How to choose and store honey and how to make an antiviral from propolis? For answers to the quot; questions, we went to the center of scientific beekeeping to its head Nikolai Khalko, the candidate of agricultural sciences.
In the center of scientific beekeeping there is more than one exposition dedicated to the sweet business. There is an apiary in the courtyard. Yes, yes, there are pretty bright houses for bees right in the center of Grodno. Therefore, the employees here are familiar with the honey production process in practice.
Liquid or Crystallized?
Bad crystallized honey is one of the main consumer delusions. Almost all types of honey crystallize over a period of several weeks to several months, some types of it faster. Therefore, when buying bee sweets in winter, liquid honey should be alert. This may indicate that it was warmed up before selling, and high temperatures have a detrimental effect on it.
— With strong heating, the amount of useful elements is reduced and harmful substances are released. Crystallized honey is as healthy as liquid honey. But the latter can only be bought in season. Honey comes in spring, summer and autumn. The closer to autumn, the darker it is. Thus, when buying honey, pay attention to its consistency. Layered honey may indicate that it was stored incorrectly or its high humidity. The surface should be free of foam and liquid.
How to understand that honey is of high quality
— The most reliable way to find out whether honey is natural or not is to do laboratory tests. It is best to buy honey, which is obtained from the nectar of those plants that are common in our country. For example, if you are offered ginseng or other exotic, chances are very high that it will not. By the way, even linden trees are not often found here, only 5000 hectares of lindens grow in Belarus, and there are very few large lindens. For our latitudes, willow, rapeseed, flower, raspberry, buckwheat and heather honey are most common.
You can resort to folk methods or remember school chemistry lessons. In addition to sugar, starch or flour can be added to honey, they can be determined using iodine, chalk — using vinegar essence. In general, the presence of impurities can be checked by dissolving a spoonful of honey in a glass of water. Quality honey will dissolve evenly, with little turbidity and no sediment.
It happens that unscrupulous beekeepers feed the bees with sugar or add it directly to honey. If there is an opportunity to taste the product, pay attention to the taste. It shouldn be sugary sweet, but it should have a floral scent. But remember, if you have honeydew honey in front of you, then by nature it does not have such a pronounced smell and taste.
Another popular method. You can put honey on your hand and turn it over, it should not drip, and if you rub it on the skin, it should not roll into lumps, but be absorbed like a cream without leaving stickiness.
How to store
The room should have normal humidity, ideal — 66 percent. If it is too high, the honey will absorb moisture and become liquid. Such honey can be eaten, but it must be done as soon as possible, it deteriorates faster. By the way, you can easily check for too much moisture.
Spoon the honey and pour it back into the container or plate. If a hill forms under the stream, then there is as much moisture in it as needed. A dark, cool room is best suited for storage; containers should be glass or wooden, tightly closed.
Not only the sun;s rays are harmful to honey, but also fluorescent lamps. Darkness will help retain all the nutrients and prevent the formation of oxymethylfurfural, which is formed when the temperature rises. It is unhealthy.
What is useful
Honey contains over 400 different elements, and its properties vary according to its type. Surprisingly, the fact is that honey is similar in chemical composition to human blood plasma. As Nikolai Khalko said, during the war, in partisan detachments, it was dripped intravenously instead of glucose. Naturally, after dissolving in water. And buckwheat honey was applied to long-lasting wounds.
Honey will be an excellent helper in the fight against colds. It has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, can act as an antidepressant, help normalize sleep, and recover from serious illnesses.
Bees do not only produce honey — there are more than a dozen types of beekeeping products. Among them is propolis, which has unique properties. It has the strongest antibacterial and antiviral properties. Nikolay Khalko, told how to prepare propolis oil, which will help fight viruses.
