The Benefits of Abma’s Farm Honey

Part of truly appreciating our human experience is enjoying the sweetness of life. A perfectly ripe peach. A fresh slice of homemade bread. A scoop of chocolate ice cream ~ Deepak Chopra

Or… Abma’s raw honey!

A naturally occurring cousin to table sugar, honey is revered in many cultures as a “sacred” food believed to have healing and purifying properties. It is a cough suppressant, also used to treat scrapes and burns in indigenous populations all over the world. In the Western Hemisphere (U.S.!), it is only just gaining popularity as more than just an ingredient in beauty products like body lotions, soaps, and fragrances.

Swapping out honey for refined sugar is a great alternative, especially for those of us who enjoy sweetening up our beverages or morning oats but are conscious about maintaining a healthy weight and limiting sugar intake. Ounce for ounce, table sugar and honey have similar caloric profiles, says Dr. Oz, but since honey is much sweeter, “you can get away by using half as much” as the overly processed white sugar you buy at the grocery store.

It doesn’t stop there. Let’s talk about the nutritional benefits!

Raw honey is a powerful anti-inflammatory and has antioxidant properties- both of which support a healthy gut and overall system immunity. New research indicates that people who suffer from seasonal allergies can rely on naturally occurring pollen to expose the body to manageable doses of allergens all year round. This will stave off the explosive allergic reactions the body has at the onset of spring, which cause all of your sneezing, headaches, and watery eyes.

We recommend buying the best quality local raw honey (local is a MUST, since you should be ingesting pollen local to where you live) that is raw and unfiltered. Our honey is carefully collected from our honeybee hives and is not processed. Enjoy it at room temperature or mixed into yogurt, chia puddings, warm beverages like tea, or mix into no-cook energy bars. You can also use honey in baking; less honey is needed in comparison to sugar and will make your cakes and cookies softer and more moist. If you want to use honey as a liquid, warm the honey slowly so that all the flavor and natural nutrients are retained. Raw honey should not be boiled or else you risk destroying beneficial enzymes.

Honey is not only therapeutic and delicious on it’s own- it pairs well with other foods! Honey brings out the flavors in cheeses, breads, meats, dried fruit, and nuts. Hard cheeses go well with herbal varieties of honey while fresh cheeses like ricotta or burrata go well with citrus flavors, and stinky cheeses do well with clover honeys. The next time you entertain, consider a honey tasting (yum!) or take your hostess gifts to the next level with fool-proof pairings from Grampa’s Gourmets.

As you know, the less processed a food is, the shorter its shelf life. Thankfully, one exception is honey, which legend says can sit on a shelf for 1000 years! So if you’re moving towards a cleaner, more holistic diet, consider choosing honey as a pantry staple and a sweet alternative.

Stop by our Farm Market for a variety of seasonal and local raw honeys raised on our farm by our Apiary enthusiast and Bee Keeper, John Gaut. John produces the tastiest raw honey that captures the real flavor profiles of the season. Fall honey, for example, is sweeter and carries hints of squashes and flora that are harvested in late summer and early Fall. For a more value based experience, you can also take home some delicious honeycomb, honey butter, and bee pollen, and even view our live hive to see what the busy bees are up to. It’s so important to get in touch with these products in their raw form, and to learn why they are so beneficial!

With love and gratitude,
Abma’s Farm