HONEY
"He Shall Sate You With The Honey From The Rock"

Perched atop Mount Gilboa, with a direct view of Gideon's spring, sits the Apiary from which springs forth the sweet nectar which Holy Food Imports feels remarkably blessed to bring to you.  Gideon's Spring is one of the holiest places known to humanity, and was the place at which God tested the Israelite soldiers in order to determine who would be fit to enter battle.  

Just up the road a few hundred yards, archaeologists have recently unearthed yet another Apiary, estimated to be over 3,000 Years Old.  To God Fearing people around the world, nothing is more precious than the Land Of Milk And Honey, and the sweetness with which the Holy Land has been blessed.  When God made the land, could it have been an accident that He placed the amazing blossoms from which the bees draw the nectar in this place? Could it have been an accident that NOW, 3000 Years Later, honey continues to be produced and harvested in much the same way it was harvested 3000 Years Ago? In the same place? We think not.  Honey production, like the rest of the world, was created with a design which remains as sweet today as it was back then.  

For THOUSANDS OF YEARS and CONTINUING TODAY, Jewish families all over the world WELCOME THE SABBATH by spreading Honey over Challah Bread, saying a PRAYER of thanks to God for granting them the Bread Of The Earth, and granting them the Sabbath.  The intertwined Challah symbolizes the connection of the People to one another and to God, while the Honey reminds them of the SWEETNESS OF THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY, THE HOLY LAND OF ISRAEL.  

Many Christian families have continued the very same custom by WELCOMING THE SABBATH in the very same way.  Regardless of whether you observe the SABBATH on Saturday or Sunday, wouldn't it be wonderful to remember God's gifts to us all by enjoying these wonderful foods in a time honored way with your families?

Holy Food Imports is pleased to bring you very special varieties of honey, which many have never seen or tasted.  We are certain, however, that once you have tried them, you will agree that they are the finest the earth has to offer.  

GALILEE STARTHISTLE BLOSSOM HONEY

This honey, derived from the famed Galilee Starthistle Blossom is thick and sweet.  Just let it dissolve on your tongue, and understand why it is named so.  Like other products offered by Holy Food Imports, it is native ONLY to the LAND OF ISRAEL and is available to your families for the FIRST TIME!

NAZARENE WILDFLOWER HONEY

From the hills of NAZARETH, this amazing blossom gives rise to the sweetest of honey the earth has to offer.  Combined with a wonderful aroma, this honey is certain to bring a smile to your face.  For thousands of years, Jews have enjoyed the pleasure of this very special Honey.  Now, families from all over the world can share this product of NAZARETH in the comfort of their own homes.  

JORDAN RIVER SIZIPHUS BLOSSOM HONEY

Springing up along the banks of the RIVER JORDAN, in a place where so many have walked, grows the Siziphus Blossom.  With its magnetic beauty, the Siziphus draws the finest of honey bees to its sweet nectar.  With an almost crystal clear hue, this honey transfixes the eyes and heightens the senses.  It is a truly delightful experience.  Perhaps the waters of the RIVER JORDAN which give the Siziphus Blossom its special qualities.  

The word HONEY is found in 56 Bible verses. Among the most significant of those, we find:

Jacob instructing his children on what to bring with them to Egypt:

Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift - a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds.

(Genesis 43:11)

The Lord promising to bring the Jewish People out of the land of Egypt:

The Lord said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.

(Exodus 3:6-8)

Solomon speaking words of wisdom to his son:

My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste.

(Proverbs 24:13)

A Recent Study: Try Honey for Children's Coughs
By CARLA K. JOHNSON
Associated Press Writer
11:06 PM EST, December 3, 2007
CHICAGO

A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children's coughs and help them sleep better according to a new study that relied on parents' reports of their children's symptoms.

The folk remedy did better than cough medicine or no treatment in a three-way comparison. Honey may work by coating and soothing an irritated throat, the study authors said.

