Cooking with Honey

Did you know? There are more than 300 unique flavors of honey in the United States! Each of them has a different color and flavor. This is dependent on the nectar sources the bees visit while foraging. If we have a honeybee visiting mainly an orange blossom grove, then that is what we would define as orange blossom honey. There needs to be at least 45% of the nectar and pollen from the dominant source for it to have a prominent flavor. Knowing this, we can play with different types of honey in some recipes to see how it can change the flavor. 

Darker honey tends to be more robust and strong. Lighter honey tends to be more light and mild. Lighter honey like orange blossom, black locust or an early spring wildflower is great in things like smoothies and spreads. Darker honey like buckwheat, chestnut or late fall honey are great for salad dressings, meats and baking because it will have a strong honey flavor.

When cooking with honey, it is likely that things can get messy pretty quick, so here are some tips! A good trick to use is spraying your measuring cup or spoon with non stick cooking spray and the honey will slide right out. Honey will natural crystallize, but it’s still good to eat! Just place the jar or bottle in some warm water. Honey should be stored at room temperature. Honey comes in different forms. Try cream honey, chunk honey and comb honey. See how you can add variety in you meals with these forms.

One of my favorite ways to start my mornings is with a homemade honey berry smoothie. Not only is it a sweet start, it is also a great source of natural energy! My recipe is below, but you can change it up to add your favorite fruits and vegetables.

Princess Nicole’s Honey Berry Smoothie

Ingredients:

½ cup milk

2 tablespoons Honey

1 frozen banana

½ cup frozen blueberries

½ cup frozen strawberries 

½ cup frozen raspberries

2 tablespoons of almond butter(optional)

Directions

Combine all ingredients into a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a glass. Enjoy!