The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-01-21
THE HOME
HEA TLH IN HONEY.

A mound of honey will go as far as
pound of butter, and If both ARTICLES 20
of the best quality the honey Will cost
the less of the two. Often prime article
of extraeted honey, equal to comb honey
in every respect except appearance, can
he obtained for half the price OF butter
mr. less. Butter is at its best only when
fresh, while honey, properly kept, re-
mains indefinitely good; no need to hurry
it out of the way for fear it may become
rancid.
Sugar is much used in hot drinks, as
in coffee and tea. The substitution of a
mild-havored honey in such use may be
very profitable thing for the health
Indeed, 1t would be better for the health
If the only hot drink were what is called
in Germany honey tea-a cupful OF hot
water. with two tablespoonful OF extract
ed honey. Many people think money
is honey" all alike, but this is gresO
mistake. Honey may be of good, heaVy
body, what housekeepers cali wen
ripened." weighing sometimes t"eise
pounds to the gallon, or it may De qulVe
thin. 1t may also be granulated or can
died. more solid than lard. 1t may be al
most as colorless as water, anu IL may
he black as the darkest molasses. Inc
flavor of honey varies according TO the
flower from which it Is obtalneu. IL
would be impossible to describe IN words
the fIayors of the different honeys: Ihey
are as distinct as the odors III flowers.
Among the lighter-colored honeys are
or hQGGJUn0d
sweet clover, alfalfa, willow herb. etc;
and among the darker are found hearts,
ca e magnolia, or poplar, horsemint,
Luckwheat, etc.
Tastes differ as to honey as well as in
all other things. White clover is so gen
orally preferred to buckwheat with Its
yery dark color and strongly marked
flavor, that buckwheat honey always
ruIes lower in price than white clover;
vet there are some who prefer buckwheat
TO any other honey. Somewhat unfortu-
nately. one generally prefers the honey to
which he is most accustomed. A Cali
fornian thinks nothing equals white
cage. while a Pennsylyanian thinks
wi,ite clover far ahead.
tit,,. when SO often "things are not what
ihey SEEM 1T is comfort to know that
when one buys comb honey he may know
without question he is getting the genu-
inc article. The silly stories, seen from
time to time in the papers, about arti-
ficial combs being filled with glucose and
deftly sealed over..with a hot iron, have
not the slightest foundation in fact.
For years there has been a standing Offer
by one whose financial responsibility ID
unouestioned Of $1,000 for q single pound
of COMP honey made without the inter
yention of bees. The offer remains I'M
taken, and will probably always remain
SO. for the highest art of man can never
COMPASS such delicate workmanship al
the skili of the bee accompanies.
With extracted honey the case is differ
emit. When you see in the grocery 8
tumbler of liquid honey with small
piece OF comb honey in the centre, you
NAV be pretty sure the liquid honey is
not honey at all, but pure glucose. Ii
not familiar enough with honey to detect
it By the taste, your only safe course is to
buy of the producer direct, or OF some one
who knows as to its source and upon
whose honesty you can rely.
Aside from its use In an unchanged
state as direct accompaniment Of bread
or biscuit, honey is used by bakers in
Misunderstanding eome of their choicest
wares. An advantage in using honey for
anything in the line of cake is in its
Keeping qualities. Even if the cake
should become dry, close it up in bread
can for a time and its freshness will re-
turD bee Culture.