"Many families are going to relate to these findings and say that grandma was right," said lead author Dr. Ian Paul of Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine.

The research appears in December's Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.

Three pediatricians who read the study said they would tell parents seeking alternative remedies to try honey. They noted however that honey should not be given to children under the age of one (1) year because of a rare but serious risk of botulism.

For the study, researchers recruited 105 children with upper respiratory infections from a clinic in Pennsylvania. Parents were given a paper bag with a dosing device inside. Some were empty. Some contained an age-appropriate dose of honey-flavored cough medicine containing dextromethorphan. Some contained a similar dose of honey.

The parents were asked about their children's sleep and cough symptoms, once before the bedtime treatment and once after. They rated the symptoms on a seven-point scale.

All of the children got better, but honey consistently scored best in parents' rating of their children's cough symptoms.

The study was funded by a grant from the National Honey Board, an industry-funded agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The fascinating process of making honey begins when the bees feast on flowers, collecting the flower nectar in their mouths. This nectar then mixes with special enzymes in the bees' saliva, an alchemical process that turns it into honey.

The bees carry the honey back to the hive where they deposit it into the cells of the hive's walls. The fluttering of their wings provides the necessary ventilation to reduce the moisture's content making it ready for consumption.

As a carbohydrate, raw honey supplies energy at 64 calories per tablespoon, providing fuel to working muscles. A limited study at the University of Memphis Exercise and Sports Nutrition Laboratory found raw honey to be one of the most effective forms of carbohydrate gels to ingest just prior to exercise.

According to Dr. Richard Kreider, the study's lead investigator, "honey appears to be a carbohydrate source that is relatively mild on its effects upon blood sugar compared to other carbohydrate sources." Continuing research is examining the effects of raw honey in comparison to different types of carbohydrate gels prior to weightlifting on the effect on glucose, insulin and markers of protein breakdown.

Other limited studies performed in Dr. Kreider's lab have shown that raw honey may comprise half of the secret to post-workout recuperation. "In addition to promoting muscle recuperation and glycogen [carbohydrates stored in muscle] restoration, honey-protein combinations also seem well suited to sustain favorable blood sugar concentrations after training." reported Dr. Kreider.

Raw honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants. The vitamins found in honey may include (depending on floral variety) niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid; minerals present include calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Just as the color and flavor of honey varies by floral source, so does the vitamin, mineral, antioxidant and amino acid content.

In addition to the nutrients that are involved in normal metabolic activity, foods contain components that may provide additional health benefits. These nutrients are referred to as nutraceuticals. Phytochemicals are one broad category of nutraceuticals found in plants that are actively being investigated by scientists for their health-promoting potential. Honey has a phytochemical profile which includes polyphenols that can act as antioxidants.

Honey is said to improve food assimilation and to be useful for chronic and infective intestinal problems such as constipation, duodenal ulcers and liver disturbances. Salem (1981) and Haffejee and Moosa (1985) have reported successful treatment of various gastrointestinal disorders.

In temperate climates and places with considerable temperature fluctuations, honey is a well known remedy for colds and mouth, throat or bronchial irritations and infections. The benefits, apart from antibacterial effects, are assumed to relate to the soothing and relaxing effect of fructose.

Daily consumption of honey raises blood levels of protective antioxidant compounds in humans, according to research presented at the 227th meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim, CA, March 28, 2004. Biochemist Heidrun Gross and colleagues from the University of California, Davis, gave 25 study participants each about four tablespoons buckwheat honey daily for 29 days in addition to their regular diets, and drew blood samples at given intervals following honey consumption. A direct link was found between the subjects' honey consumption and the level of polyphenolic antioxidants in their blood.

The study showed that the regular consumption of honey actually helped to reduce the free radicals in patients studied.

In medical studies, patients with high cholesterol, artificial honey increased LDL (bad) cholesterol, while natural honey decreased total cholesterol 8%, LDL cholesterol 11%, and C-reactive protein 75%.