Tag: honey

Kitchen DIY: Substituting Honey for Sugar

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If you want to eat healthier, or use honey that you have produced yourself, the first thing you need to know is that the rules for Substituting Honey for Sugar are more like guidelines.

In general, substituting honey for sugar is a matter of preference.

Some use it cup for cup, others prefer 1/2 cup – 2/3 cup of honey per cup of white sugar.

However, because of the water content, reduce the amount of other liquids by 1/4 cup for every cup of honey used.

Honey also causes foods to brown much easier, so lower the oven temp about 25 degrees F to prevent over-browning.

Also, since Honey is naturally acidic, and baking soda is a base add 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda for each cup of honey to your recipe.

If you are using the sugar to can, use 7/8 cup of honey for every cup of sugar, but don’t change the other liquids. Honey may be substituted effectively for up to half the sugar called for in a canning syrup recipe. (test this for jellies)

Remember that Honey has its own unique flavor. In general it is a light and pleasing flavor, but if it conflicts with the desired taste of your recipe, there’s not much you can do about it. However, the flavor depends on the flowers the bees used to make it, and some flowers give an off taste.

If you are diabetic, as I am, keep in mind that honey does not reduce the calorie or carbohydrate content of the sugar syrup, and thus is not acceptable sugar replacements for people on diabetic diets. However, it is less processed, and there is some evidence that it a much healthier sweetener in other ways.

You can also use honey as a substitute for other sweeteners

Brown Sugar: Follow the equation for plain table sugar under General Recommendations, but also substitute molasses for a portion of the honey to retain the expected flavor – (brown sugar is just unrefined White sugar -they take the molasses out).

Corn Syrup: Use exactly the same amount, but reduce any other sweet ingredients, since honey has more sweetening power than corn syrup.

Molasses: Use exactly the same amount. The resulting flavor and color will be lighter and less heavy. The reverse is true if you swap molasses for honey.

February 18, 2016
How to Melt Crystallized Honey the Easy Way

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Honey never spoils or goes bad, but it may crystallize. This is not a bad thing, as a matter of fact, some beekeepers intentionally cause their honey to crystallize and sell it as premium “creamed honey“.

If your honey solidifies into a thick mass of honey crystals it is a simple process to reverse it. Simply heat it up in a gentle manner.

In the video I show my preferred method of slowly melting crystallized honey in a crock pot.

I have done this in a double boiler on the stove, but that requires more care and attention. In this method, you can set it and forget it.

Don’t get excited about finding your stored honey converted to crystals. You should try it as a spread on your morning toast or on a peanut butter sandwich. It doesn’t change the taste, but It does give it an interesting mouth-feel.

One point of caution as you melt your crystallized honey using any method. Honey will never spoil. However, If you dilute it with water it will ferment.

If you take the single precaution of ensuring the water in the pot does not mix with the honey, melting crystallized honey is easy and makes your honey much easier to pour.

February 4, 2016
Hive Management

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The beekeeper’s year begins with a late winter hive inspection and ends with “putting the bees to bed” in the autumn. Richard Bonney believes that each beekeeping activity should be performed with an eye toward the overall well-being of the colony, as part of an integrated year-round program of hive management.

Long-term success in beekeeping can only be achieved by understanding the intimate lives, behaviors, and motivations of honey bees — the factors which govern the life of each colony.

In this book, Richard Bonney explains the reasons behind common practices that many beekeepers perform without really knowing why.

He also stresses when to take timely actions that will prevent problems in future seasons.

Hive Management offers concise, up-to-date information on the whole range of beekeeping tasks, including:

— How to prevent, control, and capture swarms.

— What you can tell from an outside inspection of your hives.

— When and how to “take the crop” and harvest honey.

— How to successfully requeen — from handling and marking queens to methods of introducing one into a hive.

— The problem signs to look for when you open up a hive.

For the practicing beekeeper who needs more information, or for the serious novice who wants to start out right, Hive Management offers sensible advice to help keep your honey bees thriving.

June 4, 2015
How to Make Baked Honey Bananas

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Having a toddler and a healthy living advocate in the house we go through bananas like a circus tent full of monkeys – not that eating bananas is bad. They are a great source of potassium and really help with the soreness after working too hard at the land.

However, eating one food to extremes can get old and I am always looking for neat new recipes. As a beekeeper (beehaver is more accurate) I admit I am especially interested in recipes using honey so when I found this baked honey banana recipe I could not wait to try it.

This recipe is so simple written instructions are not necessary, the video is short and is easily followed. However if you love sweet gooey desserts this recipe is addictive. It is so easy and tastes so good you may find yourself cooking it often.

Personally, I like taking it to potluck dinners because it is “exotic” I get much more credit than the effort expended is worth.

This easy recipe tastes good, looks good, and is simple, so Baked Honey Bananas wins in every recipe metric. You owe it to yourself to try this fun recipe. Its good.

April 10, 2014
How to Make Homemade Honey Butter
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This is a simple recipe for homemade honey butter does not quite make it into the storage meals category because its a condiment, and fresh butter really isn’t a part of my food storage larder.

However, condiments are important, and your going to need something besides plain beans, rice, and bread if your going to eat from your larder long term.

Remember you don’t want to deal with the stress of changing your diet if you are dealing with the stress of a disaster, so nows the time to store what you eat and eat what you store.

While this is not “food” per se – it does have a good amount of calories, nutrients, and most importantly it tastes great and can make bland foods much more appetizing. This recipe is so easy, and the results so spectacular, that I make homemade honey butter quite regularly, and have been known to adapt other ingredients to the recipe to make berry butters or herbed honey butters.

This recipe is simple, and below:

Ingredients:
- Stick butter
- Honey
- Cinnamon if desired
- Vanilla extract if desired
Procedure:
1. Warm butter to room temperature.
2. Add honey, the more you add the more liquid and browner your butter will be
3. Add cinnamon and a few drops of vanilla if desired. Its not needed, but I like it.
4. Blend until combined.
5. Eat, preferably on warm homemade bread.
January 24, 2011