Honey For Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Honey, Give Me the Lowdown
	Chapter 1 Dipping into Honey’s History and Its Importance Today
		Introducing Discoscapa apicula — the World’s Oldest Bee?
		Raising Bees in Ancient Egypt
		Embalming with Honey and More
		Discovering the World’s Oldest BeeHives
		In Praise of Honey
			Islam
			Hinduism
			Judaism
			Buddhism
			Christianity
			Sikhism
		Finding Honey in Literature and Folklore
		Honey Bees Come to America
		Honey Today: Celebrity Status
	Chapter 2 Looking at How Honey Is Made and Harvested
		Gathering Their Groceries
		Understanding the Composition of Honey
		Harvesting Honey: From Bee to Bottle
			It’s all about timing
			Driving the bees out of the honey supers
			Removing the honey from the comb
	Chapter 3 Appreciating the Different Styles of Honey
		Walkin’ Talkin’ Honeycomb
		Savoring Liquid Gold — Extracted Honey
		Getting Chunky with Chunk Honey
		Whipping Your Honey
		What’s the Story on Honey Straws?
Part 2 Nutrition, Health, and Honey
	Chapter 4 All About Apitherapy
		Bee Venom
		Bee Pollen
		Royal Jelly
		Propolis
		Beeswax
		Enjoying the Many Benefits of Honey
			Cuts, burns, and scratches
			Fixing sore throats and coughs
			Getting the honey glow
	Chapter 5 Making Honey Remedies at Home
		Mixing Up Some Honey-Based Hair and Skincare Products
		Honey-Based Elixirs
Part 3 Honey Varietals
	Chapter 6 Discovering the World’s Top Honey Producers
		1. China (500,000 tons)
		2. Iran (112,000 tons)
		3. Turkey (110,000 tons)
		4. India (85,000 tons)
		5. United States (81,000 tons)
			1. North Dakota (19,000 tons)
			2. South Dakota (19,000 tons)
			3. Montana (7,000 tons)
			4. California (6,850 tons)
			5. Florida (5,950 tons)
			6. Minnesota (3,905 tons)
			7. Texas (3,700 tons)
			8. Michigan (2,650 tons)
			9. Idaho (1,650 tons)
			10. Wisconsin (1,500 tons)
		6. Russian Federation (70,000 tons)
		7. Ukraine (66,500 tons)
		8. Mexico (57,000 tons)
		9. Brazil (42,400 tons)
		10. New Zealand (23,000 tons)
	Chapter 7 Getting to Know 50 Varietals of Honey
		Learning about Varietal Honeys
			1. Acacia
			2. Ailanthus
			3. Alfalfa
			4. Avocado
			5. Basswood
			6. Bell Heather
			7. Blackberry
			8. Black mangrove
			9. Blueberry Blossom
			10. Borage
			11. Buckwheat
			12. Chestnut
			13. Coriander
			14. Cranberry Blossom
			15. Dandelion
			16. Eucalyptus
			17. Fireweed
			18. Gallberry
			19. Goldenrod
			20. Honeydew
			21. Honeysuckle
			22. Huajillo (pronounced wa-HE-yo)
			23. Japanese Knotweed
			24. Kāmahi (pronounced car-MY)
			25. Kiawe (pronounced kee-AH-vay)
			26. Kudzu
			27. Lavender
			28. Leatherwood
			29. Ling Heather
			30. Litchee
			31. Macadamia
			32. Manuka
			33. Meadowfoam
			34. Mesquite
			35. Ōhi’a Lehua
			36. Orange Blossom
			37. Rapeseed
			38. Raspberry
			39. Rhododendron
			40. Rosemary
			41. Sage
			42. Saw Palmetto
			43. Star thistle/Knapweed
			44. Strawberry tree
			45. Sunflower
			46. Thyme
			47. Tulip poplar
			48. Tupelo
			49. Ulmo
			50. Yellow Sweet Clover
		A Word about Wildflower Honey
	Chapter 8 All That Glistens Is Not Liquid Gold
		Laundering Honey
		Transshipping Honey
		Removing Pollen to Conceal the Honey’s Origin
		Blending Honeys
		Cutting Honey
		Intervention of Humans
Part 4 Becoming a Honey Tasting Expert
	Chapter 9 Thinking Like a Honey Sommelier
		Differentiating Taste and Flavor
			Taste sensations
			Flavor sensations
			Other taste sensations
		Are You a Supertaster?
		The Nose Remembers
		Describing What You Taste
		Tuning Up Your Taste Buds and Sharpening Your Sniffer
			Training your sense of taste
			Refining your sense of flavor
	Chapter 10 Knowing How to Taste Honey
		Looking, Smelling, and Tasting: Sensory Analysis
		Creating the Right Environment for Tasting
			Making certain you are fresh and rested
			Staying healthy
			Fasting before tasting
			Avoiding extraneous smells
		Setting Up For Honey Tasting
			Picking honeys to sample
			Gathering your tasting tools
			Getting organized using a tasting mat
			Picking a palette cleanser
		Writing Tasting Notes
			Starting with a basic look-see
			Determining liquid or solid
			Discovering undesirable stuff
			Evaluating clarity
		Defining the Color of Honey
		Smelling Your Honey
		Profiling Honey Characteristics
		Using the Aroma and Flavor Chart
		Trigeminals
		Determining the Honey’s “Finish”
		Talking About Texture
	Chapter 11 Taking the Terror Out Of Terroir
		Capturing the Flavors of Local Foods
			Ensuring quality standards
			Certifying and protecting honeys
		Influencing Nectar
		Getting the Dirt on Honey (Geology)
		Honey and Geography
		Knowing What Weather Has to Do with It
			Rain, rain don’t go away
			Here comes the sun!
