The Healing Powers of Honey by Cal Orey Page B

between working on this honey book, ordering wood (I was sensing it’s going to be a cold fall and winter), preparing my October “Earth Changes” magazine column, I whipped up a honey peach pie. I made this Deep South sweet old-fashioned dish with an edgy twist—honey and white peaches—in the presence of my two fun-loving canines, the double-trouble sweet dog duo, who simply love it when Mom’s cooking.
    This time around in the kitchen, Seth, my brainiac four-year-old, put his dainty orange and white paws on the countertop and like a crafty coyote almost snagged the pie in progress. “Drop it!” I said in my best calm, assertive Dog Whisperer’s type voice. My canine responded to my command on cue. The uncooked sliced peaches and pie dough didn’t plop on the floor like a minor earthquake. Sethie looked up at me with his dark honey-colored eyes and said in dog-ese: Whew! That was a close one. The pie survived a potential pie shake-up.
    I tried my hands at a lattice crust because it’s different—a challenge. Peach pie is very low in cholesterol and has some protein, iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C—and fresh fruit pies are much lower in calories than cream pies. What’s more, replacing refined table sugar—the white stuff—with a bit of honey will lower the high sugar content in pies. Plus, orange blossom honey is an all-purpose sweet and mild honey with a slight citrusy flavor—a fine choice for pies. The best part is twofold: the aroma of spices and honey and the perfect look fit to serve a group of queen bees.

    Honey Peach Pie

    7–8 fresh white peaches, peeled and sliced in small wedges
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
¼ cup of orange blossom honey
1–2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
cup whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons Mediterranean-style butter
2 store-bought crusts

    Place peaches in a bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice. In another bowl, combine sugar, nutmeg, honey, cinnamon, and flour. Mix with fruit and add small pieces of butter. Place in one piecrust; place the other piecrust on a plate, cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Make lattice crust, placing horizontal strips first, then vertical. Flute edges. Bake pie in 350ºF oven for about 50 minutes, till peaches are tender and bubbly and crust is golden brown. Cool. Serves 8.

    PUMPKIN BLOSSOM ( Cucurbita pepo ): Like orange blossom, this is a favorite honey of mine, especially in autumn. Produced in Oregon and California, pumpkin blossom honey is a medium amber with a warm flavor. The nectar source is the pollination of seed crops. Best Blends: Squash recipes. My Personal Tasting: I used this honey in homemade chocolate-chip pumpkin scones and muffins.
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    SAGE ( Salvia mellifera ): Welcome to a light-colored honey made from a variety of sage plants growing on the California coast and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, like alfalfa, and near my home at Lake Tahoe. It’s touted for its mild, delicate flavor. There are several varieties, including black button, white, purple, and mixed. Best Blends: Strong Italian cheeses, herbal teas, and fresh lemonade. My Personal Tasting: Sage honey brushed on a chicken breast gave it an herbal flavor and was a nice earthy change for me from using orange blossom or clover honey.

    Sidr, the Priceless Honey
    Meet sidr; like balsamic vinegar, this honey is pricey (it may run more than $200 a pound). A honey prized around the globe, it’s guarded by Yemen’s beekeepers, who go beyond the call of duty to keep it pure. Its botanical name is Ziziphus spina-christi and it has been tagged as sidr as well as jujube. The honey color is dark amber; the flavor is rich, and the texture is thick. Unlike other honeys that pair well with foods, this priceless gem is touted for its healing powers due to its antioxidants. Some of the health rewards you can reap from sidr include healing eye diseases, digestive woes,