Savannah, GA:  Happy New Year.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Honey
By Dr. Mercola

Honey has been valued as a natural sweetener long before sugar became widely available in the 16th century. Honey production flourished in ancient Greece and Sicily, for instance, while animals other than humans – bears, badgers, and more – have long raided honeybee hives, risking stings for the sweet reward.1

Honey is truly a remarkable substance, made even more extraordinary by the process with which it is made. This blend of sugar, trace enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and amino acids is quite unlike any other sweetener on the planet.

And while honey is high in fructose, it has many health benefits when used in moderation (assuming you’re healthy). Before I delve into those, here’s a brief “lesson” on how honey is made…

How Honey Is Made (Fascinating!)

It takes about 60,000 bees, collectively traveling up to 55,000 miles and visiting more than 2 million flowers, to gather enough nectar to make one pound of honey.2

Once the nectar is gathered, the bee stores it in its extra stomach where it mixes with enzymes, and then passes it (via regurgitation) to another bee’s mouth. This process is repeated until the nectar becomes partially digested and is then deposited into a honeycomb.

Once there, the honeybees fan the liquid nectar with their wings, helping the water to evaporate and create the thick substance you know as “honey.” This honeycomb is then sealed with a liquid secretion from the bee’s abdomen, which hardens into beeswax. As Live Science reported:3

“Away from air and water, honey can be stored indefinitely, providing bees with the perfect food source for cold winter months.”

There are more than 300 kinds of honey in the US, each with a unique color and flavor that is dependent upon the nectar source. Lighter colored honeys, such as those made from orange blossoms, tend to be milder in flavor while darker-colored honeys, like those made from wildflowers, tend to have a more robust flavor.4

5 Honey Facts You Might Not Know

Honey, particularly in its raw form, offers unique health benefits that you might not be aware of. Among them…

1. Honey Makes Excellent Cough “Medicine”

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists honey as a demulcent, which is a substance that relieves irritation in your mouth or throat by forming a protective film.5

Research shows honey works as well as dextromethorphan, a common ingredient in over the counter cough medications, to soothe cough and related sleeping difficulties due to upper respiratory tract infections in children.6

2. Honey Can Treat Wounds

Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished with the advent of penicillin. Now the use of honey in wound care is regaining popularity, as researchers are determining exactly how honey can help fight serious skin infections.

Honey has antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidants activities that make it ideal for treating wounds. In the US, Derma Sciences uses Manuka honey for their Medihoney wound and burn dressings.

Manuka honey is made with pollen gathered from the flowers of the Manuka bush (a medicinal plant), and clinical trials have found this type of honey can effectively eradicate more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria, including resistant varieties such as:

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
MSSA (methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus)
VRE (vancomycin-resistant enterococci)
Compared to other types of honey, Manuka has an extra ingredient with antimicrobial qualities, called the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF). It is so called because no one has yet been able to discover the unique substance involved that gives it its extraordinary antibacterial activity.

Honey releases hydrogen peroxide through an enzymatic process, which explains its general antiseptic qualities, but active Manuka honey contains “something else” that makes it far superior to other types of honey when it comes to killing off bacteria.7

That being said, research shows that any type of unprocessed honey helped wounds and ulcers heal. In one study, 58 of 59 wounds showed “remarkable improvement following topical application of honey.”8

3. Honey Improves Your Scalp

Honey diluted with a bit of warm water was shown to significantly improve seborrheic dermatitis, which is a scalp condition that causes dandruff and itching. After applying the solution every other day for four weeks, “all of the patients responded markedly.” According to the researchers:9

“Itching was relieved and scaling was disappeared within one week. Skin lesions were healed and disappeared completely within 2 weeks. In addition, patients showed subjective improvement in hair loss.”