	Chapter 12 Looking at What Can Go Wrong With Honey
		Recognizing Defects
			Burnt honey
			The brood factor
			Medico mayhem
			Smoky stuff
			Just one word — plastics!
			Metal madness
		Crossing Crystallization Defects
			Incomplete crystallization
			Crystal striping
			Separation of honey
		Knowing Why a Honey Tastes Like Beer
Part 5 Hey, Honey, Let’s Party
	Chapter 13 Shopping for Your Honey
		Knowing Where to Shop
			Go straight to the source
			Farm stands and farmers markets
			Gourmet markets
			Cheese shops
		Deciphering Labels
			Nutrition labels
			True Source
			Gluten-free
			Vegan
			Raw, natural, organic, all natural — Descriptors that mean nothing
			GMO
		Fair Trade Honey
	Chapter 14 Brewing Honey Wine (Mead)
		Discovering Mead’s Long History
		Introducing Seven Types of Mead
			Traditional mead
			Sack mead
			Hydromel
			Bochet mead
			Metheglin
			Sack metheglin
			Mead made with fruit juices
		Getting the Necessary Mead-Making Equipment
		Understanding Useful Mead-Making Terms
	Chapter 15 Cooking with Honey
	Chapter 16 Baking with Honey
		Swapping Out Sugar for Honey
		Checking Out Some Recipes
	Chapter 17 Using Honey for Thirst-Quenching and Celebratory Beverages
		Making Honey-Inspired Beverages
		Mixing Honey-Based Cocktails
			Gin
			Tequila
			Vodka
			Scotch whisky
			Whiskey (bourbon or rye)
			Rum
	Chapter 18 Pairing Honey with Cheese and Other Foods
		Pairing Honey with Cheese
			Understanding the dynamics of honey and cheese
			It’s a matter of taste
		Conjuring Creative Pairings
			Choosing complementary duos
			Considering that opposites attract
			Taking texture into account
			Staying local
			Just go for it!
		Considering Classic Pairings of Honey and Food
	Chapter 19 Honey, Let’s Have a Party
		Planning the Party
			Deciding on the theme
			Setting the mood
		Assembling the Right Stuff
		Developing Your Menu
		Creating Honey Grazing Boards
		Piloting Tasting Flights
		Including Fun Honey Games
			Trio tasting game
			Honey spelling game
		Show Friends How It Went
Part 6 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 20 Ten Great Honey Festivals
		Oregon Honey Festival, Ashland, Oregon
		Philadelphia Honey Festival
		NYC Honey Week, Rockaway Beach
		Honey Bee Fest, New York
		Sweet Bee’s Honey Festival, New York
		Vermont’s Golden Honey Festival
		Arizona Honeybee Festival, Phoenix
		Michigan Honey Festival
		Tennessee Honey Festival
		Uvalde Honey Festival, Texas
	Chapter 21 More Than Ten Frequently Asked Questions about Honey
		What’s the best way to store honey once the jar has been opened?
		Does honey ever spoil or go bad?
		Why does my honey look like it has two different layers?
		My honey has crystallized; can I get the honey liquid again?
		What’s organic honey?
		What’s the difference between Grade A and Grade B honey?
		What accounts for the different colors and flavors of honey?
		Why do honey bees make honey?
		Is it true that eating local honey will relieve pollen-related allergies?
		What does “raw” honey mean?
		How can I test my honey for authenticity?
		Why does honey from the same local beekeeper taste different sometimes?
		Why shouldn’t you feed honey to a baby?
		How many flowers must honey bees visit to make one pound of honey?
		How much honey does a worker honey bee make in her lifetime?
		What famous Scottish liqueur is made with honey?
		What’s the U.S. per capita consumption of honey?
		How many honey-producing colonies of bees are there in the United States?
		Do all bees make honey?
	Chapter 22 Ten Honeys for your Bucket List
		The Most Expensive Honey in the World: Elvish
		Most Sacred Honey: Sidr
		Most-Difficult-to-Get Honey: Pitcairn Island
		Most International Awards: Sourwood
		Most Bitter Honey: Strawberry Tree Honey
		Psychedelic Mad Honey: Deli Bal
		Most Unique Texture: Ling Heather Honey
		Volcanic Honey: Wenchi
		Silkiest Honey: Ulmo Honey
		Most Buttery Honey: Kāmahi
Part 7 Appendixes
	Appendix A Glossary
	Appendix B Helpful Honey Resources
Index
Supplemental Images
EULA