2 FEAST AND FIELD • FALL 2021
Why we should all care about the honeybee BY AN NA HARTMAN
N
ebraska’s Fat Head Farms emblazons burlap shopping bags and other bits of packaging swag with the motto, “Save the freaking bees.” But why? Simply put, honeybees are crucial to our ecosystem. All humans and animals need energy in the form of food to survive. That’s where bees come in.
In perfect conditions, bees will find a home, visit flowers for nectar, pollinate plants and produce honey. Habitat loss can be an unfortunate byproduct of human expansion. When farmland is razed for construction, a colony’s food source is destroyed in the name of progress.
The fruits of bee’s labor
Bees are social insects, and as plants evolved, so have they. Plants produce nectar that attracts bees and other pollinators. Honeybees then convert that nectar into honey. In return, these hard-working insects facilitate the pollination process by carrying cross-fertilizing pollen on their furry little bodies from one plant to another. Without pollinators, plants will continue to grow, but they cannot produce fruits and vegetables.
VIDEO:
SEE HOW BEES ARE KEPT AND HONEY IS HARVESTED AT NEBRASKA’S FAT HEAD FARMS. SCAN THE CODE WITH YOUR MOBILE DEVICE TO WATCH!
CHEFS OFTEN CRUSH BEE POLLEN TO SPRINKLE ON BAKED GOODS.
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW
ABOUT HONEY
H
oney is a natural, healthy and infinitely fascinating substance that’s been harvested and used by humans for thousands of years. The bees that produce the stickysweet treat take their cues from Mother Nature, cooperating with each other in a symbiotic relationship that benefits both their own colonies and the plants and animals around them. Like wine, honey is an expression of its environment, or terroir. To put it simply, honey boasts the characteristics of the place where it was made, but there’s a lot more to know about this natural nectar.
FLAVOR AND COLOR
A stroll through the grocery store or farmers’ market reveals a rainbow of different honeys. Available in a range of colors and flavors, honey varieties often adopt the name of the flower from which the honeybee extracted nectar to make them — clover, acacia, orange blossom and so on. From pale yellow to dark brown in hue, more than 300 types of varietal honey are available in the U.S. Even hives in close proximity can produce varied flavors; honey connoisseurs and beekeepers are adept at discerning the different tasting notes. For example, cotton blossom honey is zingy, yet earthy; palmetto is nutty; and buckwheat honey is malty. The time of harvest can also affect the flavor; early honey is often lighter and more floral than honey harvested later in the season.
CONSISTENCY
Honey also varies in mouthfeel, creating interesting contrasts and textural distinctions. Raw liquid honey is processed as little
as possible, but typically strained to remove bits of beeswax and other impurities. Creamed (or whipped) honey combines liquid honey with crystals in a churn resulting in a smooth, spreadable consistency. Honeycomb is simply honey in its original comb; chunk-style honey is usually packaged and sold as chunks of comb in a jar of liquid honey.
RAW VERSUS PROCESSED
Most commercially sold honey is processed in some way, meaning it’s been removed from the hive, separated from the comb and packaged. Similar to vegetables and fruits, honey is best enjoyed in its natural state. Raw honey is never heated above hive temperature, around 96 to 98°F, and is strained but not filtered. Heating honey can alter its chemical composition, reducing antibacterial properties and destroying its natural enzymes.
Processed, or pasteurized, honey is typically heated to very high temperatures, then filtered for clarity and ease of bottling. If your bottle or jar of honey crystallizes at some point, it’s likely the real deal.
HONEY BYPRODUCTS
Bee pollen is collected daily in traps that fit over the entrance to a hive, essentially gathering the pollen as the bees enter. When
BY AN NA HARTMAN
dried and sold either whole or in powder form, it can be used as a culinary garnish or a dietary supplement. Royal jelly is a protein-rich secretion eaten by the larvae in a hive; only the queen bee gets the privilege of enjoying it for a lifetime. Lauded for its anti-aging properties, it’s a popular herbal supplement. Bee bread is a combination of pollen, nectar and natural substances that provides sustenance for a brood of young bees. It also can be extracted from a hive and used as a health supplement. Beeswax shed from honey production can be rendered and used in a number of applications including candles, furniture polish and beauty aids.
