What the Bible says about honey

Eversince I moved here up the north (Province of La Union) I did not have hard time looking for honey. Lots of cultured honey are readily available in La Union market and also a project of the school I am working at. In the market every morning, I can easily buy a bottle of wild honey harvested from the market. Lately, I am working on a research about honey and I need to prepare a proposal. I have read that honey is the "liquid gold' in your kitchen. I myself love honey that despite the recommended 1 tbsp of honey a day, I get to take 1 tbsp every after meal as my dessert. Now, as I browse the internet, I get so curious on what does the Bible say about honey. Here are what I've searched so far:

1. PROSPERITY
"So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites." (Exodus 3:7-8)

2. GOOD
"My son, eat honey because it is good, And the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste." (Proverbs 24:13)

3. PLEASURE
"I have come intomy garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh along with my balsam i have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; i have drunk my wine and milk. Eat friends, Drink and imbibe deeply, O lovers.' Song of Solomon 5:1

4. FOOD
"Have you found honey? Eat only what you need, That you not have it in excess and vomit it." Proverbs 25:16

5. FOOD NOT FOR EXCESS
It is not good to eat much honey, Nor is it glory to search out one's own glory. Proverbs 25:27

6. ORGANIC 
"Now John himself had a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey." Matthew 3:4

7. GIFT
"Then their father Israel said to them, "If it must be so, then do this: take some of the best products of the land in your bags, and carry down to the man as a present, a little balm and a little honey, aromatic gum and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds." Genesis 43:11

So I have learned not to take honey in excess (anything in excess is bad) and that it is a food that brings pleasure, signify prosperity and given as gift. It is good to know that this ancient food signifies health. I hope to make a high quality processed product out of honey.

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How is life doing?

I usually accomplished things out of few minutes left.. i still have 4 minutes left before 1 pm struck and so, this is time left to tell you how am i doing by now here on the office of a state university, just finished eating my dessert of sweet pomelo and hoping to meet my student this afternoon at 2 for their Chemistry subject. They will be going to conduct a very interesting laboratory activity on crystallization. Well, I am doing fine, minus my delayed salary, i am fine here where am I now. I have a very good relationship with people, I love my boy friend and I miss my family.

Life is not so easy but I am trying to cope. As a new teacher, I need to study everything from the very beginning. As a daughter, I am dreaming to lift my family out of the poverty line, so working hard is the option left for me. I need to support my family. As a lover, i love a lot and whole, very committed. I am just excited with how God drives my life by now. I will just do my best in everything I do and never ever letting the bad takes course on me..

Why Shabu shabu?

Shabu is a prohibited drug in my country. But what is highly addicting to me is the shabu-shabu, or the hot pot. We created a hot pot for dinner and we were so full as bear!

I love this, crabstick!

Hello Mr. Ramen :)

With steaming hot soup that flooded the noodles, we indulged with this delicious ramen for dinner.

Say hello to Mr. Ramen

I will not mind sharing my bowl of soup, i will not mind waiting awake for hours, as long as we are together.
01-17-14

PROJECTS on my Food LAB

Processed Foods

1. Grape wine - December 2014 Accomplished (note: need to make more)

2. Soymilk - 

3. Kimchi -

4. Bubod (starter) -

5. Tapuy wine -

6. Strawberry wine -

7. Nata de coco -

8. Mozarella Cheese -

Cooking skills
1. Hot pot Shabu shabu
2. Ramen
3. 

Progress Report: SEARCA Summer School 2014 Day 1-5

The first 5 days of the training was fun! I met new friends, visited new places and gained new knowledge which I believed will be very helpful for my profession as a food scientist and also as an individual consumer.

Title of the Training: Food and Nutrition Security for Sustainable Development in South East Asia

Duration: October 6-31, 2014

Location: SEARCA, College, Los Banos Laguna Philippines
Here is a link to the news from the SEARCA website: SEARCA and UC pilot post graduate course on food and nutrition security

1. Participants

I am one of the lucky participants for this said training by the SEARCA and we are the first batch. We are 10 in all from 7 different countries. I thought I will be the youngest among the group but when I met my coursemates, we are of the same age.

