Honey raw or pasteurized?

Tags

Bee, Botulism, clostridium botulinum, Corn syrup, food, health, honey, honeybee, nature, organic, Pasteurization, pasteurizationn, raw, raw honey, what is pasteurization

Raw Honey like the photograph above will always crystallize. Raw honey is the only food substance that does not spoil. The heating and filtering processes only make it look clear, and people mistakenly think the clearer the better. In other words it  is done for marketing purposes.

According to my sources, very young children or those with compromised immune systems should consume only pasteurized honey because there are a small number of cases each year where spores of Clostridium botulinum found in honey have been responsible for botulism poisoning. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, approximately 110 cases of botulism poisoning occur each year in the United States, mostly from improperly canned food, corn syrup, and honey. About 90% of these cases occur in children under six months old. There is normally a warning that you should not feed honey to children under 3 years old.

Honey should never be boiled, heated or cooked. It has been found that heated or cooked honey has a deformed molecular structure, and lacking the health benefits of raw honey.

What is pasteurization?

Pasteurization is a process that destroys microorganisms with heat. Different combinations of temperature and time can be used to pasteurize, depending on the substance. Most sources I found recommended heating the honey to 145° F (63° C) for 30 minutes. Some preferred 150° (65.5° C) for 30 minutes. One suggested that the temperature be brought to 170° F (77° C) momentarily. Most of the honey found on supermarket shelves has been pasteurized, unless it has been marked as raw.

Most of the sources I read claimed that honey is pasteurized to “kill bacteria and reduce crystallization.” Now we all know that honey is famed for its antibacterial properties, that it is still used in some areas to dress wounds, and that it can keep for years on end. So why, exactly, do we need to kill bacteria?

Related articles :

The healing powers of Honey

Honey and Cinnamon

Honeybee CCD update

Know your Honey

Honey, a sticky business

Raw Tomato sauce in a jiffy

Tags

Cook, food processor, garlic, home, home grown, honey, olive oil, organic, Pizza, raw, raw unfiltered Honey, recipe, Ripe homegrown tomatoes, sauce, sundried tomato, tomato, Tomato sauce

Invariably at this time of year I have a glut of tomatoes, so here is an idea to use up that extra surplus.

Ingredients :

Ripe homegrown tomatoes – 1 cup ( cut in half)

Sun dried homegrown tomatoes – 1/2 cup (softened in a little hot water)

Large clove homegrown garlic – (processed)

Glob of raw unfiltered Honey (from your hive)

pinch of salt.

Method : Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend.

This tomato sauce is delicious on Pizzas, toasted sandwiches, crackers, chip dip. In fact let your imagination be run wild as to how you use this tasty sauce. The sauce stores well in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days.

This post was shared on Wild-crafting Wednesday 

Raw Lasagne

Tags

almond, basil, basil sauce, Cashew, cashew nut, clove garlic, food, garlic, lemon juice, meat free monday, mushroom, olive oil, organic, raw, raw almonds, raw cashew nuts, recipe, rosemary, sun-dried, sweet basil, Tahini, Tahini sauce, tomato, Tomato sauce, tsp lemon juice, vegan, vegetarian, Zucchini

Just reading this recipe makes my mouth water.

Cashew Cheeze

1 cup raw Cashew Nuts

1 cup raw almonds

1 onion, peeled and sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in food processor and blitz, tamping down the edges  until it resembles dough.

Tomato Sauce

1 cup sun-dried tomato reconstituted in warm water

1 small tomato

1 sprig rosemary

1 clove garlic

1 tsp lemon juice

1 chili (optional)

glob of honey

salt and pepper

Process all ingredients until a smooth paste forms.

Basil Sauce

1 cup fresh sweet basil

1 clove garlic

olive oil

Blitz all ingredients until a smooth paste is formed.

Other

Soak thinly sliced mushrooms in Tahini and Olive Oil for 1 hour

Mandolin a baby marrow. If you do not have a mandolin, use a potato peeler.

slice 1 tomato finely.

Construction

In a lasagna dish start with a layer of Cashew Cheeze, then tomato sauce, then mushrooms, baby marrow and tomato. Alternate layers. Top with basil sauce. Leave in refrigerator for an hour, to set.

My neighbor had this to say about it… WOW, such a fusion of delightful tastes.

