Honey, Honey

One of my favorite local ingredients to cook with is honey. It has great versatility for everything from salad dressing to ice cream, vegetable dishes to just plain on bread. Unlike most sweeteners, honey contains antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Honey is known to have antimicrobial properties and some people believe that consumption of local honey can help with allergies.

Along with its good properties, honey can also contain dormant botulism bacteria endospores, which can be hazardous if fed to an infant. The endospores can become active in an infant’s immature intestinal tract and lead to illness. For this reason, honey should not be fed to infants.

It also has addictive qualities, I believe, judging from my little one’s response to it. And my own. But this love is tinged bittersweet these days, with worry about the bees. Colony Collapse Disorder has claimed nearly 25 percent of the nation’s bee population. At this point, the cause is still much of a mystery, although two of the most likely theories involve a pesticide ingredient called imidicloprid and the pollen from genetically modified (GM) plant species. The pesticide has been shown in some studies to cause a disorienting behavior in bees.

The GM theory is a bit more complicated. Basically, the ingestion of the bees of the inferior nutrition of GM pollens may lead to a weakened immune system, leaving the bee susceptible to parasites that would normally not be a problem — the bees are malnourished. At least one university study has shown that bee populations do not thrive as well in GM crop environments.

Colony Collapse Disorder is definitely an issue worth watching. Even if you don’t like honey. Bees are responsible for the pollination of over 90 U.S. fruits and vegetables including apples, pears, peaches and other tree fruits like citrus, berries, soybeans, sunflowers, cucumbers and melons, legumes, canola, cotton, grapes, squash, peppers and tomatoes. Worldwide bees help pollinate over 300 different fruit and vegetable plants. Thus, the loss of bees would be a great loss for us all. Here’s to the hope that researchers find the answer before it is too late.

A Spoonful of Honey Makes the Vegetables Go Down

Okay, so I don’t need honey to eat my vegetables, but it sure does make some of them taste great, even cauliflower. Cauliflower is not a personal favorite, but prepared this way, I’d eat it once a week. It's also likely showing up in your CSA bags and farmers markets right now.

Honey-Spice Roasted Cauliflower
1 head cauliflower
2 tbs. Honey
2 tbs. Olive oil
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
2 grinds of black pepper
Just a pinch (light sprinkle) Cayenne
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup of water

Preheat oven to 400.°

Mix all ingredients except water and rub on top and bottom of cauliflower. Place cauliflower in baking dish flower side down. Pour water in dish. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes, then turn if flower side up and roast another 10-15 minutes. Watch it carefully. It should be golden brown in color, but not burned.

Serves Four. Per Serving: 102 Calories; 7g Fat (55.5% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 244mg Sodium. Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Fruit; 1 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Comments

[Ryan B]

Cauliflower? Dare I try it? I've always hated the stuff, but if you say that this recipe will change my mind, maybe I'll give it a go!

I just wanted to pass along my info - I'm currently trying to raise some money to save our bees by selling some tshirts, and I thought you and your fellow honey lovers might like to take a look!

http://www.savetheblank.com

Thanks!
Ryan

[Naturally Yours]

Your blogging style is terrific. You cram so much varied information into one post, and it is still easy to read.

I love honey. Thanks for sharing your insights. I am linking to this post on my blog.

;^)

[expatchef]

Thank you, Ryan! Glad you like the post. :)