Heather honey

While some connoisseurs and connoisseurs fall in love with heather honey almost from the first spoon, for others - on the contrary, the tart bitterness of its taste is completely uncomfortable. But with all this in the UK, for example, true foodies value this rather peculiar product very highly, calling it the "honey Rolls-Royce. "

Meanwhile, the name of this honey variety indicates that it is made by bees based on nectar collected from common heather, which is a branched evergreen shrub. This plant can be found in tundra, forests (mainly pine), on sands, peat bogs and forests.

The distribution range of this excellent honey plant is mainly the countries of Western Europe and Asia Minor, Ukraine, the European part of Russia and Siberia, the Azores, as well as the west and north of Africa. By the way, the most extensive moorland is located in Scotland, where fields with this plant occupy up to 75 percent of all world moorland.

Heather honey was made famous by Robert Lewis Stevenson thanks to his ballad of the same name, in which he wrote the legend of the ancient Picts who brewed a hop drink based on this honey variety, giving strength and youth. In addition, the famous monk beekeeper Adam from Poland called heather honey a wonderful gift of nature. This is true: heather honey contains a mass of substances that are either absent or present in minimal doses in other varieties of "bee treats. "

Heather honey is famous for its indescribable aroma, however, it is distinguished by a slightly bitter and tart taste along with a rather strong aftertaste. In addition, the longer heather honey is stored, the more expressive and stronger its specific taste becomes. The color of this honey variety can vary from saturated yellow to yellowish red, and when crystallized, it completely becomes reddish-brown.

Another distinctive property of heather honey is the significant (about 2 percent) content of protein substances. In this regard, with prolonged storage, honey does not crystallize, but transforms into a kind of jelly mass. Interestingly, when stirred, heather honey again becomes liquid, after which it thickens again.

Despite the fact that many beekeepers heather honey belongs to lower varieties of this product due to its heaviness, slow crystallization and specific taste, this does not in any way reduce its most valuable qualities. This natural product has gained a reputation as an excellent medicine for many diseases. The beneficial properties of heather honey are obvious in gout and rheumatism, as well as in dropsy of heart origin, it acts as a good diuretic.

The use of this product is very effective in infectious polyarthritis, asthma and bronchitis. Due to its unique composition, heather honey is often used for stomach and intestinal problems. The strong anti-acid and antimicrobial properties of heather honey are relevant for those with reduced stomach acidity.

This wonderful product is recommended to increase appetite and as a general strengthening agent. Heather honey has a beneficial effect on the nervous system: it helps perfectly with headaches, insomnia, nervous excitability, convulsions, neurasthenia and hypochondria. According to many lovers of heather honey, just one small spoon of this bee product promises a strong and calm night's sleep.