Pleasant words are like a honeycomb...

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body...
Proverbs 16: 24

Kind words are indeed sweet. But I'm not really writing about words today (regardless of the title of this post), I am writing about honey. The honey we eat.

Now you may be wondering, why on a blog titled REMEMBER YOUR BAPTISM am I writing about honey? A lot of reasons. One reason is honey is mentioned in the Bible 61 times. Moses is heading to a "land flowing with milk and honey" (Exodus 3:6-8), John the Baptizer lives off "locusts and wild honey" (Matthew 3:4)) and there are quite a few other places in the Bible (especially Proverbs) that tell us that honey is good food, good medicine and a valued possession. We don't have any info (at least I don't) that ancient people kept domestic bees but we do know that wild honey was both treasured and a treat.

I don't know that I have ever had wild honey, but since I was a child, honey has been part of my life. My great uncle Crawford was a bee keeper and he always kept us well supplied with honey--the kind with the comb in the jar (which I loved to chew--the comb, not the jar). He lived a very long life and credited his long life and good health to having a few spoonfuls of honey each day. A pretty tasty practice.

If you go to the NC State Fair (an awesome event that happens every October in Raleigh) you should definitely check out the North Carolina State Beekeepers Association booth. You can buy honey that is jarred based on the region of the state where it was collected. This is not your pale, supermarket honey (though I admit, I like even that)--this is really robust honey in a diversity of colors and tastes.

I have no scientific proof whatsoever but I have found that if I feel a cold coming on, if I mix a drink of hot water, honey and lemon, it seems to chase the cold away. I've never tried "milk and honey" (guess I haven't made it to the promised land yet) but I like feeling connected to the people (and bees) throughout time and across land boundaries.


If you live in or near Asheville you know Laurey Masterton. Maybe you don't know her personally, but you have probably eaten at Laurey's in downtown Asheville (Biltmore Avenue across from the French Broad Food Co-op) or ordered one of their awesome take-home dinners or lasagnas. Her food never disappoints (if I could just get her to stop cooking with onions--but that's another story for another day). Laurey is not only a great chef and caterer, she is also a bee-keeper. And she's having a special honey tasting on January 26. Here's the scoop:

A Taste of Honey is happening here (at Laurey's) at 6pm on Thursday, January 26th. A fundraiser for ASAP (Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Projects), who do so much for local produce in our area, it is a chance to do the following:

1) Help ASAP
2) meet some local beekeepers
3) Help Laurey(by tasting the honeys that she will feature in her book and helping describe them)
4) taste some honey-inspired foods and some foods that need bees for pollination
5) be part of the kickoff to a whole year of ASAP events
6) have fun!

The event is just $35.00 which gives you all of the above. They are even serving honey-lemonade (or if you'd like wine or beer, they'll have that for sale. Call 828-252-1500 to save your spots.

So if you want to taste the honey and support a great cause, call and go and eat honey. You might want to check out Proverbs 25:16 before you go---just to keep yourself in check!


The Bible says two thumbs up for honey!
Winnie-the-Pooh says two paws up--and one head in the jar!