Kitchen Newsletter Target Date: 08-17-17 Title: HONEY, YOU’RE SO SWEET. Constant Contact Name: August 17, 2017 - Honey, Honey, Honey Subject Line: 
 Cooking with Honey fresh from Bees! Teaser Line: A tasty sweetener from nature. Facebook and/or Twitter Words: In This Issue: All About Honey RECIPE: Grilled Stone Fruit Bruschetta How Honey is Made RECIPE: Honey-Lime Grilled Carrots RECIPE: Honey-Mustard, Bone-In Chops with A Cherry Sauce RECIPE: Honey-Lemonade Pops Common Honeys in the US INTRO HONEY, YOU’RE SO SWEET. INTRO TEXT Honey is one of the oldest natural sweeteners on earth. Considered a powerfood by many, it’s been revered for its nutritional and medicinal properties for centuries.IN THIS ISSUE, we showcase how honey can be used in every dish of aneasy-to-make, end-of-summer dinner menu. Every recipe features honey,giving each bite just the right touch of sweetness. MAIN BODY: ALL ABOUT HONEY Honey is produced in most countries in the world. Ancient Greeks, Romans, and Egyptians documented the healing properties of honey.It has an ability to ameliorate ailments with its antibacterial, anti-fungal, and antioxidant properties. THE COLOR AND FLAVOR OF HONEY VARIES WIDELY DEPENDING ON THE NECTAR SOURCE VISITED BY THE BEES. DUE TO DIFFERING HONEY SOURCES, THERE ARE OVER300 DIFFERENT HONEY VARIETIES AVAILABLE IN THE UNITED STATES ALONE!IS YOUR HONEY CRYSTALLIZED?If left to its own devices, honey will eventually turn into sugar crystals. This is a natural process that can easily be reversed to a silky state. Place the honey jar in a warm water bath. To further prevent futurecrystallization, stir the honey vigorously to break down the crystals. GRILLED STONE FRUIT BRUSCHETTAA delicious appetizer, these bruschetta make the most of summer fruits. The grilled bread, barely sweetened Mascarpone cheese, grilled stone fruit, and mint glisten with drizzle of sweet honey. Delicious as an appetizer or even a dessert, this recipe is an all-around winner!TIP: Make sure your grill is clean and well-oiled before grilling the fruit. 1. SLICE the baguette and brush with olive oil on both sides.2. FIRE UP THE GRILL! Grill the bread until barely charred on both sides. Then, carefully grill the nectarines and apricots - (grilled fruit is delicious!)3. ASSEMBLE the bruschetta. Spread the Mascarpone cheese onto the grilled bread, then layer with grilled stone fruit pieces, and fresh mint leaves. Drizzle with honey and a sprinkle of finishing sea salt. HOW HONEY IS MADE A honeybee collects sugary nectar from flowers, flying about from one to another until its “honey stomach” is full. Within its stomach, the honeybee begins to break down the nectar's sucrose (flower nectar is about 80% water and 20% sucrose) by converting complex sugars into simple sugars by way of inversion. Some bees also carry pollen to help feed the hive. A single bee can carry about half their body weight in pollen. One hive can produce 60 lbs of honey per season. The honeybee returns to the hive where it regurgitates the nectar which is then ingested and further broken down by other bees. The 'house bees' regurgitate the concentrated nectar into cells of the honeycomb, fanning the nectar with their wings to evaporate more water. A honeybee’s tongue can span half its body length! Once the water content reaches 18%, the nectar become honey and the cell is given a waxy seal. When honeybees are ready to access their honey, they simply chew off the wax, dilute the condensed honey with water, and eat! Beekeepers harvest the honey using smoke to keep the bees calm. After removing the frames from the hive, the wax seal is cut off and the honey is drained from the comb using an extractor that spins the honey out. Honey is then jarred and sealed. WE HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED, HONEY! HONEY DRIZZLE STICK Drizzle honey with ease with this classic stick. FROZEN ICE POPS MAKER Perfect for quicklymaking honey-lemonadepops. So refreshing! CHEF’N JUICER Freshly squeezed lemonade is easy with this powerful handheld juicer! Bee's Wrap® Wrap bread, cheese, vegetables, or cover a bowl! A sustainable, reusable natural alternative to plastic wrap for food storage. LOCAL HONEY Try some of our favorite local honey! CHERRY PITTER Make quick