4. Help Boost Your Energy

A healthy, whole-food diet and proper sleep is the best recipe for boundless energy, but if you’re looking for a quick energy boost, such as before or after a workout, honey can suffice. This is particularly true for athletes looking for a “time-released fuel” to provide energy over a longer duration.10

5. Reduce Allergy Symptoms

Locally produced honey, which will contain pollen spores picked up by the bees from local plants, introduces a small amount of allergen into your system. Theoretically, this can activate your immune system and over time can build up your natural immunity against it.

The typical recommendation is to take about a teaspoon-full of locally produced honey per day, starting a few months PRIOR to the pollen season, to allow your system to build up immunity. And the key here is local.

This approach only works because it has pollen of local plants you may be allergic to. Honey from other parts of the country simply won’t work. While research on this has yielded conflicting results, one study found that, during birch pollen season, compared to the control group, the patients using birch pollen honey experienced:11

60 percent reduction in symptoms
Twice as many asymptomatic days
70 percent fewer days with severe symptoms
50 percent decrease in usage of antihistamines
Interestingly enough, there were few differences between the two honey groups (those who took regular honey, versus those who took honey that contained birch pollen.) However, the birch pollen honey group used less histamines than those who used regular honey. The authors concluded:

“Patients who pre-seasonally used birch pollen honey had significantly better control of their symptoms than did those on conventional medication only, and they had marginally better control compared to those on regular honey. The results should be regarded as preliminary, but they indicate that birch pollen honey could serve as a complementary therapy for birch pollen allergy.”

Honey for Herpes

Good-quality honey offers several topical wound-care benefits that can explain some of its success as a remedy for herpes sores:

It draws fluid away from your wound
The high sugar content suppresses microorganism growth
Worker bees secrete an enzyme (glucose oxidase) into the nectar, which then releases low levels of hydrogen peroxide when the honey makes contact with your wound
In one study, 16 adult subjects with a history of recurrent labial and genital herpes attacks used honey to treat one attack, and a commonly prescribed antiviral drug, Acyclovir cream, during another. (It’s important to realize that neither the drug nor the honey will actually cure genital herpes. They only treat the symptoms.)

Interestingly, honey provided significantly better treatment results. For labial herpes, the mean healing time was 43 percent better, and for genital herpes, 59 percent better than acyclovir. Pain and crusting was also significantly reduced with the honey, compared to the drug. Two cases of labial herpes and one case of genital herpes remitted completely with the honey treatment, whereas none remitted while using acyclovir.12

3 DIY Honey Home Remedies

Honey is a humectant, which means it attracts and retains moisture, making it an ideal addition to moisturizers, shampoos, and conditioners. Along with its antimicrobial properties, honey makes a wonderful addition to homemade personal care products. The National Honey Board has a few you can try out for yourself:13

Honey Hair Conditioner: Mix ½ cup honey with ¼ cup olive oil. Work a small amount through your hair until coated. Cover your hair with a shower cap and let sit for 30 minutes. Shampoo as normal and rinse.
Honey Body Moisturizer: Mix 5 tablespoons honey, 2 tablespoons rose oil, and 2 cups almond oil in a medium-sized bottle. Apply as needed onto wet skin.
Honey Almond Scrub: Mix 3 teaspoons honey, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and 6 ½ tablespoons of finely crushed almonds. Rub the exfoliating scrub onto your face gently and rinse with warm water.
The Organic Consumers Association has also published this simple honey lemon cough syrup that’s useful to keep on hand during the winter months:14

Honey Lemon Cough Syrup

Lemon helps promote health by quickly alkalinizing your body, and honey will kill most bacteria while soothing your throat. This is a perfect choice for a quick cough remedy.

Put a pint of raw honey in a pan on the stove on VERY low heat (Do not boil honey as this changes its medicinal properties).
Take a whole lemon and boil in some water in a separate pan for 2-3 minutes to both soften the lemon and kill any bacteria that may be on the lemon skin.
Let the lemon cool enough to handle then cut it in slices and add it to the pint of honey on the stove.
Let mixture cook on warm heat for about an hour.
Then strain the lemon from the honey making sure all lemon seeds are removed.
Let cool, then bottle in a jar with a lid and store in the refrigerator.
This syrup will keep for 2 months in the refrigerator. To soothe a cough, take 1/2 teaspoon for a 25 lb. child and 1 teaspoon for a 50 lb. child, about 4 times a day, or as often as needed. Adults can take 1-tablespoon doses.

