Recipes Country Kitchen 2012 September Neighbors

Country Kitchen 2012 September Neighbors

Country Kitchen 2012 September Neighbors

September is National Honey Month, a time for the spotlight to shine on Mother Nature’s natural sweetener. The rich taste is often a favorite substitute for sugar in morning coffee. It can offer relief from seasonal allergies, and it’s even thought to have some amazing antiseptic and skin healing properties. But for beekeeper Bill Mullins, the tempting taste gets his day started off right and keeps him healthy.

“I guess the best thing for me about honey is that I think it keeps me well,” said Mullins, who turned 77 last month. “Every day, I drink a mixture of an ounce of apple cider vinegar, an ounce of honey and 8 ounces of water. I’ve done that for 37 years, and I’ve only had two colds.”

The Madison County resident is chairman of the Alabama Farmers Federation State Bee & Honey Committee. He said he likes honey on his oatmeal with raisins every morning. When he’s extracting honey produced on his farm, he enjoys chewing the natural wax comb flavored with honey.
“I like everything about bees and honey,” said Mullins. “Being out in nature and watching the bees, you learn something new all the time.”

Aside from the health benefits, Mullins said he enjoys honey mixed with chopped pecans served over ice cream. Enjoy a few of Mullins’ favorite recipes in this month’s Country Kitchen, along with some recipes from the National Honey Board.

For more recipes, see the Honey Board’s website at Honey.com. For a list of Alabama honey producers, visit AlfaFarmers.org, click on the Commodities tab, then Bee & Honey.