work of pitting cherries! The shield helps contain any messy spatter. HONEY-LIME GRILLED CARROTS Carrots on the grill are a bit unexpected, but oh, so delicious!Carrots cook more quickly on the grill than when roasting them in the oven -- a good strategy on warm summer days. This recipe is made extra tasty with zingy lime and sweet honey. Try it with halved large carrots, or substitute baby carrots. Carrots pair well with pork, so try serving this recipe with the pork chops below. TIP: Leave 1/2” of the the carrot top for an elevated presentation. Be sure to scrub the tops extra well! 1. PEEL CARROTS, and cut in half lengthwise.2. PREPARE the carrots by placing them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with kosher salt, pepper, and lime zest. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lime juice, and olive oil. Drizzle over the carrots and toss until evenly well-coated.3. GRILL the carrots in a grill basket or on a grill mat over high heat until slightly blistered and charred, but still fork-tender. Drizzle with a little more honey, and serve hot or at roomtemperature. HONEY-MUSTARD,BONE-IN CHOPS WITH A CHERRY SAUCE TIP: A cherry pitter is essential for quick pitting! These bone-in pork chops are incredibly juicy and flavorful. The brining step locks in the juices, and ensures tenderness at the end. The meat’s flavor profile is further enhanced with an easy-to-make honey-mustard wet rub. And, as good as the chops are, the cherry sauce might still steal the show! The sweetness from the honey and cherries is perfectly balanced with the red wine and garlic additions. With a bit of easy prep, this is a bold entree that's perfect for end-of-summer entertaining. HONEY-LEMONADE POPS What should do when life gives you lemons? Make honey-lemonade pops, of course! These icy pops come together quickly, and are such a great refreshing treat on a hot day. We liked how these pops are both tart and sweet at the same time. If you like things on the sweeter side, try a sip of the mixture before freezing, and add a bit more honey, if you wish. TIP: Heat and stirthe water until the honey is dissolved. 1. IN A SMALL SAUCEPAN, heat water and honey and stir for about one minute until the honey dissolves.2. REMOVE from the heat, and stir in the fresh lemon juice.3. ADD A SLICE of lemon to each popsicle mold, then pour in the honey-lemonade mixture. Add a popsicle stick and freeze until solidified into popsicles. COMMON HONEYS IN THE U.S.ALFALFAColor: Light Flavor: Mild, delicateFlower: Purple alfalfa blossoms Origin: WyomingAVOCADOColor: Dark brown Flavor: Decadent, butteryFlower: Avocado blossomsOrigin: CaliforniaBLUEBERRYColor: GoldenFlavor: Well-balanced and complexFlower: Tiny white flowers from blueberry bushesOrigin: New England  and MichiganBUCKWHEATColor: Deep amber Flavor: Full bodied, molasses and high in antioxidantsFlower: White flowering buckwheatOrigin: Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and Eastern Canada. CLOVERColor: Varies from water white to light amber to amberFlavor: Mild and pleasantFlower: Red clover, Alsike clover and the white and yellow sweet cloversOrigin: Throughout the United StatesEUCALYPTUSColor: Varies greatly, butterscotch qualityFlavor: Stronger flavored honey with a slight medicinal scent.Flower: Eucalyptus flowerOrigin: CaliforniaFIREWEEDColor: Light goldenFlavor: Complex and slightly butteryFlower: Pinkish flowers, perennial herbOrigin: Northern and Pacific states and CanadaORANGE BLOSSOMColor: Extra light amberFlavor: Mild, slightly citrus Flower: Combination of citrus flowersOrigin: Florida, Southern California and parts of Texas.SAGEColor: Light goldenFlavor: Mild and enjoyable, often used as a sugar substitute as is does not impart a strong honey flavor, slow to granulateFlower: Purple sage flowersOrigin: CaliforniaTUPELOColor: Light golden amber with a greenish cast Flavor: Mild, distinctive, premium flavor, slow to granulateFlower: White Tupelo TreesOrigin: Northwest Florida DID YOU KNOW? There are over 20,000 known species of bees, however, the honeybee is the most widely known thanks to their honey production and aid in crop pollination. Honey Tip: Light colored honey is typically mild in flavor, while darker colored honey is more robust.