The Magic of Raw Honey and why we use it.

Here at Ezra’s we offer Wildflower Ridge Honey’s Raw Local Honey & Bee Pollen in our cafe menu items and they are available for purchase in our Enlightened Apothecary. We want you to know the quality of every ingredient at Ezra’s.  One thing people sometimes wonder is why our mostly vegan cafe includes honey.  That’s because we are ‘BEE-gan’, honey. 🙂

When you source from a local beekeeper, not only do you aid small business, you consume honey made from the pollen in your environment. Another wonderful side benefit of using locally sourced honey is supporting the honeybees, which are disappearing by the millions every year (known as colony collapse disorder) due to pesticides, diseases, and environmental pollutants. With all these benefits for your health and the environment we have chosen to be ‘Bee’gan instead of vegan.

Honey is one of nature’s most powerful remedies for many things, including colds, coughs and wound healing. With antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal properties, honey is one of the best raw materials to help the body fight off sickness, including seasonal allergies. Incorporating honey into your diet has a myriad of health benefits with regular consumption.The key to obtaining the healing ingredients is to seek out local raw honey.

Our most popular bowl, The Buddha Bowl is beloved so much because we massage this nutrient-rich honey into the leaves. Instead of processed sugar in our desserts and dishes, we use natural sugar offerings such as honey, maple syrup and dates. It’s just a more healthful option for our customers. Honey (raw unprocessed) in particular includes the 20 essential amino acids necessary for our diets! Darker honey types are generally higher in these antioxidant compounds, such as organic acids and pherolic compounds such as flavoroids.  

On average 1 tablespoon or 21 grams of honey is equivalent to 64 calories and 17 grams of sugar in the form of fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose. Incorporating honey into your diet is said to have a myriad of health benefits with regular consumption.

And it can be used in other ways too! Topically, honey can be used as a facial cleanser because of it’s bioactive plant compounds and as a skin re-hydrator, as well as a home remedy for burns and wounds.  Apply 2 teaspoons of honey to the face and massage gently.  Then allow this to sit for 15 minutes and remove with warm water for beautiful radiant skin.

Wildflower Ridge Honey is located in Anderson, Indiana and owned by Dave and Patti Barrickman, Indiana Artisans. Commercial honeys are cut with sugar syrup and are heated over 145 degrees, destroys the natural enzymes. Wildflower Ridge honey varieties are not blended with corn syrup or honey from other countries never heated over 118 degrees, preserving the natural enzymes. “Some say that as much as every third bite of food we eat is directly or indirectly related to the honeybee.” Dave said. Learn more about Wilderflower Ridge here
USE: For best results, have a teaspoon per day on an empty stomach.

*** Always do your research before taking any new herb or food. This article is not intended to offer medical advise. Children under 1 year of age should not consume raw honey. ***

— Written By: Eve Eggleston: Eve Victoria Eggleston is a beekeeper and eco-artist, who focuses on beekeeping and bee education within her social practice.  She manages hives at William McKinley IPS School #39, at Tubespace Art Factory for BigCar, and at the Indy Urban Awareness Gardens for Jason Micheal Thomas.