Tag: honey

morgynleri:

morgynleri:

Today’s experiment: How much honey can I stand to put in my tea before I can’t drink it, and which of the various honeys I have are best for it?

Why? Because the prescription cough suppressant isn’t keeping up with all of it, and my ribs are sore from coughing and advil doesn’t fucking work on that pain. And honey in my tea? Keeps the coughing down that the prescription doesn’t.

Now, on with the experiment!

I have half a dozen different jars of honey, most of them crystalized, just for reference. Orange Blossom, Killer Bee, Palmetto, Wildflower, Cotton, and an unlabeled jar which bugger if I remember what it was.

I already know that using Cotton Honey in tea means the tea tastes like I’m drinking it through a piece of cotton fabric, which is just. Bleah. So that one I’m not even bothering with.

Orange Blossom is my usual go-to for honey in my tea, and is currently possessed of a tiny amount of liquid honey and a lot of crystalized honey. One large spoonful of the crystalized honey from it requires a little lime juice to balance it out, but is still within tolerance limits for sweetness.

Palmetto is still liquid and transparent. Wildflower is liquid but cloudy with the beginnings of crystalization. Unlabeled, like the Orange Blossom, has a tiny bit of liquid on top. Killer Bee is crystalized but soft.

Unlabeled may be a run of cranberry or radish that never got to labels before people were buying them, or it may be holly if that isn’t a toxic honey, because my brain insists on remembering it being holly, but they hadn’t gotten the labels ready in time. Whatever it is, is tasty with a bit of a bite.

And the Wildflower is a Mid-Atlantic wildflower, so while not necessarily very very local, is still at least regional. Even in-state, since I get from The Bee Folks, who are in MD.

Cup of tea just finished: Palmetto Honey, about the same amount as I’d added of Orange Blossom before. I think I can add about twice as much before I start making faces about the level of sweet. Also somewhat tempted to pour a spoonful of this honey down my throat without the tea.

… Ok, scratch somewhat. Did just swallow a spoonful of honey straight. *makes several faces about the level of sweet* Throat is making the same itchy feelings of right before a coughing fit, but no coughing. This is nice. Still not doing that again. Needs some not sweet to balance it or I’m going to not be able to deal with any sweet for a week.

Limit of honey in a mug of tea: three spoons of liquid honey, or one large spoonful of crystalized honey.

Limit of honey in a day: reached. Bleah. Too much sweet, and even the thought of another mug of tea with honey and lemon is just. Bleah.

aniseandspearmint
replied to your post “Today’s experiment: How much honey can I stand to put in my tea before…”

Hope you feel better. Also, if you’re looking for a less sweet honey, sage honey seems less sweet than other honeys, to me at least? I’ve heard that barley honey isn’t as sweet either. IDK for sure tho, I’ve never gotten to try it.

I get my honey from Bee Folk, so it’s down to whatever honey they have when I see them, and I haven’t seen Sage or Barley among them. I may have to check their website and see if they show up on there at any point.

I know the Killer Bee is particularly sweet, and if I wanted to go downstairs for the rest of the honeys, the Carrot one is a bit less sweet, and also has a touch of a bite to it, and Radish has a nice bite to add flavor to the sweet. Palmetto tastes like dried fruit (not quite raisins, but they’re the only dried fruit I have a clear taste memory of), but in the tea, it tastes fantastic.

I’m mostly trying to find where my limits are on each of the honeys, regardless of level of sweet, so I can keep that in mind for the next cold, and use suitably large amounts of honey in my tea.

morgynleri:

Today’s experiment: How much honey can I stand to put in my tea before I can’t drink it, and which of the various honeys I have are best for it?

Why? Because the prescription cough suppressant isn’t keeping up with all of it, and my ribs are sore from coughing and advil doesn’t fucking work on that pain. And honey in my tea? Keeps the coughing down that the prescription doesn’t.

Now, on with the experiment!

I have half a dozen different jars of honey, most of them crystalized, just for reference. Orange Blossom, Killer Bee, Palmetto, Wildflower, Cotton, and an unlabeled jar which bugger if I remember what it was.

I already know that using Cotton Honey in tea means the tea tastes like I’m drinking it through a piece of cotton fabric, which is just. Bleah. So that one I’m not even bothering with.

Orange Blossom is my usual go-to for honey in my tea, and is currently possessed of a tiny amount of liquid honey and a lot of crystalized honey. One large spoonful of the crystalized honey from it requires a little lime juice to balance it out, but is still within tolerance limits for sweetness.

Palmetto is still liquid and transparent. Wildflower is liquid but cloudy with the beginnings of crystalization. Unlabeled, like the Orange Blossom, has a tiny bit of liquid on top. Killer Bee is crystalized but soft.

Unlabeled may be a run of cranberry or radish that never got to labels before people were buying them, or it may be holly if that isn’t a toxic honey, because my brain insists on remembering it being holly, but they hadn’t gotten the labels ready in time. Whatever it is, is tasty with a bit of a bite.

And the Wildflower is a Mid-Atlantic wildflower, so while not necessarily very very local, is still at least regional. Even in-state, since I get from The Bee Folks, who are in MD.

Cup of tea just finished: Palmetto Honey, about the same amount as I’d added of Orange Blossom before. I think I can add about twice as much before I start making faces about the level of sweet. Also somewhat tempted to pour a spoonful of this honey down my throat without the tea.

