Do you love honey? My family and I do. I mean we love, love, love it. For the past several months I’ve been working towards largely reducing our white sugar intake. I’d like to tell you that I’m so clever and we’re so disciplined that I have totally eliminated it from our diets, but that seems, for us, an impossibility. (“Ketchup with those fries?” “Yes, please!”)
You may remember me from another article I wrote… I’m the girl that likes air conditioning and painted nails. I’m the one that does everything possible inside rather than out. However, what I do, I do well. And I strive to get the most out of every dollar we have available for food and food stuffs.
We eat a nearly 100% organic diet. I am (pardon me for a quick second while I brag) one heck of a shopper. My constant goal is to take my modest grocery budget and turn every dollar in to two. I can’t always get this done, but it’s my mission and I greatly enjoy the challenge. Shopping for organic foods and products can be costly, but if the will is there to take the extra time and make effort, it can be done on a reasonable budget. When I don’t necessarily have the extra money, I can sink a little extra effort into careful planning, plotting, researching, and executing. It’s fun, and it’s my job… and I am thankful.
But, back to honey. Since I can’t keep bees indoors, and I’m not going outdoors to retrieve the honey, I purchase local honey in fairly large quantities. This is one way we can eliminate the use of white sugar. Honey is a great substitute in many dishes and recipes, and a fair substitute in others. In the rare instances where its addition or substitution will simply not work, I use Sucanat (a contraction of “sugar cane natural”).
But, still, I haven’t told you what I really wanted you to know. I want you to know about creamed honey. Do you already know about it? Do you purchase it already? I find it simply amazing on toast, or biscuits, or with peanut butter on a sandwich, or mixed with some softened peanut butter in a bowl to use as a dip for a banana.
If you don’t know about creamed honey, and I just made you very tempted and hungry, read on honey, I’m going to blow your mind.
Creamed honey is the consistency of creamy, store bought peanut butter. It’s perfect. It spreads beautifully and stays where you put it. It has an amazing texture and mouth feel. The flavor… Ah, the flavor is light, sweet and satiating.
Here’s where this delectable product goes south… It is expensive. Prices vary, of course, but it is fair to say that a 16 ounce jar can sell for around $12. And that’s fine. It’s worth it. And, this article could stop here if that was one’s only choice. But you have another great choice, and I’m going to tell you all about it.
Sister, Brother… Honey, you can make this great product from your own organic, locally grown or purchased honey with a minimal start-up cost. And then it is free, free, henceforth free!
I’m going to give you the basics, but I know you’re a smart cookie. You can search around, even watch entertaining videos on how to do it, but however you choose to do it, please try it out. Make this amazing food and enjoy it with your family and friends!
Firstly, you’ll need a starter jar of creamed honey. Purchase a jar of raw organic creamed honey. I’ve seen it in every natural food store I’ve ever been in. It’s not too hard to find.
Secondly, using your favorite local, raw honey, portion out 10 to 1; 10 parts out-of-the-hive honey to 1 part creamed honey. Put it in a bowl or stand mixer and beat on medium for 10-12 minutes. You’re almost done! Is it looking much lighter, much creamier? You bet it is! Wasn’t that easy?
Thirdly, you will need to put it in clean jars and find a place for it to sit for a couple of weeks at 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Initially it made me very sad to think that I couldn’t have this amazing food because there’s not a spot in our home, ever, during any season, which remains a constant 57 degrees. Then I discovered that our teeny little wine fridge does! Bam! Bam, bam, bam! Out came the shelves and in went the jars and there they sat for a mere two weeks. And then, we had our own, homemade, creamed honey.
We picked up our teeny 8 bottle wine fridge on craigslist for around $20. What a great investment. Hey, it’s great for wine, too. Score!
Lastly, any time after that initial batch is done, all you need to use for starter is your own creamed honey to create more, more, more.
I wish I could invite you over. I wish I could give you some creamed honey on my homemade, whole grain bread from freshly ground kamut flour so you could taste the deliciousness for yourself. I just know you’d rush right home and give it a try.
Let me know what you think? Okay, honey?
Thanks to Robin W. Stephens for participating in the [Grow] Network Writing Contest. We have over $1,500 in prizes lined up for the current writing contest, with more to come. Here is a list of the current pot of prizes:
– A 21.5 quart pressure canner from All American, a $380 value
– A Survival Still emergency water purification still, a $279 value
– 1 year of free membership in the [Grow] Network Core Community, a $240 value
– A copy of The Summer of Survival Complete Collection from Life Changes Be Ready, a $127 value
– 2 copies of the complete Home Grown Food Summit, valued at $67 each
– 3 free 3 month memberships in the [Grow] Network Core Community, valued at $60 each
– The complete 2014 Grow Your Own Food Summit interview series, a $47 value
– 4 copies of the Grow Your Own Groceries DVD video set, valued at $42 each
– A Bug Out Seed Kit from the Sustainable Seed Company, a $40 value
– 4 copies of the Alternatives To Dentists DVD video, valued at $32 each
COMMENTS(0)
This sounds wonderful! I have one question. What are the storage requirements for this after the 2 weeks?
Storage is merely a cabinet. It becomes stable in the thick state after the two weeks!
Can you cook with creamed honey too? Or do you need to keep a supply of “regular” honey on hand for that?
Since it’s “just” honey, you can do whatever you’d like to do with it. Personally, I don’t cook with it since it’s a wee bit labor intensive and I don’t want to “waste” it to cook with it. I purchase local, raw honey in bulk and always have a supply of both on hand. But, the simple answer is yes, you can cook with it. Enjoy it any way you like!! Mmm!!
Once the honey is creamed, can it be stored basically anywhere? Or do you have to keep it somewhere special?
Hi Kathy – Just don’t let it get hot – or they crystals will melt. We store creamed honey in the cupboard at my house to keep it nice and soft.
Does this creamed honey become a fermented food product? I do understand that fermented foods are healthier for us, because of their good-for-us bacteria. But I also thought honey was antibacterial, anti fungal and all. What is happening to the honey at this cooler temperature for 2 weeks? Thanks!
Hi Darshana – It’s not fermentation that happens over 2 weeks, but crystallization. You’re just giving the honey time to crystallize. The starter or seed is used to make the honey form tiny crystals, rather than the big crystals it forms on its own.
Okay, I’m confused… What is creamed honey again? Is it a fermented product? What is the purpose of leaving sit for weeks? What happens during that time? Why do you need a starter? Sounds like it’s just whipped honey? Is the starter an inoculant, like in Kiefer or yogurt? Sorry, I just don’t know if we will try something, with such a high price tag, which just sounds like a dab of honey will do the same. It just seems like a texture thing… But then, why the cure/time/temp? So, I must be wrong. Sorry, you have surely peaked our curiosity, but not sure about what it is.
Hi – Creamed honey isn’t fermented – it is crystallized. The sugar in honey forms crystals, or “sets,” over time. When an old container of honey gets hard – it has crystallized. You have probably noticed that this starts at the top or bottom of the container and then slowly spreads through the container until all of the honey is crystallized. This is natural and normal and it’s a great way to preserve honey.
When honey crystallizes on its own, it forms large crystals – that’s what we’re used to seeing when we have “set honey.” Creamed honey has been processed so that it forms tiny crystals rather than big crystals. You use a little of the processed creamed honey as a “seed” and your raw honey crystallizes in that way, with tiny crystals. The waiting time is time for crystallization to occur.