When I was growing up, there was a jar of honey that sat for years on a shelf of a kitchen cabinet in our home.  The honey was completely crystallized and as hard as rock candy.  But every time one of us had a cold, my mother would say, “Have a cup of tea with honey and lemon, dear.” 

So I grew up thinking that honey was used once in awhile and only to cure colds.  Since I became a beekeeper, however, honey has found a place in my daily life.  My bees can produce a lot of surplus honey in a season, sometimes more than 100 lbs. per hive, and after I’ve set aside honey for friends and family, I still have quite a bit left over.

So what’s a beekeeper to do?  Use honey every day in as many ways as possible!  And sure, I can use honey to cook up a big meal, complete with dessert, but there are other, less complicated ways to use that jar of honey on the kitchen shelf.

First of all, you don’t need to wait for a cold to have a cup of tea with honey.  And honey goes well with the many herbal teas available today.  Too hot for a hot cup of tea with honey?  Chill it and have it later.  Or make honey ice cubes by dissolving some honey in boiling water.  Cool the mixture down and pour it into an ice cube tray.  Freeze it.  You can pop the cubes out and use them to cool down your lemonade and other summer drinks or even that cup of tea that's too hot to drink yet! 

Not a tea drinker?  Try a teaspoon of honey with your coffee.  Gussy it up with some cinnamon and whipped cream.  Drizzle a thin stream of honey over the whipped cream for an even fancier treat.

Would you like a little snack with your honey beverage?  Try some toast with - you guessed it - honey spread on top.  Or mix a little butter in with the honey for a creamier topping.  And don’t forget honey on your English muffins.

Want more protein in your snack?  Mix peanut butter with honey and serve on hot toast.  The peanut butter and honey will melt slightly into the bread, producing a nice texture when you bite into it.

Oatmeal too bland? Try a darker honey like buckwheat to spice it up.  Buckwheat honey is good on pancakes and French toast too.  Or you may want the subtle flavor of apple blossom honey in these breakfast dishes.  If the honey pours too thickly, put it into a glass measuring cup and microwave it in 10 second bursts to get a better flowing consistency.  Be careful not to heat it too much!  Honey can burn.

Honey is not just a substitute for sugar.  It can be a substitute for butter too.  At suppertime, enjoy honey instead of butter on green beans, carrots, peas, corn and lima beans.  Honey also tastes good when served on sweet vegetables like squash and sweet potatoes.  If you’re not ready to give up the butter yet, try combining it with honey on your mashed potatoes.

Don’t forget about serving honey with fruit.  The peanut butter-honey combination works well with cut-up bananas and apples.  You can also use plain honey as a dip for strawberries, melon and pineapple.  Or you can mix it with yogurt.  Or how about a dessert of pound cake, strawberries, honey and whipped cream?  Or vanilla pudding chilled and drizzled with honey?  Or vanilla ice cream sprinkled with nuts and topped with honey?  The mouth waters at the thought!

Use these simple, everyday honey ideas and you won’t have any problem getting through that jar of honey on YOUR kitchen shelf!