HONEY HONEY

from the Green Table by Alexandra Guarnaschelli

Posted Mon, Jul 23, 2007, 4:52 pm PDT

Ode to Honey

I am always seduced by the honey stand at my local green market. The beeswax candles, the pollen, the different flavors of honey... How can so much good stuff come from one small creature? Here are some of my "rules" for selecting and using different types of honey:

--I buy the "single variety" (usually yielded from only one type of flower) honeys from a local producer that I trust. I find color speaks louder than words. Darker honeys, like Chestnut and Fir varieties, have a stronger flavor. Lighter colored varieties, like Acacia and Clover, are mellower.--Honeys that are jarred with a chunk of or small bits of the honeycomb or labeled "raw" have not been heated or filtered. Though their shelf life is shorter, they have complex and delicate flavors. Buy this type of honey in smaller quantities and use it in more straightforward preparations, like a drizzle on toast, mixed in cereal, or to glaze the top of a cake or tart in place of sugar.

--"Liquid" or "creamy" honeys are not necessarily any less organic" or "natural". They have merely been heated to easily filter out impurities or rendered "creamy" (non-opaque) to make them smoother and easier to use. Because their flavors tend to be more muted, I like to use these for preparations that involve heat. Heat a half a cup of honey, for example, until it bubbles and froths, and add a generous splash of sherry or red wine vinegar. Cook for an additional minute until the texture thickens, stir in some of your favorite mustard, and pour the mixture over a pork roast or roasted vegetables just as they finish cooking in the oven. A delicious glaze.

--Try a small jar of that bee pollen! These little nuggets, loaded with vitamins, taste like the pure essence of honey. I like to add them to my homemade granola mix. Sprinkle them over banana slices caramelized in some honey or sprinkle them over a bowl of yogurt.--Don't be ashamed of that plastic honey bear. Sure, "Grade A" or "Natural" honeys are the purest, but most of all, buy what you love and what you will use!

from Beauty Eats by Real Age

Posted Thu, Mar 29, 2007, 10:00 am PDT

The Magic of Honey

"Hi, honey!" That happy greeting may also apply to the yellow-capped squeezie bear in your pantry, since the contents are good for so much more than sweetening tea. Honey is a natural antiseptic, moisturizer and, thanks to all its antioxidants, an age-fighter too.

"The high concentration of sugars gives honey germ-killing power, which is why it's been used for thousands of years to encourage wound healing," says New York City dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD, our RealAge skin expert. Honey's thick, sticky consistency also makes it a natural protective salve, sealing out infection and creating a moist healing environment within. Use it in a pinch, Wechsler suggests, if you develop blisters on a camping trip and remembered your honey packets but forgot the Neosporin.

Honey is a terrific moisturizer for the face and body, too. "Honey is a natural humectant, meaning it draws 'free water' from interior tissues to the surface layers of the skin," says Wechsler. That subtle fluid shift creates a plumping effect that temporarily improves the appearance of wrinkles--handy before a morning presentation or a big night out.

To see for yourself, try this moisturizing honey mask, which Wechsler says also sooths dry, sensitive, or irritated skin:

Mix 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 teaspoons of whole milk.
Warm slightly in the microwave.
Smooth the mixture onto the face and lie down for 10 minutes (relaxing, plus it avoids sticky drips).
Rinse off with warm-not hot-water.

If you prefer a more cosmetic form, store shelves are swarming with honey-enhanced beauty products such as BeeCeuticals Organics' Honey Thyme Hand and Body Lotion, which is made from unfiltered, organic, nonirradiated honey ($9.95 for 8 oz. at www.healthfromthehive.com). It's made to be gentle enough to use even on psoriasis or eczema. And Benefit's Honey...Snap Out of It Scrub ($23 for 5 oz. at www.benefitcosmetics.com) has honey, vitamin E, and crushed almonds. Leave it on for three minutes and you've got a soothing and smoothing honey/almond mask.

As for the age-fighting effects, all types of honey contain antioxidants that appear to block skin-cell damaging free radicals, though dark honeys--particularly the honeydew and buckwheat varieties (check health-food stores)--have more of them than paler clover honeys. While there's still a debate on how effective antioxidants are when applied to the skin, Wechsler gives the thumbs up to swirling dark honey into your yogurt every morning. "It's a simple way to nourish your skin from the inside." Sweet.