Raw Lasagne

Featured on Wildcrafting Wednesday

 

Meat free Monday – Raw Cheesecake

Tags

Berries. Strawberry, Berry Cheesecake, Blueberry, Cashew, Cheesecake, Coconut, coconutoil, cup lime juice, food, Lemon Cheesecake, Macadamia, macadamia nuts, Raspberry, raw, raw cashews, Raw Cheesecake, Raw foodism, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Fresh Strawberries from the garden

Raw Cheesecake

RAW CHEESECAKE

Ingredients:

100g macadamia nuts

100g raw cashews

1/2 cup pitted dates

1/4 cup dried coconut

6 tablespoons coconut oil melted

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup raw honey

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

2 cups mixed berries such as blueberries, strawberries and raspberries for garnish

Method:

1. Soak the cashews and Macadamias in water in separate bowls for at least 3 hours.

2. Pulse macadamia nuts and dates in food processor to a sticky crumb-like consistency. Sprinkle dried coconut on bottom of 8-inch pie pan. Press macadamia nut mixture onto coconut to make crust.

3. Place cashews, coconut oil, lime juice, honey, vanilla and 6 tablespoons of water in a food processor and process until smooth fluffy puree texture.

4. Pour mixture onto crust, and freeze 2 hours or until firm. Remove from freezer, slice while frozen, and serve with berries!!!

Let it defrost to get soft or eat it as a hard slice!

Raw cheesecake is high in calcium, magnesium, protein, and rich in mineral copper. It’s great for hair and skin, weight loss, and preventing gallstones!

And the picture tells all,  – delicious

Related articles

• In a positive limbo and raw cacao, macadamia, goji and coconut balls (sproutsandstilton.wordpress.com)
• Chocolate & Berry Cheesecake (sweetpeaandpeppermint.wordpress.com)
• Raw Lemon Cheesecake (ricassweettooth.wordpress.com)

Honey raw or pasteurized?

Tags

Bee, Botulism, clostridium botulinum, Corn syrup, food, health, honey, honeybee, nature, organic, Pasteurization, pasteurizationn, raw, raw honey, what is pasteurization

Raw Honey like the photograph above will always crystallize. Raw honey is the only food substance that does not spoil. The heating and filtering processes only make it look clear, and people mistakenly think the clearer the better. In other words it  is done for marketing purposes.

According to my sources, very young children or those with compromised immune systems should consume only pasteurized honey because there are a small number of cases each year where spores of Clostridium botulinum found in honey have been responsible for botulism poisoning. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, approximately 110 cases of botulism poisoning occur each year in the United States, mostly from improperly canned food, corn syrup, and honey. About 90% of these cases occur in children under six months old. There is normally a warning that you should not feed honey to children under 3 years old.

Honey should never be boiled, heated or cooked. It has been found that heated or cooked honey has a deformed molecular structure, and lacking the health benefits of raw honey.

What is pasteurization?

Pasteurization is a process that destroys microorganisms with heat. Different combinations of temperature and time can be used to pasteurize, depending on the substance. Most sources I found recommended heating the honey to 145° F (63° C) for 30 minutes. Some preferred 150° (65.5° C) for 30 minutes. One suggested that the temperature be brought to 170° F (77° C) momentarily. Most of the honey found on supermarket shelves has been pasteurized, unless it has been marked as raw.

Most of the sources I read claimed that honey is pasteurized to “kill bacteria and reduce crystallization.” Now we all know that honey is famed for its antibacterial properties, that it is still used in some areas to dress wounds, and that it can keep for years on end. So why, exactly, do we need to kill bacteria?

Related articles :

The healing powers of Honey

Honey and Cinnamon

Honeybee CCD update

Know your Honey

Honey, a sticky business

Raw Lasagne

Tags

almond, basil sauce, cashew nut, food, lemon juice, meat free monday, mushroom, olive oil, organic, raw, raw almonds, raw cashew nuts, recipe, rosemary, sun-dried, sweet basil, Tahini sauce, tomato, vegan, vegetarian

Just reading this recipe makes my mouth water.

Cashew Cheeze

1 cup raw Cashew Nuts

1 cup raw almonds

1 onion, peeled and sliced

1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced

2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Place all ingredients in food processor and blitz, tamping down the edges  until it resembles dough.

Tomato Sauce

1 cup sun-dried tomato reconstituted in warm water

1 small tomato

1 sprig rosemary

1 clove garlic

1 tsp lemon juice

1 chili (optional)

glob of honey

salt and pepper

Process all ingredients until a smooth paste forms.

Basil Sauce

1 cup fresh sweet basil

1 clove garlic

olive oil

Blitz all ingredients until a smooth paste is formed.

Other

Soak thinly sliced mushrooms in Tahini and Olive Oil for 1 hour

Mandolin a baby marrow. If you do not have a mandolin, use a potato peeler.

slice 1 tomato finely.

Construction

In a lasagna dish start with a layer of Cashew Cheeze, then tomato sauce, then mushrooms, baby marrow and tomato. Alternate layers. Top with basil sauce. Leave in refrigerator for an hour, to set.

