hardworking substance often goes overlooked – at the consumer level, anyway. It may surprise you to learn that health and beauty products, health supplements, and even medicines you are already using may contain propolis or propolis-derived ingredients.
Tea is one of nature’s finest works – a beautifully brew-able leaf that produces a potent or soothing brew, depending on its processing. Honey is another superstar of the natural world, gathered with great effort and care by hardworking bees. Together, they make a warm, comforting cuppa that is, both flavor-wise and chemically, more than the sum of its delightful parts. You’ve heard of honey in its familiar liquid form being added to tea – particularly in conjunction with lemon for stubborn colds and sore throats - but what about honeycomb?
A special substance known as propolis, from the ancient words for “entrance to” and “large city,” is found sealing up tiny cracks and outer entryways in a hive. Like beeswax, it’s made from a combination of naturally-gathered components – in this case, resins from evergreen needle trees – and substances created within the gathering bee’s body. It’s a valuable component in many health supplements and consumer products, though admittedly a little trickier to gather than honey or wax.
Without bees and other pollinators to transfer pollen from plant to plant, we wouldn’t be able to grow and harvest the fruit and vegetables that form more than a third of our global food supply. National Bee Day falls on August 17th each year, and it’s the perfect time for bee fans everywhere to show a lot of love for these iconic little winged insects. From cultivated apiaries to wild hives, bee colonies are the buzzing heart of plants, flowers, vegetables, and so much more.
From taking the bitterness out of a morning cup of coffee, sweetening your daily beverages, to elevating the flavors of favorite desserts, natural sweeteners do just as much heavy lifting as sugar. These sweeteners may or may not be processed, contain other ingredients, and come in several forms such as powder, liquid, syrup, or even in a wholly natural state, such as honeycomb.
So, you’ve decided to cut down on using sugar in your cooking, baking, or diet. Maybe you’re interested in the nutritional benefits of natural sweeteners in your food, or maybe it’s simply a desire to try something new. You have a variety of options for cutting sugar down (or even out entirely), while still satisfying those sugar cravings, but the two main options available commercially are stevia leaf products or natural honey products. Both have benefits and taste deliciously sweet, but one has a few important advantages over the other. In this article, we’ll discuss the differences between these two natural sweetener alternatives.
Incorporating natural sweeteners into meals, beverages, and snacks is easy, but choosing the right sweeteners to satisfy your sugar cravings may prove a bit more daunting. Keep reading to see why honeycomb is among five of the best natural sweeteners on the market today
You’ve likely heard of and enjoyed the benefits of honey before – that sweet, naturally golden syrup that goes so well with foods and beverages in the place of normal sugar – but what about honeycomb? The natural “packaging” for honey, honeycomb is also created by bees, is safe to eat, and has just as much to offer in the diet (and even around the home)! So what’s the difference: honey vs. honeycomb, and how can you make sure you’re experiencing all of the advantages of both? In this step-by-step suggestion guide for honey novices, we’ll explore not only the differences between these two marvels of nature but the many benefits of these two fascinating bee by-products.
The buzzing backbone of our eco-infrastructure, bees deserve our admiration, protection, and support for all that they do. Without bees, we have no agriculture, which means our food sources would evaporate and leave us helpless and hungry. Whether it’s a desire born out of concern for survival or a genuine love of bees, these seven tips will help you be a bee ally, making an impact for bee colonies across the nation as well as in your own neighborhood.
As the name suggests, it comes directly from hard-working bees, but the intricate and fascinating process of its creation is as much an art as it a science. So how exactly do bees – the tiny, busy gatherers of pollen and makers of golden honey – find the time to create this marvelous substance, too? The answer starts, as with most of the wonders produced by these incredible insects, with a worker bee and a flower.
Royal jelly, in addition to having an impressive name, also has an impressive list of reported benefits and an absolutely fascinating origin story. Created deep in the hive, this protein-rich substance is typically reserved for the queen, though clever beekeepers can carefully harvest it for humans to consume and discover the many ways to use royal jelly.