Sweet Spring Fever

Along with the Dog Days of summer comes allergies.  The winds that signal the change of seasons also blow around all that pollen and dust outside, and many of us are left sneezing and coughing in the aftermath.  A box of Kleenex sits next to me as I write, but there is a better, proactive way to survive the monsoon allergy season.  Local honey. All those critters we call bees have been busy hovering and collecting from all of the wildflowers, cacti, weeds and grasses that are blooming this time of year, exactly that is causing our noses to twitch.  In honey, these allergens are delivered in small, manageable doses and the effect over time is very much like that of undergoing allergy immunology injections. The major difference though is that honey is a lot easier to take, and is certainly a lot less expensive. Just make sure that the honey you are ingesting is as local as you can find it, as honey from another city or state may have allergens that are not native to this area.  Ingesting orange blossom honey from Florida may not have the same effects as, say, cactus or mesquite honey from Tucson.  If you have ever tried a sample of saguaro cactus honey? It’s much darker in color and has a very rich taste.  Come visit our friendly beekeepers at Jesse Owens Park Farmers Market on Fridays, Oro Valley Steampump Ranch on Saturdays and Sundays at Rillito Park.

Come by the Farmers’ Markets and get your bee pollen, a little pinch a day will do yah!