We fully embrace both health and taste at Fresh Thymes, and so
we view honey as the ideal sweetener. It provides complex flavors rooted in
different places and seasons, while simultaneously delivering a host of health
benefits. The gift from precious bees is enormous — honey
is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Over time, it helps our
bodies wrestle with seasonal allergies. It does not spoil, due in part to the
scarcity of water in its make-up — the bees flap their wings to dry the
nectar (thank you, bees!) — as well as its high level of acidity.
And humans have been eating it for a long time — stains
found in 5,500-year-old jars in the Republic of Georgia are from honey.
Our affection for honey hinges on more than flavor and human
health, though. As the world’s principal pollinators, honey bees
give us our almonds and our onions, our grapes and peaches and raspberries, our
cardamom, squash, cucumber, fennel, coffee, buckwheat, coconut and chili
pepper. The list goes on and on. It is possible for humans to pollinate plants,
but entirely impractical and exceedingly expensive. Without the bees, much of
what we take for granted today for our meals would simply vanish.
And with colony collapse — that is, bee colonies dying en masse —
occurring with disturbing frequency during the past decade, we need to work
hard to make sure our bees are thriving. One solution, according to recent
scientific reports, might rest with how we take care of our gardens and farms.
A group of pesticides called neonicotinoids might be one factor contributing to
colony collapse. Since the findings were published last year, more and more
nurseries have committed to raising plants without neonicotinoids. Let's hope
the trend continues through our vast agricultural system.
How much do we adore honey at Fresh Thymes? Six-gallons-a-week
worth of passion, that’s how much. We use it in all of our
desserts, and honey provides balance in many of our savory preparations, too.
The only other sweetener we use, sparingly, is coconut sugar.
Andre on the farm |
We have such a crush on bees that we are throwing a big party for
the little guys, on Saturday, April 25. Come to Fresh Thymes all day for honey-happy
events. Andre, a bee enthusiast from Jacob Springs Farm, will be on hand from 12-2pm to
talk about home beekeeping, local bee-related projects and a global project
with which he is involved. He will bring along an Open Source Beehive hive,
and we will discuss Fresh Thymes' involvement with Open Source Beehive, an
innovative Colorado nonprofit that helps spread beehives the way the bees
themselves distribute pollen — with much hard work and success!
Tim from Highland Honey! |
In addition, Tim from Highland Honey and Mead Master Mark from Medovina will
swing by Fresh Thymes between 3 and 4 to sample honey and mead, which is honey
wine (and which is spectacular).
Never been inside of a hive? Come to Fresh
Thymes on April 25 and live the dream — between the home bee-keeping
enthusiasts, the professionals and the lovers of all-things-honey, it’s
going to be awfully buzzy!
Stay tuned for our full line-up of honey loving professionals!
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