bee ready for allergy season

I am happy to report, as if you didn't know, that spring is on it's way!  The official first day of spring is March 20th and after the long cold winter we've had I think a party is in order!  On a different note, allergy season is also coming!  Spring... YAY... allergies... BOO.  I have already begun gearing up my system so I can be ready when the pollen starts a floatin'!  For a week now I have eaten a teaspoon of local wildflower honey a day and have even been adding straight local bee pollen to my smoothies.  I was so happy last year when I resorted to using local honey instead of Claritin D and other allergy medicines and actually haven't bought or touched any of them since!  And it makes me feel so much better than taking the over the counter stuff that left me sleepy or cranky or still stopped up  and sneezing.  I am lucky to have a bee lady right next door but local honey around here is not hard to find.  The best, in my opinion, is from Ed Johnson in Goodlettsville.  You can find it in lots of health food stores in our area from Nashville to White House.  I found both honey and bee pollen in the health food store by the post office just last week.  If you live more to the north of here, there is some out of Crossplains that I have seen too.  They say that if your honey comes from a source within a thirty mile range from your house then you are good because the bees have pollinated from the same types of plants and trees in your area.  Also until summer comes, it is best to use wildflower honey instead of clover honey then move into the clover once it starts blooming later on.  Wildflower honey is a mix of it all.

I use local honey in my hot tea, my granola, cinnamon toast, by the teaspoon-full and many other recipes.  I plan on "bee-ing" ready for allergy season this year!  

By the way, if you have honey in a glass jar that isn't so runny anymore or has turned a bit to sugar, remove the lid and stick it in the microwave for thirty seconds at a time until it is stir-able again.  Be careful ... the jar will get hot.  I haven't tried it in the plastic jars... they may melt in the micro.

Have you ever tried honey for seasonal allergies?  

Here's my post from last year when I started using honey to combat allergy symptoms.

Here's my homemade granola recipe and another for Jiffy granola bars.

And here's a post to some good teas to use honey in.

Oh and also tips on how to make your bedroom an allergy-free zone.

Honey bee picture c/o www.thegraphicsfairy.com