The next time you are at your local Farmer's market, seek out the honey vendor and ask about bee pollen. Many cultures believe bee pollen has the ability to promote good health - there are even rumors of Russian beekeepers living to be upwards of 125 years old - on a diet primarily consisting of bee products. High-performance athletes swear by the power of pollen, and individuals suffering chronic problems often cite improvement after integrating bee pollen into their diet. Bee pollen is considered a complete food, one that provides all the nutrients needed to sustain life - all of the 22 essential amino acids, minerals, vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, etc.

Pollen is collected from flowers and packed into small pellets that are carried on the hind legs of the honeybees back to the bee colony. Like honey itself, the pollen has a sense of "terroir" if you will - based on the types of flowers in the area. Pollen from different areas with have distinctly different flavor and color.

If you are interested in reading more about the production, medical uses, nutritional values, or are just curious about the life and anatomy of bees, an outstanding source is R. Krell's paper on Value Added Products From Beekeeping published in 1996 - the pollen section is specifically relevant to this post.

Pollen is best consumed raw to preserve as many nutrients as possible. A small percentage of the population are severely allergic to bee pollen (particularly if you are allergic to bees or other bee products). Start by trying a couple granules in your recipes, and then increase from there. There is a wide range of opinion about how much you should consume daily, being the strong stuff that it is, so do your research and ask around. Your local beekeeper is a great place to start. We take the conservative route and gradually topped out at around 1/2 a teaspoon a day.

When purchasing: Make sure the bee pollen you are buying comes from flowers that have not been sprayed with pesticides - which go on to concentrate in the pollen.

Storage: Fresh pollen stored at room temp loses its magic quickly, although freezing can delay this nutritional denigration. Store pollen in a cool dark place, buy in small quantities, and use quickly.

Five ways to integrate bee pollen into your favorite recipes.

1. Use as a garnish for soup: We like a pinch or two of pollen sprinkled as a garnish over warm (but not scalding hot) pureed soups.

2. Honey Bee Smoothie Recipe: Combine the following ingredients in a blender: 2 peaches or nectarines - sliced and frozen (about 2 cups), 1 banana - sliced and frozen (about 1 cup), 3 tablespoons of honey, and a pinch or two of fresh bee pollen. Puree until smooth - 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Whirl it into your favorite salad dressings: it pairs particularly well with honey mustard dressings, poppy seed dressings or any vinaigrettes with a bit of a sweet edge to them.

4. Folded into a honey gelato.

5. Sprinkled over herb-popped popcorn: Make a bowl full of air-popped popcorn and drizzle with a bit of warm butter, and a sprinkling of each of the following to taste: garlic powder, fine grain sea salt, dried dill. Finish with a pinch or two of bee pollen.

Bee Pollen photograph by F. Intoppa from R. Krell's Value Added Products From Beekeeping bulletin.

Comments (1) | January 1 - 1:03 PM

category: Recipes, Superfoods