Around 130 million years ago, flowering plants first appeared, and a few million years later, bees began separating from wasps. At some point after that, bees began producing honey, with one fossilized honeycomb dating from around 3 million years ago. Humans, meanwhile, have been harvesting the sweet stuff for thousands of years. An ancient cave painting was discovered in Valencia, Spain, that depicts a human figure removing honey from a hive, and it could date from as far back as 15,000 years ago.

Honey. It is as simplistic a food as there is and it also has been important throughout the history of the world. In fact, didja know that honey was a hot commodity in Medieval Europe? Well, in 11th century Germany, honey was so highly valued for its beer-sweetening abilities that German feudal lords required their peasants to make them payments of honey and beeswax. 

Here’s another cool fact: Honey is medicinal. There has been evidence of honey being prescribed as a medical treatment dating back as far as ancient Mesopotamia. Because the substance is so inhospitable to bacteria, it was often used as a natural bandage to protect cuts and burns from infection. Today, honey is still used as a natural treatment for dandruff, stomach ulcers, and even seasonal allergies.

When sealed in an airtight container, honey is one of the few foods known to have an eternal shelf life. There are even reports of edible honey being found in several-thousand-year-old Egyptian tombs. Honey’s longevity can be explained by its chemical makeup: The substance is naturally acidic and low in moisture.

Plus, high-quality honey is rich in antioxidants. These include organic acids and phenolic compounds like flavonoids. Scientists believe that the combination of these compounds gives honey its antioxidant power. Interestingly, two studies have shown that buckwheat honey increases the antioxidant value of your blood. Of course, antioxidants have been linked to reduced risk of heart attacks, strokes and some types of cancer. They may also promote eye health.

Coughing is a common problem for children with upper respiratory infections. These infections can affect sleep and quality of life for both children and parents. However, mainstream medications for cough are not always effective and can have side effects. Interestingly, honey may be a better choice, and evidence indicates it is very effective. In fact, one study found that honey worked better than two common cough medications. Another study found that it reduced cough symptoms and improved sleep more than cough medication. Despite all this, honey should never be given to children under one year of age due to the risk for botulism.

More than just good for us, honey is good for the world around us. The environment depends on the pollination that occurs when honey bees gather nectar. Bees pollinate $20 billion worth of U.S. crops each year, and approximately one third of all food eaten by Americans is either directly or indirectly derived from honey bee pollination.

Now commonly found in grocery stores and at farmer’s markets across the country, initially honey vendors went through great lengths to attract customers. In the 1830s some honey vendors started sporting “bee beards” as a way to draw attention to their products. They did this by holding a caged queen bee beneath their chin and allowed bees to cluster around their face. There is even a competition in Ontario, Canada each year to see who can “grow” the most impressive bee beard.

A typical beehive can produce anywhere from 30 to 100 pounds of honey a year. To produce a single pound, a colony of bees must collect nectar from approximately 2 million flowers and fly 55,000 miles. That amounts to a lifetime’s worth of work for around 800 bees.

Thankfully it is much easier for us to get our honey on the Outer Banks. According to the Outer Banks BeeKeepers Guild you can get local honey from these sources

•Denise Deacon, hives in Kitty Hawk, 252-722-3118

•Virgil Lanning, hives in Kitty Hawk, 252-255-2882

•Don Babin, hives in Kitty Hawk, Nags Head, Rodanthe, 252-489-1415

Also available seasonally at Secotan Farm Market, 2868 NC Hwy. 345 in Wanchese, NC.

According to the Guild, you should buy local because “Local Outer Banks honey reflects the floral source from which the bees collected nectar. Nectar from spring flowers such as holly ripens to a light-tasting almost clear honey. The same hive may produce a dark molasses-like honey from flowers in the fall.”

The Guild also points out: “Most honey sold in stores has been filtered (removing the pollen) and heated to high temperature (to keep it from crystallizing), thereby degrading it. Much of the store-bought honey is also “counterfeit,” adulterated (corn syrup, rice syrup, or other sugars/ingredients added) in order to “stretch” the honey.”

Honey. It’s nearly perfect and it’s available on the Outer Banks!

Greg Smrdel is the editor of Coastal Life and plans on living forever by implementing an all-honey diet.