Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers. The variety produced by honey bees is the one most commonly referred to, as it is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans. Honey bees transform nectar into honey by a process of regurgitation and evaporation. They store it as a primary food source in wax honeycombs inside the beehive.
Honey gets its sweetness from the monosaccharides fructose and glucose, and has approximately the same relative sweetness as that of granulated sugar. Most microorganisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity of 0.6. However, honey sometimes contains dormant endospores of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants, as the endospores can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in infants’ immature intestinal tracts, leading to illness and even death.
The physical properties of honey vary, depending on water content, the type of flora used to produce it, temperature, and the proportion of the specific sugars it contains. Fresh honey is a supersaturated liquid, containing more sugar than the water can typically dissolve at ambient temperatures. At room temperature, honey is a supercooled liquid, in which the glucose will precipitate into solid granules. This forms a semisolid solution of precipitated glucose crystals in a solution of fructose and other ingredients.
Honey has a long history of human consumption, and is used in various foods and beverages as a sweetener and flavoring. It also has a role in religion and symbolism. Flavors of honey vary based on the nectar source, and various types and grades of honey are available. The main uses of honey are in cooking, baking, as a spread on bread, and as an addition to various beverages, such as tea, and as a sweetener in some commercial beverages.
Honey Roasted Pork Loin
Ingredients:
- 2-3 pound Pork loin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup Honey
- 1 cup dry White wine, divided
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried Thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried Basil
- 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
Trim off any excess fat and silver skin from the loin. Season the pork with salt and pepper to taste and place in roasting pan that has been coated with cooking spray.
Mix together the honey, 1/2 cup white wine, olive oil, thyme, basil and lemon peel in a small bowl. Pour over the pork loin. Pour remaining 1/2 cup white wine into the roasting pan.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until a thermeter inserted in the loin registers 150 degrees. Place pork on serving platter and let rest 15 minutes.
Strain the pan juices into a saucepan. Boil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
Slice pork to desired thickness, arrange on serving platter and drizzle with sauce. Serve remaining sauce on the side.
Savor! West Virginia 