National Honey Month

September is National Honey Month.

I love honey! Its a great natural food, satisfies the sweet tooth, and has so many benefits. Supposedly if you use local honey it helps with allergies, as it was made from the pollen of local plants. So it acts kind of like an immunization for allergies. Being a big allergy sufferer, in my Tennessee days anyway, I was all for anything that would help.

When we lived in Georgia, Malcolm and I had a bee hive. It was so much fun watching our little colony come and go in their busy bee day. We didn't harvest any honey because the first year they had to build their reserves to get them through the winter, and by the next spring they had died or left because we got infected with a fungus. My parents started a hive the same time we did, and they harvested honey a couple of times, getting several gallons it! Unfortunately, their bees moved away before they realized what was happening, so they are now honeyless too.

Store bought stuff, though still tasty, just isn't the same as local, home produced honey, and I haven't found a local producer yet. I need to ask around and find out if anyone has bees.

Anyway, in honor of National Honey Month, I'm sharing this recipe that I prepared this past weekend for breakfast. It was yummy, and perfect with a cup of hot tea to celebrate the coming of fall.

Oatmeal Apple Cranberry Scone

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup uncooked rolled oats

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup apple sauce, divided

2 Tbs butter

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cranberries (I just used 1/2 cup dried cranberries)

1/2 cup peeled, chopped apple

1/4 cup skim milk

1/4 cup + 2 Tbs honey

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and grease a baking sheet. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Add 1/2 cup apple sauce and 2 T butter. Use a pastry blender to cut into flour mixture until resembles coarse meal. Stir in cranberries and apples.

In a separate bowl, combine the mild and 1/4 cup honey. Add to flour mixture and still until the dough forms a ball. Turn out onto floured surface and knead 10-12 times. Pat into an 8" circle, and place on prepared baking sheet. Use the tip of a knife to score the dough into 12 slices.

Combine remaining 1/4 cup apple sauce and 2Tbs honey. Brush over the top of the dough. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from baking sheet immediately and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm or cool (its good both ways...I know)

170 calories and 3g fat per serving; makes 12 servings

And I thought I might add some chopped walnuts or pecans next time I try it!