10/20/2016
Uses for Honey After the Holidays
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Beekeeper Amalia Haas tends to honey bees outside. Photo credit: Rachael Rovner
By Amalia Haas
Founder and CEO, Bee Awesome and www.HoneyBeeJewish.com
Many people ask me, “What can I do with all the beautiful honey I have left over after Rosh Hashanah?” As the beekeeper behind The Land of Milk and Honey, a tasting experience for groups that pairs honeys with fruits, cheeses, chocolates, and wines, there is no shortage of exciting things to do with honey year round!
Honey plays a starring role for Jews as we contemplate the very creation of the world during the High Holiday season. When we say, “A Sweet and Happy New Year,” we taste the breadth and depth of nature’s bounty, of God’s blessing. And we pray that in the coming year we will merit to live in a world where these cycles of nature continue. The honey I harvest in the fall represents the hive’s labor through spring and summer. The rains “fell in their time,” plants grew, and the bees visited 200,000 flowers to make each half teaspoon of honey.
Honey bees teach us about teamwork and community building. A worker bee’s entire life’s labor produces only 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey. This may seem a small contribution to her colony, but in so doing she pollinates plants essential to the chain of life. By supporting her community, she does good for the wider ecosystem. May the bees help us remember that small, humble acts of daily kindness to family and stranger carry forth the blessings of Creation into the wider world.
So if you still have honey in your cupboard, here are some of my suggestions of ways to make the most of your honey supply!
- Try pairing buckwheat honey, with its rich undertones of chocolate and cherries, with dark chocolate.
- Pair almond butter with goldenrod honey that the bees are harvesting right now in northeast Ohio! The caramel texture and floral intensity of goldenrod honey complements the umami of nut butters.
- Pair linden honey, with its unripe notes, with one of the last tart green melons of summer (harvest from your own vines, or from the farmer's market).
And don't forget to enjoy your tea with raw honey on a crisp fall Cleveland day, or to knead some into your challah!
From the honey bees and my family “hive,” wishing you and yours a good and sweet New Year. Shanah Tovah u’Mtukah!
Amalia Haas' path to organic beekeeping began as the daughter of a biologist and a professor of education who imbued in her a fascination with nature. She is a mother of six who is passionate about creating a healthier and more sustainable world. After a decade of work in Jewish education and Israel advocacy, Amalia turned to social entrepreneurship, environmental education, public speaking, singing, and storytelling. To book one of Amalia's flagship programs - The Land of Milk and Honey, BeeHive Your Classroom, and Beehive Your Business - or to purchase honey, visit Bee Awesome or HoneyBeeJewish at www.AmaliaHaas.com