… Ok, scratch somewhat. Did just swallow a spoonful of honey straight. *makes several faces about the level of sweet* Throat is making the same itchy feelings of right before a coughing fit, but no coughing. This is nice. Still not doing that again. Needs some not sweet to balance it or I’m going to not be able to deal with any sweet for a week.

Today’s experiment: How much honey can I stand to put in my tea before I can’t drink it, and which of the various honeys I have are best for it?

Why? Because the prescription cough suppressant isn’t keeping up with all of it, and my ribs are sore from coughing and advil doesn’t fucking work on that pain. And honey in my tea? Keeps the coughing down that the prescription doesn’t.

Now, on with the experiment!

I have half a dozen different jars of honey, most of them crystalized, just for reference. Orange Blossom, Killer Bee, Palmetto, Wildflower, Cotton, and an unlabeled jar which bugger if I remember what it was.

I already know that using Cotton Honey in tea means the tea tastes like I’m drinking it through a piece of cotton fabric, which is just. Bleah. So that one I’m not even bothering with.

Orange Blossom is my usual go-to for honey in my tea, and is currently possessed of a tiny amount of liquid honey and a lot of crystalized honey. One large spoonful of the crystalized honey from it requires a little lime juice to balance it out, but is still within tolerance limits for sweetness.

Palmetto is still liquid and transparent. Wildflower is liquid but cloudy with the beginnings of crystalization. Unlabeled, like the Orange Blossom, has a tiny bit of liquid on top. Killer Bee is crystalized but soft.

Unlabeled may be a run of cranberry or radish that never got to labels before people were buying them, or it may be holly if that isn’t a toxic honey, because my brain insists on remembering it being holly, but they hadn’t gotten the labels ready in time. Whatever it is, is tasty with a bit of a bite.

And the Wildflower is a Mid-Atlantic wildflower, so while not necessarily very very local, is still at least regional. Even in-state, since I get from The Bee Folks, who are in MD.

rainnecassidy:

congenitalprogramming:

cotestuck:

montypla:

meloromantics:

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audreyvhorne:

sttinkerbelle:

vmpolung:

knowledgeandlove:

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#and I just don’t feel entitled to someone else’s life’s work.

That comment exactly!! It’s not mine and I can survive without it, so I will.

This is why honey is not vegan.

The problem here is that honey, especially if you buy it ethically from an apiarist, isn’t actually detrimental to the well-being of the bee or the hive. In the wild, honey is used as a food stock, but in a domesticated honeybee colony, the bees are fed quite well, and so the honey is a surplus.

The alternatives, like sugar, relies on monocrops in third world countries, with transient labour. Growing up, there was a sugarcane field by my house, and I’m sure the Haitian men who worked backbreaking hours hacking a machete through knife-bladed leaves in 40 degree heat for a couple dollars a day would have traded a testicle to be a Canadian honeybee. Stevia’s going the same way, iirc.

Additionally, apiarists are actually huge proponents and activists for sustainable bee-keeping, and it’s estimated that the domesticated hive may be the last great hope for declining populations, because we can optimize their chances for survival.

It’s their life’s work, sure, but it’s not the death of them to use it responsibly.

literally read anything about the history of sugarcane and the cuban sugar industry if you think sugar is or ever has been more ethical than honey

Beekeepers-

  • Provide a home for the bees
  • Keep that home warm in the winter
  • Keep the bees well fed, negating the need for honey, which the bees would make anyways
  • Still do not take all the honey, just in case
  • Protect the bees from predators
  • Monitor the hives for any signs of the parasites, diseases, etc. that cause colony collapse disorder

Their bees-

  • Provide a valuable and reliable source of pollination for plants in the area, both wild and crops
  • Help keep the local ecosystem healthy

Honey-

  • Is one of the healthiest things you can eat
  • Is able to keep for a EXTREMELY long time (Millennia even), making it more valuable than many perishable foods without being full of preservatives
  • Can be used to soothe sore throats, nauseau, etc.
  • Has been eaten by humans since at least Ancient Egypt (We’ve found STILL EDIBLE honey in tombs)
  • Is a great tool in cooking, adding sweetness without raising the sugar content much
  • Is a staple food in many people’s diets

Honey is amazing you can put it on or in pretty much everything I goddamn love it and you should too.

Honey is also a natural antimicrobial that has been used medicinally since time out of mind on external wounds like edible neosporin.

Particularly useful in the treatment of dermal abcesses.

“oh no we steal it from the bees!”

*has no problem benefiting from exploited migrant farm workers*

^^^

ladybold
replied to your post “poplitealqueen:
morgynleri
replied to your post “Here I was, thinking…”

Australian tomato sauce most be different as it is savor

Technically, tomato sauce is supposed to be savory. For a lot of people, it probably still is. But when we made our own, mom would add a pinch of sugar to cut the acid, and I’m pretty sure that commercial makers add more than a pinch, even accounting for different batch sizes. So to me it tastes a lot of the sugar + tomato sweet that is usually balanced by the acidity in fresh tomatoes.

Also, I tend to be sensitive to sweet – refined sugar tastes sickly sweet, brown sugar is only a little better but also has depth of flavor, molasses is sweet with a faint hint of bitter aftertaste and also has flavor, and honey is sweet and generally light and some kinds have different other flavors*. No artificial “sweetener” that I have encountered actually tastes sweet to me. At best, they taste waxy (stevia, sucralose), at worst they taste bitter (saccarine) or foul (aspertame).

*I have a cabinet full of honeys from different types of flowers, and not one of them is the same.