Is Honey a Healthy Natural Sweetener? How to Avoid Fake Honey

As far as natural sweeteners go, honey does have a place. The main thing to remember when it comes to honey is that not all honey is created equal. The antibacterial activity in some honeys is 100 times more potent than in others, while processed refined honey will lack many of these beneficial properties altogether. Your average domestic “Grade A” type honey found in the grocery store is likely highly processed.

It’s also been found that more than 75 percent of the honey on American supermarket shelves may be ultra-processed—to the point that all inherent medicinal properties are completely gone—and then smuggled into the country by the barrel drum. Nearly all of this “fake” honey is made in China. Some of these brokers will even create bogus country of origin papers. All 60 jars of “honey” tested by Food Safety News (FSN) came back negative for pollen, which is a clear sign of ultra-processing.15 According to FSN:

“The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world’s food safety agencies. The food safety divisions of the World Health Organization, the European Commission and dozens of others have also ruled that without pollen, there is no way to determine whether the honey came from legitimate and safe sources.”

In their investigation, FSN discovered the following:

76 percent of honey samples bought at grocery stores (such as TOP Food, Safeway, QFC, Kroger, Harris Teeter, etc.) were absent of pollen
77 percent of the honey from big box stores (like Costco, Sam’s Club, Walmart, and Target) were absent of pollen
100 percent of the honey sampled from drug stores (like Walgreens, Rite-Aid, and CVS Pharmacy) were absent of pollen
The good news is all of the samples from farmers markets, co-ops, and natural stores like Trader Joe’s had the full, proper compliment of pollen, as did organic brands from common grocery stores. When choosing honey, be sure it is raw, unfiltered, and 100% pure, from a trusted source.

Honey Should Be Consumed Only in Moderation

Honey has many healthy attributes, but it is also high in fructose, averaging around 53 percent. Each teaspoon of honey has nearly four grams of fructose, which means it can exacerbate pre-existing insulin resistance and wreak havoc on your body if consumed in excess. So when consuming honey, carefully add the total grams of fructose (including fruits) that you consume each day, and stay below 25 grams of total fructose per day.

Keep in mind, though, that if you have insulin resistance (i.e. if you are taking drugs for high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, or if you’re overweight) you’d be better off avoiding all sweeteners, including honey, since any sweetener can decrease your insulin sensitivity and worsen your insulin resistance. If you’re healthy, however, eating raw honey in moderation could provide many of the benefits listed above.

Russellville Community Market:  RCM Opening Bell! Happy New Year!

Welcome to another RCM Market Week!

Happy New Year Russellville. A sincere thank you to everyone who has been with us for 2014! Welcome to 2015! This year we will strive to make the market even better for you, our farmers, and for the community of Russellville!

Be sure to check out the newly listed items this week! Lots of great, local products to be had!

Happy shopping! Eat Local!

Check out the “Featured Items” section as well as the “What’s New” section at the top of the market page for all the latest products available.

Be sure to “Like” our Facebook page for updates and food-related events in your community!

To ensure your order is placed, make sure you click the “Place My Order” button once you have completed your shopping. Remember, you have until 10:00pm Tuesday evening to place your orders.

Happy Shopping! See you on Thursday!

Russellville Community Market

FRESH.LOCAL.ONLINE.

ALFN Local Food Club:  The Market Is Open!

Sundays are pretty great, aren’t they? They’re the one day a week when anything is an option. You can sleep late and have breakfast at noon, or get up extra early just to enjoy the quiet. Personally, I use Sunday as an opportunity to cook a big batch of slow food to enjoy all week long. It’s also a great time to plan the next week’s menu, since The Market is open and packed with a myriad of locally grown veggies, pastured meats, and artisanal breads and cheeses. Just one click, and you can order everything you need without every putting down that cup of coffee. It doesn’t get much better than this!

