The bee is undoubtedly an awesome bug, among various other credits, we each owe 30% or more of our food crops to pollination by way of bees. Around 2007 a great number of bees started passing away as their immune systems appeared trashed. They had been catching every little thing so it seemed to be really hard to identify the causal agent. Rumours from cell towers to harmful pesticides and herbicides had been unrestrained. This ended up being disturbing news to me as well. It took a few more years for me to understand Monsanto, a association with Monarch Butterflies dying just from being brushed with genetically modified corn pollen-that I started to realize my take on exactly what could very well be answerable for dropping the natural defenses of the bees. Cornell University executed the Monarch Butterfly experiments. Cornell knew since 1999 there were dangerous environmental implications regarding changing DNA followed by releasing it into our food chain.

Around the same time we had bee difficulties in the states I was filming in London when I received an invite to be a teacher on a Mercy Ship. The precise area had to do with training beekeepers in Africa what finished goods to produce utilizing their bee by-products and I would stay on a rather new vessel. I actually found that to be an interesting challenge, I had been looking to learn beekeeping. If I had been able to attend I would have been under the best beekeeping master the planet had to offer on that ship and on land. In addition, I had waited ten years to be accepted into the Mercy program and the moment couldn’t have been worse. I came down with pneumonia in London and used up several weeks recovering in Florida. While in bed recuperating I studied more pertaining to bees and bee by-products. I found myself penning a book as a perpetual tool for showing products people can make using bee by-products in my absence. The Beekeeper’s Digest is the result of my adoration for bees and my peculiar gift of industry.

Within the book I speak about it is crucial, as just a consumer, to be familiar with your source of your honey. I order bee by-products from the least polluted regions, even as high up as northern Canada. What they’re pollinating from may likely be therapeutic, and so I also purchase from areas in Oregon which are plush with Eucalyptus and lavender fields. This is fundamentally how the Manuka honey region became popular throughout New Zealand. Consequently, I order honey from almost everywhere given that I know the pollination source and its features.

My personal favorite honey recipe is a therapeutic kind syrup. You could make several variations of this basic syrup and they’re spoken about in the recipe down the page. Vegetable glycerin isn’t essential, and could be substituted with additional honey in its place. Nonetheless vegetable glycerin is a really good humectant for dried out mucous membranes. It is not always straightforward to get in the neighborhood however. I called this recipe “United Kingdom” because I was in London when I wrote it and was in the company of a group of herbalists at Napier’s. Their suggestions helped me develop this recipe and its different versions.

Basic Honey Cough Syrup with Lemon and Glycerin: United Kingdom

Makes 8 ounces or 234 ml
2 lemons
4 Ounces Vegetable Glycerin (117 ml)
4 Ounce Honey (117 Ml)
The recipe is basically one part honey to one part vegetable glycerin. Heat the lemons by boiling them in water for 10 minutes. Cut in half and squeeze out the juice. Add the glycerin and honey. Take 1 tsp as needed. Cute if packaged in Boston Round type bottles.
Variations of Cough Honey and Glycerin Cough Syrup
You can get fancy and add any of the following to enhance your basic recipe. ¼ part to all Triple strength Horehound Tea, and/or a Teaspoon of whiskey (if for an adult.) ONE drop of Thyme essential oil. Thyme is VERY potent and could be hard on the liver. One or two drops is enough. A drop or two of Anise essential oil (tastes like licorice.) Menthol crystals can be added and would dissolve in the heat phase. ¼ teaspoon of menthol crystals if you have them.
In addition to Horehound’s expectorant and demulcent qualities, as an antispasmodic it helps to relax the coughing spasms so common with bronchitis. The added sweetness of horehound candy/cough drops that are available commercially makes the very bitter herb more accessible. Or one can obtain Horehound’s healing qualities with a tea, tincture, or syrup. Hyssop is similar in chemical makeup and function to horehound but is much less bitter. Both of these herbs mix well with peppermint. Some other herbs that can be helpful in treating coughs are: wild cherry bark, violets, osha, bee balm, slippery elm, nasturtium, red clover and plantain. Ginger, ground cloves and cinnamon can also be great variations. Cinnamon by nature is very strong. Like Thyme, be very prudent with it.

Gardeners Hand Crème Makes 6 Ounces or 170 Grams

2 Ounces Castor Oil (56 Grams)
2 Ounces of Olive Oil (56 Grams)
2 Ounces of Beeswax (56 Grams)
2 Tablespoons of Sterile Warm Water
1/2 Teaspoon White China Clay

9 Drops of Peppermint Essential Oil
9 Drops of Orange, or Mandarin Essential Oil
Using a dependable heat proof glass measuring cup, melt the beeswax in the microwave for about 5 minutes-continually watching it. Remove with gloves and stir. Heat a few more minutes if the beeswax is not almost melted.
Remove again with mittens to avoid being burned. Slowly add the china clay in while using a hand held whipper or whisk and then add the water with the borax into it while still whipping. Add the essential oils last. Your creation should start looking “fluffy” and is ready to go into containers. Use a spatula to work it into you jars and avoid air pockets. If it is not binding, try to whip more and add another teaspoon of borax.

Honey-O-Bit Candy Almond Honey Nougat
Bit of Honey/Almond Candy

No honey book would be complete without this!

1 Cup of Honey
1 Cup of Sugar
2 Cups of Dry Powdered Milk
2 Ounces of Almond Paste or Crushed Almonds

To Make:

Melt the honey, sugar and almonds until reaching 270 degrees F, stirring constantly as not to scorch. Let cool to 180 F and then stir in dried milk powder. Allow to cool to 110 degrees F and then roll onto a cutting board. Cut into rectangular chucks. Allow to harden. Wrap in wax paper to store. This makes about 6 dozen pieces.

A Variation of this high energy treat is known as Halva.

2 cups brown sesame seeds1/2 cup flax seeds4 T honey4 T sesame oil
Finely grind all dry ingredients together and then slowly add warm honey and sesame oil. You can roll these into balls and store in the refrigerator. We like to dip ours in “dipping chocolate” and at times add pistachios to the mix.

Copyright 2006, 2010, 2011 by Deborah Dolen. Used by permission.

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