National Honey Month

Honey is hot right now - and for good reason. 
 
  Lately, honey articles have sprung from every corner of the world, appearing in many media venues; notably, in Cooking with Paula Deen, Whole Living, Sunset, Sierra, and Bon Apetit magazines this year alone,  and very likely there are more that I have missed. Then there was the entire February 2008 issue of MaryJanes Farm dedicated to bees and honey,  the cover of the June 2008 issue of Martha Stewart Living, and the August 2008 Gourmet item on beekeeping. The first National Pollinator Week began in June, and two documentaries about bees have been released so far this year. 
  
   Besides being lusciously, soul-satisfyingly delicious,  honey is good for you!  Raw honey, as with most ingredients, is best.   You want to look for "Grade B" honey,  which means it has not been refined, and so has retained all the nutrients possible.  Eating local honey will help allergy symptoms.  Buckwheat honey has been proven more effective than cough syrup (and sure as sugar, it tastes way better!).  
 
  Bees pollinate most of the crops neccessary for our lives to continue as we know it. 

So, support your local beekeepers this month;  stop by the farmers market and pick up a jar of honey!

The Recipes - Feb. 2011

Green Tea Smoothie
2 cups milk *
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon matcha (green tea powder)
2 cups ice cubes
 Combine all ingredients in blender. Purre til ice
has broken down and smoothie is thick and
combined, for approximately 1 minute.
Pour into tall glass and serve.
  * Try different milks, like almond, hazlenut,
and oat for delicious flavor variations!

Basic Hummus
soon to come!
2 15-ounce cans garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
1 cup water




These recipes come from the book
L.A.'s Original Farmers Market Cookbook
by JoAnn Cianciulli.