My neighbor had this to say about it… WOW, such a fusion of delightful tastes.

Featured on Wildcrafting Wednesday

Meat free Monday…. Sweet potato pasta with basil pesto

Tags

brazil nuts, chili sauce, clove of garlic, dinner, food, home grown, organic, pumpkin seeds, raw, recipe, sweet basil, sweet potatoes, vegan, vegetarian

Yesterday I harvested some sweet potatoes and sweet Basil  to make this meal.

Peel and grate sweet potato.

Process handful of sweet Basil, Olive Oil, clove of garlic, pumpkin seeds, nuts of your choice ( I used Brazil nuts) sprinkle of salt and a dash of chili sauce until smooth.

Mix in well with sweet potato.

Enjoy!

Of all the herbs, Basil is King #growyourown

Tags

basil, basil pesto, coughs, dinner, food, garden, garlic, green tips, growing, growing basil, health, herbs, home grown, insect bites and stings, organic, Pest control, plant basil, raw, recipe, sweet basil, tap roots, vegan, vegetarian

Basil is one of the world’s most loved herbs. The Greek word for basil is basileus which means King.

Growing: Basil has deep tap roots, and do not liked to be moved. So transplant your seedlings carefully in the cool of the late afternoon. Keep the soil moist. Sweet Basil is best grown from seed sown in the early Spring and transplanted 50cm apart..

Harvesting: Basil is best used fresh (dried and frozen Basil loses flavor) It is best to pinch of the tips, this also discourages it from flowering, ensuring a longer life span of the plant.

Companion planting: Plant Basil with tomatoes, Summer Savory and fruit trees.

Uses:

Culinary:  Probably the most popular use is Basil Pesto. It tastes good with pizza, pasta, tomatoes, chicken and sausages.

Medicinal: Basil tea is  excellent  to  detox and de-stress. It is good for migraines, peptic ulcers, mouth infections, coughs, hypertension, indigestion and delayed menstruation.

Use 1/4 cup of leaves in  1 cup of boiling water. Leave to draw for 5 minutes, and sip slowly. Cooled tea can be cooled and used as a lotion for insect bites and stings. Basil vinegar is good for sunburn and scalp infections.

Cosmetic: Basil  tea is the perfect toner for an oily skin.

Other uses : Basil leaves rubbed on kitchen window sills keeps the flies at bay and freshens the air.

Basil Pesto

4 cups fresh Sweet Basil Leaves

2 to 3 cloves of garlic – peeled

sea salt to taste

4 tbs pine nuts/ Almonds/ walnuts or pecan nuts

5 to 6 tbs Olive Oil

4 tbs Parmesan Cheese.

Blend all ingredients till a smooth paste if formed.

Serve with pasta, baked potatoes, grills etc.

Would you eat me?

Tags

brazil nuts, carrot salad, chopped dates, deformed carrots, food, food wastage, home grown, organic, raw, recipe, vegan

These are some deformed carrots which I harvested from the garden yesterday. Looking at them I began to wonder why we never see carrots like this on our vegetable sellers shelves…. I suppose for some it is the fact that they do not look appealing. The shops will not stock them. So what is wrong with eating them? They are still perfectly nutritious.

I made this delicious carrot salad with them.

I grated the carrots, added a handful of chopped Brazil nuts, dried cranberries, a dash of olive oil, chopped dates and a lemon sliced squeezed on.  Delicious.

“We throw away half our food. Up to half of all food is still wasted due to overly strict sell-by dates and the refusal of supermarkets to sell produce which doesn’t look cosmetically perfect, a new report claims. Up to half of all food wasted due to sell-by dates or ‘wrong’ appearance. Supermarkets often reject entire crops of ‘perfectly edible’ fruit and vegetables because of their appearance.

By Nick Collins, Science Correspondent

Read more here :

http://www.permacultureproject.com/we-throw-away-half-our-food/

Have you had your shot of GREEN today?

Tags

appetite suppressant, health, lowers blood pressure, organic, raw, vegetarian, wheatgrass

Wheat-grass juice is a complete food with no toxic side effects. It contains all of the vitamins and most of the minerals needed for human maintenance and well-being. It is also a complete protein with about 30 enzymes and is approximately 70% crude chlorophyll. It acts as a natural appetite suppressant so usually adding wheat-grass juice to your diet will cause you to balance your weight at the optimum for you.

Wheat grass:cleanses and builds your blood,
improves skin and hair,
builds muscle and endurance
fights infections,
lowers blood pressure,
dissolves tumors,
acts as an appetite suppressant.
Trays R 45-00, (16cm x 23 cm)
Order today. Please note there is a 12 days lead time.or order your

Wheat-grass seeds

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