Well, after a few false starts and several bouts of cold temperatures, it looks like Spring is finally here to stay. We have seen day time temperatures in the 70s and 80s this week with lows at night in the 40s. And it looks like this week will be another repeat.

The pollen is falling now and everyone seems to be running out to their local retailer to buy their supply of honey. This is a great time to encourage each of you to make a commitment to making honey apart of your daily diet. Honey is not a quick fix. Sure, it will help soothe a sore throat or nagging cough. But long term, if you can find ways to incorporate honey into your daily diet,  you will be far better off this time next year when allergy season hits.

So, you ask, "How do I make honey a part of my diet?" Great question! Take small steps and you will be amazed at all the ways honey can sneak its way into your diet. If you are a coffee or tea drinker, try adding honey instead of sugar. Instead of jelly on that biscuit, add honey. Nothings better than a peanut butter and honey sandwich for lunch. Strawberry season is around the corner. Why not dip your strawberries in honey instead of sugar? Pancakes and waffles with honey make a great breakfast to start the day. Or try adding honey to your morning smoothie to jump start your day. These are just a few ideas that we have made apart of our family diet that have stood the test of time.

Like us on Facebook and tell us your favorite ways to eat Beelicious Honey!

Happy Spring to you all.

Feels like Spring down South

We were inundated with rain during the month of January and mild temperatures which has given way to a very Spring like February. The high today was 71 degrees. My 7 year old son argued today that it was Spring only to be told by his teacher that it was still winter. How do you figure that? It sure didn't make since to him and come to think of it me either! The weather says SPRING. Forget the calendar.   The bees at our apiaries are doing amazing for the first week of February.  All indicators point to an early spring and a great honey season. Here's hoping for a banner year for all framers everywhere!

Merry Christmas y'all.

We here at Beelicious want to wish you all a blessed Christmas season as you visit with family and friends. We are thankful to all our customers and retailers who support us and make what we do worthwhile.  We appreciate you all and wish you a safe and prosperous new year.

Wishing you all a joyful Christmas season and happy new year,
Keith and Melanie Dale
Beelicious Honey

The temperatures have dropped here reminding us that Fall is finally here. I know that we will still have many summer like days intermittently but that just goes with living in the South. Weather is very fickle in the South.

So, yesterday I tried something that I have meant to do for several years now. I made my first batch of a simple syrup using honey and lemongrass. The idea came to me from a sweet neighbor and master gardener, Barb. She had divided a lemongrass plant and gave me a portion to start our own. We all loved the smell and planted it in our yard. Now years later it is a monster bush. It has grown so incredibility fast and I find myself in that same position --- needing to find someone to share this wonderful plant with! So, I harvested several stalks to try in this simple syrup.

I must say the lemongrass honey simple syrup really adds such a wonder flavor to my hot tea. I just don't know why it took me so long to get that done!

Here is what I did: You use equal parts honey and water.
1 cup water
1 cup honey
Bring water to a boil and then add the honey. Take pot off the stove. Stir until combined. Add in lemongrass chopped and let steep. Remove lemongrass and pour into a container. Store in the refrigerator.

The fall season is upon us with much of the goldenrod now in bloom. Our bees are feeding on this feast of pollen and nectar. The recipe this month is a family favorite that we have often. It is a simple recipe for homemade pizza dough. The original recipe came from my mother's good friend, Mrs. Sue, and called for sugar but we substitute honey. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Create Your Own Pizza
2 packages yeast
1 cup warm water
2 TBSP oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Beelicious Honey
3 1/2 cups bread flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir in oil, salt, honey and bread flour slowly. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Yields 2 -12" crusts.

Thai Pasta

Recently, we had several people over at our home for dinner. The theme for the evening's meal was Asian cuisine. My long time friend, Nellie, brought this amazing Thai Pasta. She is such a wonderful cook and it is always a treat whenever she makes. I only wish I had photos to share as well. This recipe was given to Nellie by a neighbor. Enjoy!

Thai Pasta
1 lb. angel hair pasta (cooked and drained)
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 c.oil
2 tablespoon sesame oil
6 tablespoon Beelicious honey
5 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 tsp. ginger

Heat all the above ingredients in a sauce pan until warm (about 2 mins). Combine this sauce with the spaghetti.

When ready to serve add:
1/2 c. chopped green onions
3/4 c. Chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Option:  you can add shrimp or chicken to this dish. If so, do 1 1/2 recipe of the sauce.

School's In. Here are some ideas for those lunches.

August is Here! Where did the summer go? Well it was fun but just way too short for us. Maybe because our summer months are so very busy carrying for the bees and extracting all that yummy honey. So, school has started here which means making all those school lunches each and every day as well as afternoon snacks for the troops and their friends. 

I am always looking for new, healthy foods for the children to eat. So, we often make the Chocolate Squares that I have listed below. It is a family favorite that can be modified any number of ways. You can add dried fruit like raisins, or cranberries. Fresh coconut would be another great addition as well. The choices are endless. So make this your own. Something that your family will enjoy.

An update to the Smoothie entry earlier this summer...We have had many many smoothie this summer and we continue to tweak it each time. Recently, I added spinach and it was great. You could not even taste the spinach. What a great way to get those veggies in! For this smoothie, we also included frozen blueberries which made it even more tasty.  This is also a great afternoon school snack that the kids will love. I have also been told that kale is another great addition to your smoothie. I plan on giving it a try. Let me know what you think.

Chocolate Squares

½ c. butter

1 c. oats

1 egg

1 c. chopped dates

2 T. wheat germ

¾ cup Beelicious honey

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. all purpose flour

1 c. nuts, chopped

¾  c. chocolate chips

½ c. peanut butter chips

Mix all ingredients together. Spread into a greased 9x12 dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares. Makes 12-15 bars.