-Rebecca Wild
Program Manager

Do you have questions or comments about this, or any, weblog? Thoughts on local food, goods, or events? Reply to this email and let us know what’s on your mind. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated!

Spa City Local Farm Market Co-op:  No Mountain Meadows this market

Please note that Mountain Meadows meats will not be able to deliver this market. If you’ve already placed orders for them, those orders will be deleted.

They will be back the following market on the 17th.

Champaign, OH:  Rock Stars Of Local!

I am so excited to bring you a few rock star headlines that will make you proud of the market that you love, AND, proud of it’s rock star vendors…especially two of our vendors who are in top position to take on a very high honor!

First…your rock stars who manage your market, were just featured in the newest edition of, Ohio Farm Magazine!! Amazing article, and I am taking it to our own local, Main Graphics, tomorrow, to have the article enlarged and mounted so that you can see it on display in our market area at the YMCA!! We appreciate any coverage that comes our way…it allows us to continue to get the word out and about our amazing market and the amazing customers and vendors who rock it, each and every week!

Now…a rock and roll drumroll for the next two vendors…they are both amazing, both have spent years building their separate businesses, and both are vendors, here, at our market, and I am lucky enough to have them both as vendors at the Mechanicsburg Farmers and Artisans Market!!! One is even my VP at that market…and your own assistant manager, at this market!

Wittenburg University just released the five finalists who are in the running for their 2015 EBAward!!! This is a HUGE Entrepreneur Business Award!! We have a past winner as a vendor…Freshwater Farms.

This year, it is our honor to announce that both Oakview Farm Meats AND Champaign Berry Farm are two of the five finalists!!!! We have rock star royalty among our vendors!!! The final decision will be made on January 29th! Let’s wish them both the very best and the best vibes…

This market continues to rock…and on some days, it makes me just want to cry…in a good way:)

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Champaign, OH:  Who Do You Love?

Come on baby take a walk with me…
Tell me who do you love…
Who do you love, now…
Who do you love, now…
Who do you love, babe…
I say who now, who do you love…
(Who Do You Love? The Doors)

I am feeling a whole lot of Jim Morrison, today, as I pack away Christmas decorations, get organized for a week of meetings and obligations, and get ready to begin moving into a new shop front in downtown Urbana. I have the music blasting at high decibels…this song just made me think of the market, how much we LOVE our customers, and really…let’s be honest, what is not to LOVE about our little market of love??

Who do you love is right…the love is in high gear for all of us!!

I hope that things are beginning to settle down for all of you now that the holiday hoopla is fading. We are in a brand new, shiny year…what’s not to love about that?

Your week will kick into high gear, tomorrow, and wouldn’t it be nice to take some time, today, to just leisurely place your weekly orders, not have to think about it, and then just breeze in, on Thursday, and pick it up, take it home, and be done? All with us taking the work out of it for you?

What about getting back to eating healthy? What about recommitting to local? What about needing warming coffees and teas to face this upcoming cold that looms? What about stocking your freezers with locally produced meats, fish, pizza dough…all for quick things to grab for dinner on the run.

What about stocking up on dairy, eggs, cheeses? All great for a quick breakfast, quick snack, quick dinner.

You will want herbs and spices to kick up the flavors of all of the wholesome food you will be stocking up!

Honey, maple syrup, molasses, jams, jellies, mustards, barbecue sauces…all must haves no matter what you are serving.

Baked goods…I know what you are thinking…NO MORE BAKED GOODS after all of the holiday baked goods. BUT…think about this…we offer healthy baked goods, all according to your tastes. We have vegan baked breads, pizza dough varieties, vegan treats. We have traditional baked goods, we have gluten free baked goods, and we have amazing cookies, pies, cakes…

With the winter winds and cold, why not treat your skin? We have amazing soaps and bath and body products, essential oils…all natural, all good for your skin…

You need your greens…we have those, although at this point in time, they are very limited quantity, due to the time of the season. But, we do have them…you just need to order, quickly!

