Inventory Check: Honey

Been thinking a lot about that "Alas, Babylon" book, especially when I did my monthly shopping today. One of the things that post-nuclear-war book mentioned a couple of times was the lack of sweets, sweeteners and calories, especially for the kids. One man was a bee-keeper, and had a great supply of honey, but was concerned about how the radiation was killing the bees. Then, he gave a good supply of honey to the main character "for the kids" and shortly after, he was murdered for the rest.

I can't imagine my 13 yr old not having honey on oatmeal or cereal or spiced quinoa in the morning. And adding it to my hot tea when I have a sore throat. And using it as syrup on chocolate-chip pancakes. Yum!

We have about 8 gallons of big bottles of honey, and several small honey bears in this storage tub and that. We also have sugar and stevia, and are growing stevia in the hopes that we can figure out how to use the leaves to sweeten things. We also have seeds to grow sorghum.

So take a look at your supplies. Even if you're not a prepper or stocker or hoarder ... buy local honey for those lean times when you can't get to a grocery, or don't have the money. Having something sweet is always a nice little thing to help perk up your mood.

Remember that honey doesn't go bad, as long as you don't contaminate the honey with butter or something like that (so you should pour it or spoon out with a clean spoon or dipper). Honey does crystallize but it just needs to be warmed slightly (NOT boiled) to re-liquify.

Note: Never give honey to a baby under the age of one year. Their digestive system can't assimilate the bacteria.

Alas, Babylon - use as a guide for food storage

I recently read the book "Alas, Babylon" by Pat Frank, published in 1959 but republished in 2005. I'll review the book on http://www.colorado-preppers.blogspot.com/ tomorrow but for now... just note that it's a must-read for what people most want when they suddenly have to go from a "modern" life to bare-bones civilization pre-electricity and pre-running water.

What I hadn't given previous thought to is honey. Yes, I knew people, especially kids, would need sweets as comfort food, but now I realize that it's more than that. It's a necessary food-store item for calories, sweet-taste, cooking, comfort, and it's a great antibiotic "ointment".

Another thought is salt. I don't salt anything because I have high blood pressure, but I know salt is in a lot of processed foods, and naturally occurs in some vegetation. It's also used to cure meats. When the main characters ran out of salt, they became confused, lethargic, nauseated, tired, headaches, disoriented and more. Hyponatremia (low sodium) can also progress to muscle twitching, seizures, coma and death. Although I don't use salt, I have 5 25-pound bags stored. Might want to get more.

I liked how the central cast of characters thought a little ahead and create a still for when the corn and sugar cane would be ripe. Once they made the "white lightening", they traded it for other things, but also the one doctor used it as an antiseptic. Think ahead: are you growing potatoes (vodka)? Hops, barley and some yeast (beer)? Honey (meade)? Grapes (wine & vinegar)? Apples (soft and hard cider, vinegar)? Elderberries (wine, syrup)? Molasses and yeast (rum)? Fruit, brewer's yeast and sugar (all kinds!)? You better believe that I'll be making lots of these, but meanwhile, I have a few bottles put away of various liquors.

Coffee isn't locally grown, so it became extremely valuable in trading. When the main character found a tin of coffee he has put aside, months after his last taste, he practically screamed with joy. People were willing to barter almost anything for coffee. I found the following list of drinks that have at least some of the caffeine jolt:
•Green tea*. Full of antioxidants, comes in many varieties.
•Black tea*. Strong flavor, good with milk, large variety of options. Has half as much caffeine as coffee.
•Licorice tea. Has a sweet flavor and nourishes the adrenal glands.
•Siberian ginseng tea. Nourishing herbal tea. Has a tonifying effect on the body.
•Yerba maté. No caffeine, but has a stimulating effect.
•Chocolate powder*. Has a bitter, coffee-like taste with a mild stimulating effect when unsweetend.

If you've read this book, let us know what you've given thought to because of it. Thanks!