2. Lectures

We have 2 modules for this week: 

Module 1 : Sustainable Development in SEA: Opportunities and Challenges

Module 2: Food and Nutrition Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in South East Asia

3. Activities

I the first two days, we have been fed with lot of information of the subjects that I have never heard before. Yes, sustainable development is really an old term but it does not ring a bell to me.. and so, I listened intently and learned that sustainable development is really one of the key in attaining not only food and nutrition security but also developing the capacities that promotes community participation and gender equality, health and education, environmental protection and sustainable economic growth.  

This is really new to me and as I learned, the social, ecological and economic sector of a community is important in attaining a sustainable development. A framework was presented to us but until now, I can not really understand well but I believe that to attain sustainable development, the pillars (social, ecological, economic) as well as the enabling environment and appropriate processes. 

Sustainable development in Southeast Asia present challenges because of the highest percentage of poor and hungry Asians and the booming population that will also incur very high food and resources consumption.

Food availability is needed but there is decreasing production due to the fragmented (land conversion to residential), ageing farmers and the decreasing quality of the soil. Lesser people are also engaging to farming which is not a very good news. This means, lesser labor force that will help in the food production of the world.  People's various activity also caused the increased of green house gases that triggers the climate change and can greatly affect food production and the quality of living here on earth. Whew! Is that economic big bang?!!... anyway,., let us move on..

And another topic I learned which is really a very interesting one is the climate-smart agriculture in the form of the BIG or the Bio Intensive Gardening methods in which the principles are so easy to follow and materialize. The principles are: (if my memory serves me right)

1. Deep dug and raised plots -for deeper roots and enhanced hardiness of the plants

2. Diversification - at least 12 different plant spp; multi-cropping for food and nutrition security

3. use of indigenous varieties - they can withstand the climate change better than other plant varieties

4. Planting of green manure trees

5. Organic mulching

6. Cover cropping in summer

This technology was introduced to the Philippines few years ago but the intensification is still on going specially on the school gardens. This was initiated by the IIRR or the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction. We visited 3 school gardens and so far the project is successful. Only the question of sustainability is at hand. Can they sustain the garden? They also introduced to us the integrated nutrition approach in which the school gardens, nutrition education and the school feeding program can work hand on hand on the  improvement of school children ages 6-8 (grade 1 to 3).

We also visited the model farms for BIG inside the IIRR and I was so delighted. I learned a lot. I will post many pictures regarding this. I am going to practice this climate smart agriculture method.

So far, the week was so exciting and i have not yet covered many things but hope I shared the necessary information :) I am so happy! :)

Where to go? Just around Laguna, Philippines

I've been living in Los Banos Laguna for more than 2 years now. And friends come to visit me sometimes. They requested me to just go around and visit some places. Laguna is a beautiful place. Actually, I admitted that I am so much comfortable to this place that I wanted to stay and settle down here. But there is such no place like home. Anyway, going back to places around here, I can suggest few places that I visited once or twice or those I really wanted to visit in the future...

1. University of the Philippines Grounds - this is where we go when we want to enjoy nature and just relax around big green tress and sit by the grasses. One word? Biodiversity.

2. Calamba, Laguna - Shopping and may visit the house of the national hero, Jose P. Rizal
3. Sampalok Lake, San Pablo City - Lakes, lakes, more lakes, actually there are seven, biking around a lake and eating blue berry cheesecake.
4. Pandin Lake, San Pablo City - I think of green waters, delicious shrimps, and ube and also, Palawan! yes, palawan -like sceneries. Also kind and empowered women.
4. Sta. Cruz, Laguna - went to take pictures and dine at the famous but expensive "ISDAAN" restaurants
5. Pagsanjan Laguna - Water falls and adventure!
6. Pansol Laguna -  Hot spring!
7. Cavinti Cave - Adventure in the underground cave... exciting!

I will tell you about each of the places, just follow the link above.

Hope you enjoy your trip too^^,

Len