Rick and his Bee Pollen

I just got back from working at the farmer’s market, where I picked up a new experimental ingredient:

Bee Pollen.

Rick, the bee man

What is it?

Bee pollen is the pollen taken by bees from the stamen of the flower. (It’s like flower sperm, not to be crude.)

It’s gathered in a powder form and is packed and stored by the bees, then preserved with honey. The bees add an enzyme to prevent it from germinating, and then humans tamper with the wonders of nature and harvest it from the hives. 😀 Those bees would become lazy without us, no?

[source]

What can it do?

It’s touted to be one of the most nutritious foods on the planet. It made of 55% carbohydrates, 45% protein (amino acids/ enzymes) and contains vitamins C, A, and B complex. Pollen is rich in rutin (a glucoside), which can strengthen capillaries and help produce RNA and DNA.

Supposedly it can do everything from prevent cancer to speed up your metabolism. [source]

One ounce contains approximately 90 calories.

Suggestions from Rick, the bee man:

Because pollen can cause an allergic reaction, build up your resistance by adding 1/4 tsp at a time to your daily diet. (i.e. 1/4 tsp day one, 1/2 tsp day two, 3/4 tsp day three…)

Keep your pollen in the refrigerator and don’t cook it. Sprinkling on oatmeal is okay though.

Blend it into smoothies or sprinkle it on toast.

What does it taste like?

If you’re familiar with the floral notes in honey, you have a pretty good idea of what this tastes like. It’s crunchy and has an herbaceous aroma. It’s sweet, but not as sweet as honey or sugar

I topped a salad with bee pollen and it added a really delicious sweet crunch.

Where can I buy it?

If you have access to a bee farmer or a local farmer’s market, both would be great places to look. Some health food stores carry imported bee pollen. If all else fails, don’t be afraid to buy some from the world wide web.

It cost me $5.oo for about 1 cup (~1/2 lb) of pollen.

Other Advise:

I’ve read to soak your pollen overnight to make the nutrients more accessible.

I plan on adding 1 tsp of pollen and 1 tbsp of chia seeds to almond milk at night, so it’s ready for a smoothie in the morning.

 

Salad with bee pollen, humnut cheese and *gasp* chicken!

[I haven’t eaten chicken since March 2009, (food poisoning. Let’s not talk about it.) but I was making a chopped chicken salad for my dad and tasted some roasted breast meat. It was really good so I decided to add some to my salad. I’m not sure if I’ll get back “into” meat, but today I enjoyed it.]

 

 

Bee pollen in a bag.

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Words and photos can not do this justice. Breakfast this morning was chocolate kabocha cheesecake ice cream with granola, coffee beans, and a big scoop of cacao euphoria.

• 4 cubes of ice [crushed]
• 25 g chocolate Jay Robb
• 1.5 tsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp xanthen gum
• 1/4 tsp guar gum
• 2/3 cup roasted kabocha
• 8 g Amazing Grass, chocolate infusion
• 1 tbsp (~ 8g) cocoa powder
• 1/2 packet stevia
• 1/2 cup skimmed coconut milk* <-Awesome!!
• 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Top with:

• Udi’s granola [cranberry]
• Coffee beans
• Cacao Euphoria

*I received a question yesterday if I threw out the coconut milk I didn’t use in the coconut cream recipes. I definitely don’t waste it! It was a perfect addition to my ice cream this morning. Yummmmm!!

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Thank you all for your sweet congratulations on my last post!! It was so awesome to come home to an inbox of encouragement!!!! 😀 I’m going to hit the couch for a quick nap, then answer your comments and e-mails. You guys are the best!

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Have you tried bee pollen? Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?