"honey" news and stories

With a little experimentation you can use honey as a vitamin-packed sugar substitute. Here's how.

It's been remarkably frigid out here on the east coast of late and the bone chilling weather seems to be bringing with it another round of sniffles and head colds. Doctors advise that there's not much to do for a cold other than drink lots of fluids and get plenty of rest. We can't help you with the rest, but I've got a tasty suggestion for making those liquids go down easy.

Whip up a quick infusion of honey, lemon and ginger. Simply grate a half inch chunk of ginger into a large mug. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon in on top (you can also add the zest if you're feeling daring) and add a heaping teaspoonful of honey (feel free to adjust the sweetness level to your personal taste). Fill the cup with boiling water and stir to combine. Drink while still warm and repeat as necessary.

It will soothe a sore throat, help with the cough (truly, honey has been found in scientific studies to calm a cough nearly as well as cough syrup) and taste good to boot!

Parfaits are truly the anytime dish -- breakfast, lunch, snack, dessert. Dinner? Maybe even that. Here are some ideas for both usual and unusual (and hopefully, unusually delicious) takes on this yummy yogurt-based delight.

1. Apple and Walnut parfait with maple syrup
2. Greek yogurt parfait with mangoes and honey
3. Classic fresh raspberry parfait with granola
4. Parfait with yogurt, granola, and cooked cherries
5. Trail mix parfait with yogurt, mixed nuts, and dried fruit
6. Cereal parfait with yogurt, dried cereal, and fresh strawberries
7. Frozen yogurt parfait with frozen or fresh berries
8. Pina Colada parfait with dried pineapple, dried coconut, and vanilla yogurt

Anyone have favorite combos for beautiful layered parfaits? Share!

This week, I was excited to see one of my new favorite honeys in an article from the NY Times. Jujube honey is not like any other honey that I've tried. It has a fascinating balance between bitterness and a bright sweetness. A spoon full of this honey is like diving into a field of flowers and being completely absorbed by nature while hearing Debussy's ethereal Clair de Lune being performed from a distance. In short, it's a magical culinary experience. Everything about this honey is harmonious from it taste to its luscious creamy texture.

This honey is produced from bees that pollinate flowers growing from jujube bushes in the the middle Atlas mountain range in Morocco. The jujube bush grows a small three centimeter edible fruit that's green and tastes of apples. As it matures, the fruit turns a dark red to purplish-black and eventually looks like a small date. It has a pit similar to that of an olive. I'm not sure where you can find this fruit in the U.S. Typically, they're used in Chinese cuisine to flavor wine and tea.

You can purchase this jujube honey directly online from Alili, the company that brands the honey. If you're in NY, you can find it at the following specialty shops: Truffette, Grace's Marketplace, and Chelsea Market Baskets.

A jar of honey can become a sticky mess. Next time you're adding honey to another dish or a mug of tea, use a honey dipper to prevent a thick gooey layer from spreading.