HEALTH BENEFITS
Composed of fructose and glucose sugars, honey is an excellent source of natural energy. Low in moisture and naturally acidic, it can be used to soothe cuts and burns. Another benefit — its natural antibacterial properties help reduce chances of infection. These same soothing properties help ease irritated or sore throats, especially when combined with lemon juice and added to tea or other hot beverages. Be aware, though, that honey should not be fed to infants younger than 12 months old because it can carry dormant spores of botulism that are able to germinate in immature digestive systems.
LOVE? YES, EVEN LOVE.
The word “honeymoon” derives from an old European tradition in which newly married couples drank a measure of mead (a fermented honey wine) every day for a month to promote fertility and sweet happiness.
The modern-day bee decline
Bees play a vital role in food production, but their population is precarious. According to the beekeepers at Fat Head Farms, bee farmers plan for average annual bee loss of around 30 percent, but that number can vary across the country. Primary factors contributing to bee loss include disease, mites, pesticide use and habitat loss. Pesticides used on farms and grassy yards are absorbed by plants and, in turn, harm bees as they go about their business of collecting nectar and pollen to bring back to the hive. In some cases, these chemicals remain in the food supply chain for years after application. Growing native flowers, including dandelions, provides a natural source of pollen for honeybees.
Why care?
You might think it doesn’t matter — bees sting or maybe you don’t like honey. But, perhaps you like to snooze comfortably on cotton sheets at night, savor coffee in the morning or sip a glass of wine with dinner. All those items require pollination, and happy bees result in strong pollination and better food quality. A healthy hive can cross-pollinate millions of flowers in a day, and bees pollinate billions of dollars’ worth of crops in the United States each year. Fully one-third of the world’s food supply can be traced to the efforts of these fuzzy insects.
How you can help
The National Wild Turkey Federation, Pheasants Forever and other hunting organizations provide complimentary seed packets or pollinator pots to support a healthy habitat for bees. To attract pollinators to your home garden, nurture a variety of plants, ensuring bloom times vary from early spring through late fall for a consistent diet. Native plants are ideal. Other ways to help the honeybees include reducing the size of your lawn and avoiding the use of pesticides. Whatever your honeybees eat ends up in the honey you purchase. Avoid killing or swatting bees, and if you find an unwanted hive on your property, enlist the help of a local bee organization to relocate it.
MANGO MULE MOCKTAIL
RECIPE BY LAUREN BALAK • PHOTO BY BRAD IWEN
GINGER-HONEY SYRUP
• 170 grams honey • 134 grams water • ¼ cup peeled and coarsely chopped fresh ginger MANGO MULE MOCKTAIL
• • • • • • • •
1 small cucumber, sliced 1 oz ginger-honey syrup 1½ oz fresh lime juice 1½ oz mango puree 1 oz rum (optional) ice 1½ oz ginger beer 1 lime wheel, for garnish
ROASTED SALMON
Prepare GingerHoney Syrup: In medium saucepan, add syrup ingredients; heat to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until honey dissolves. Reduce the heat to medium-low; simmer about 15 minutes or until mixture thickens slightly. Remove saucepan from heat; cool to room temperature. Pour syrup through strainer into airtight container. Refrigerate any leftover syrup up to 2 weeks. Prepare Mocktail: Into cocktail shaker, add cucumber and ginger-honey syrup; muddle cucumber. Add lime juice, mango puree and rum, if using; fill with ice, cover shaker with lid and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled copper mug; top with ginger beer and stir to combine. Garnish with lime wheel.
RECI PE BY CATHY CURTIS • PHOTO BY BRAD IWEN
WITH HONEY CITRUS DRESSING • • • • •
8 oz extra-virgin olive oil 4 (6-oz) skinless salmon fillets freshly cracked black pepper, to taste kosher salt, to taste 2 oz honey
Preheat oven to 475°F. Line large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper; place roasting rack over parchment. In small saucepan over low heat, warm oil to about 140°F. Sprinkle salmon with black pepper and salt; place salmon, skin-side down, on rack. Set aside. In medium bowl, with whisk, stir honey,
• 2 oz fresh lemon juice • 2 oz fresh orange juice • 1 tsp ground mustard • 1 large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
juices, ground mustard and crushed red pepper flakes until combined. In slow, steady stream, add oil, whisking constantly. Stir in black pepper and salt. Pour about 1 cup dressing over salmon; roast 8 to 12 minutes or until dressing caramelizes into a glaze and center of fillets reaches an internal temperature of 120°F. Drizzle salmon with glaze in pan to serve.
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