So, I’d been hearing a lot about raw honey, you know? Not the stuff you usually grab in a bear-shaped bottle, but the real deal. I got my hands on a jar from a local farmers market, and it looked so different – a bit cloudy, thicker. I figured, okay, what am I gonna do with this besides just staring at it?
First Steps: Simple is Best
I decided to start super easy. Didn’t want to mess up anything complicated right off the bat. My first thought was just tasting it. So, I grabbed a spoon, dipped it in, and wow. It was a whole different flavor profile than the processed stuff. Way more floral, almost a bit tangy. Okay, I thought, this has potential.
My first “recipe,” if you can even call it that, was just stirring it into my morning tea. I usually use sugar, but I swapped it out. Big difference! The raw honey didn’t just sweeten it; it added this nice, subtle flavor. I had to be careful though, because I learned pretty quick that you shouldn’t put raw honey into super hot water. Something about it damaging the good stuff in it. So, I let my tea cool down a bit before stirring it in. Took a few tries to get the timing right, but it became a nice little morning ritual.
Moving on to Breakfast
Next up, I thought about breakfast. I eat a lot of plain yogurt, and sometimes it’s a bit too, well, plain. I figured a drizzle of this raw honey would be perfect. And it was!
- I’d scoop my yogurt into a bowl.
- Then I’d take a small spoon and just kind of let the honey drizzle over the top. It’s thicker, so it doesn’t run everywhere like the processed kind.
- Sometimes I’d add some berries or nuts too.
This was a winner. Super simple, but it made my boring yogurt feel a bit more special. I also tried it on oatmeal. Same deal – just a spoonful mixed in after the oatmeal had cooled a tad. Gave it a nice natural sweetness that wasn’t overpowering.
Getting a Bit More Adventurous: Salad Dressing
Okay, so after the easy wins, I felt a bit more confident. I remembered reading somewhere about honey in salad dressings. I like making my own dressings because the store-bought ones can be full of weird ingredients. I thought, why not try to incorporate this raw honey?
So, I decided to whip up a basic vinaigrette. Here’s roughly what I did:
I got out a small jar. I figured mixing it in a jar would be easiest.
- I put in some olive oil, maybe like three parts.
- Then some apple cider vinegar, about one part.
- Then came the honey. I started with just a teaspoon because I didn’t want it to be too sweet. This raw honey is potent, remember.
- Added a pinch of salt and some pepper.
- I also crushed a small clove of garlic and threw that in.
Then I just shook the jar like crazy. I tasted it. It was pretty good! The honey balanced out the tartness of the vinegar really nicely. It wasn’t just sweet; it added a depth, you know? I had to play around with the amount of honey a bit. The first batch was okay, but the second time I made it, I think I added just a tiny bit more, and it was perfect for the salad I was making that day – one with some bitter greens, so the sweetness was a good counterpoint.
Honestly, I was surprised how versatile this raw honey turned out to be. It wasn’t just for tea. It really did add something unique to the other things I tried. It’s not just a sweetener; it’s an ingredient with its own character. I’m still experimenting, but these simple uses have been a good start. Definitely worth keeping a jar around.
