help!! about honey...

[rosey7415]

help me! i don't know what all to do with all the honey i have. i have a friend in another state that keeps sending me honey. i think i read somewhere on here that honey doesn't go bad. i tried to "search" the word honey and came up with 51 pages!!! since honey is also what you " call "......someone..........ahhhhh!!!

is it true that honey does last? i have some older honey that is not as liquidy as new. is it any good? how do i get the consistency back? it is in large plastic bottles. i don't use it in tea or coffee. i did cut up some apples in the fall and added honey instead of sugar for apple crumble. also did this with plums and peaches that were also given to me. what else can i do with it? i am not a big baker....well, lol.....not a baker at all.....but could use some simple recipes or ideas. can anyone help me???? please????

thanks to all that take the time to reply.

[KeithBC]

Honey is naturally resistant to bacteria. It could ferment if it gets yeast into it, but then you'd have mead, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

To melt honey that has crystallized, just place the container in a pan of boiling water.

[NewLeaf]

Use it for a sore throat or cough. Just mix some honey and lemon. You can regain the liquidity by putting it in the microwave or put the jar in a pan of boiling water.

[IntlMom]

Use it for a sore throat or cough. Just mix some honey and lemon. You can regain the liquidity by putting it in the microwave or put the jar in a pan of boiling water.

This is exactly right, but I did want to mention......that if it is in a plastic container, please don't put it in the microwave.

[monkeywrangler71]

It's not really supposed to go in the microwave at all, although I've done it in a pinch. You are supposed to heat it slowly by sitting the container in hot water.

There is a slight chance of mold on top if you leave it crystallized and water starts to separate out of it. Honey itself does not have a high enough moisture content to grow mold, but if water starts to form on top it can grow in the water.

You won't get mead without adding water first. If you've any interest in or experience with winemaking, it's a great way to use the honey.

Stored correctly your honey should outlive you by several thousand years.

[Josephhgoins]

I prefer the taste of honey with some age. 3 year old Tulip Popular honey is the absolute best to me. It is great on fresh baked rolls or biscuits.

Among my friends it is commonly known that I love honey. Some of them have bee hives and some think of me when they see it on sale at fruit stands. With both cases I sometimes end up with more honey than I can use myself. When I worked away from home I would getup extra early and bake a couple of pans of biscuits and bring them to work with honey, fresh churned butter from local cream, Applebutter made with apples from my tree as well as peach preserves (also from my tree) and blackberry jelly (from my property). It was my Christmas present to everyone and the cost to me was almost nothing.

As it is Christmas time have you thought of sharing some with friends as Christmas gifts? You could repackage if you wanted into some smaller jars. Maybe download some baking recipes to go with it.

With the honey bee issue as it is honey isn't cheap anymore. So you have a pretty good friend to send it to you.

(btw, Thanks, I now know what I am going to have for lunch)

[Hamada]

Honey lasts a long time. I enjoy it in yogurt, used as a sweetener for granola, on toast with some butter, in tea, or lemon and honey, if I am feeling run down I will take a tablespoon. Honey can also be used in homemade body cleansers and moisturizers. If there is just to much to even think you could use in a life time, they would also make some great gifts. Depening on the size of the bottle, if to large, you could pour in smaller pint size containers and give as hostess gifts.

I have moved crystallized honey from plastic bottles into very clean glass jars. Then heated to return to a liquid state.

[sommersa]

gifts. if u have that much wouldnt a pretty glass jar w honey and ribbon tied into a bow be a pretty thing to give to a friend or family member who's not as lucky as u to have such a thoughtful friend

[old_lady_in_the_shoe]

Honey will not really go bad, unless you cross contaminate it with something else, like from dipping a spoon into it that was used from something else. The older it gets the stronger it gets. It tends to crystalize because it is "sugar". If it does crystilze, you can heat it over a low heat so that it will become liquid again.

You can use honey the same way you use sugar with a small amount of conversion...
Honey is 80% sugars and 20% water, and 20% sweeter than sugar (normal crystalline sucrose).
Thus, 1 part honey = 1.2 parts sugar + .2 parts water.

1 cup honey = 1 cup sugar but decrease the liquid in the recipe by 1/4 cup for each cup of honey added.
Add 1 tablespoon honey to your favorite cake mix recipe for added flavor.
Lower the oven temperature 25 degrees when baking foods in which honey has been substituted for sugar

I tend to use less honey in my recipes than the normal sugar amount, with the exception of cookies or breads. Use it just like sugar in all your recipes. It is good for you and tastes great tool

[Contrary Housewife]

You can send it to me. I love honey.
If I'm not eating it on toast (it is good plain or with nut butter) I am using it in marinades or other recipes. A little honey and vinegar are a good base to marinate pork or chicken in. Add other herbs and seasonings that you like.

You can also use it to sweeten fresh made lemonade, if you have a lot of it this will use it up quickly. http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/reci...p?recipeId=297

[bumplett]

I agree with the idea of using it for gifts for others.

[nodmicks]

My sons school sells organic apple blossom honey every year. I am the only one in our house that eats it and I try not too. I make granola and/ or bars to use all the honey up. My crew loves them!

[Luv2BeFrugal]

I'm fond of peanut butter and honey on toast or as a sandwich...yum!!

[Grainlady]

As others have mentioned, honey keeps indefinitely, which is why it and sugar are recommended for long-term storage.

A trip to your local library will probably produce some cookbooks specific to using honey, which would help to incorporate it in your cooking/baking. If you Google "recipes using honey", you will find LOTS of great recipes. Using recipes that call for honey are somewhat easier than converting sugar amounts to honey. At least until you get the hang of it.

Generally speaking... use 1/2-3/4 as much honey as white sugar in recipes. Reduce liquid by 1/4 c. (for each cup of sugar in the recipe). If there is NO liquid to reduce, add 3-4 T. of flour for each 1/2 c. honey used.

Also add 1/8 t. baking soda per half cup of honey. Reduce the oven by 25°F and adjust the baking time. Depending on how much honey is in the recipe, you may notice it browns faster and gets darker than when sugar is in the recipe.

[Palooka]

I'm fond of peanut butter and honey on toast or as a sandwich...yum!!

You beat me to it.

We can't keep enough honey in this house. I like peanut butter sandwiches with honey way better than jelly.