If you are baking for your own home, we even have flour.

Basically, we’ve got it all, right here, in our little local market of love.

Who do you love? Well, how can you NOT love us and what we bring to your lives??

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Gwinnett Locally Grown:  Sunday Market Reminder!

The Market is open Thursday at 9 – Monday at noon After that, ordering is disabled until Thursday morning. Pick up your order Tuesday from 4:00-7:00 p.m. only at Rancho Alegre Farm at 2225 Givens Road, Dacula, GA 30019. New to The Market? Learn about how it works here.

MARKET NEWS

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So hard to believe that 2014 is behind us and 2015 is about to begin!

This is always the time of year when people make resolutions or vow to get healthier, get fit or just want to make changes for the new year!

My hope that being healthy and knowing the benefits of eating nutrient dense foods is one of them! We love that we have the Market and can help provide that to you while supporting our local Growers that continue to believe in the chemical free, organic and natural from the earth approach to food.

Please share with friends and family about us so that we can give more people the opportunity to buy and eat healthy also! Local farmers need our support to keep doing all the hard work and great food they provide to GwinnettLocallyGrown!

I hope that this year will be the best year in health for you and your family!

Browse through to see all the great Growers we have and maybe you will find something new!

We have Wilderness Family Naturals Coconut Sugar, Flour and Organic Popcorn in the Market for sale! When you come to pick up your order, check them out! They are also now online!

Remember we have Kombucha available! If you are not familiar with it, Kombucha is a naturally fermented tea with natural probiotics! It has been around for centuries originating in Asia. It is said to have healing properties and because it is naturally fermented, is a great support for the digestive system. When your here, ask me for a sample! I’d love your feedback!

If there is something you’d like to see in the Market, please let me know! I would love your imput!

Remember…
The Market is extending their hours! The Market will now be open from 4:00 to 7:00pm!
Having said that, if you place an order with us, PLEASE remember to pick it up on Tuesday. As I am so grateful for your orders, I also have a family at home waiting on me too! We cannot hold orders, especially cold items due to limited refrigeration space, so please be courteous and come for your order.

CLICK HERE NOW to Shop Gwinnett Locally Grown!

Thanks for all your support!

Shop often and eat well!

Cheryl Gelatt
Market Manager
grow@ranchoalegrefarm.com

Fresh Wishes,
Pilar Quintero
Market Host
Rancho Alegre Farm

Please email grow@ranchoalegrefarm.com for questions pertaining to Market or Raw Milk. It is very difficult to return phone calls. Remember to interact with us on Facebook and follow us on Meetup to get notification on all our wonderful events and news.

Stones River Market:  The Market is Back Open

Berea Gardens:  Tired of this gloomy weather? Celebrate with Sprouts!

Greetings to you all and 2015,

The weather forecast for mid-week is one I would prefer to ignore, but we still have some fresh items coming in from the field and greenhouses to cheer us up! We have some delicious Brussels Sprouts, a special on our Butternut Squash for only 75 cents per pound this week (time to stock up on this long-lasting sunshine in a skin) and a few other green and good items from the garden. As always, all fresh and all organic.

Blessings,
Bob

United States Virgin Islands:  VI Locally Grown Market: Week of January 7, 2015

Good afternoon!

The VI Locally Grown market is open for orders. Thanks for supporting your local farmers and craft makers!

Don’t miss out on Ridge to Reef farm’s mouthwatering mango fed local organic pork cuts, available for purchase at the market.

The new location for the market is a beautiful experience within itself. If you haven’t had a chance to see the Lawaetz Museum property at Little La Grange on Mahogany road, the market is a great opportunity to support your local farmers and enjoy the a local heritage site for St. Croix.

We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday.

-Castiel and your VI Locally Grown producers