Honey Bees rock at Appalachian Bee! Our passion is creating the best quality honey along with skin care products that contain beneficial elements from the beehive.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
What does local honey mean to you?
Most people believe that they should buy local honey to help their allergies. For some, if they can't get honey from their town/city, they don't want it. They believe there will be no benefit.
When it comes to purchasing honey for its allergy benefits, local can mean more than just the vicinity of where you live. Take, for example my location. I reside in Ocoee, Tennessee, and people from Chattanooga (35 miles away) think that I am just too far to purchase honey for its health benefits. Does Chattanooga have some mysterious floral sources (plants and trees) that we do not have here in Ocoee? No. In fact, the entire state has the same floral sources, and so do surrounding states.
Many of my customers purchase honey for its nutritional value. Honey loses its nutritional value when it is over heated. Large honey processors filter and overheat their honey for various reasons. They overheat the honey to slow the crystallization process. Would you purchase a jar of honey that is crystallized on the store shelf? And, these processors filter the honey to get the honey beautifully clear, however, this removes some of the pollens in the honey that provide the nutritional value you desire.
Many beekeepers will warm their honey for bottling purposes, but do not heat to extreme temperatures altering the nutritional value of the honey. Also, we do not filter our honey through fine filtration processes, we only strain the honey through course strainers that only remove beeswax, and other debris that does not belong. There is no build up of pollen in our straining process, which means the pollen stays in the honey.
So if you are purchasing honey for its nutritional value and the ability to help you during allergy season, first and foremost, it is most important that you buy honey that is not overheated, so the honey has not lost its nutritional value. Second, you can be concerned about where the honey comes from, however, it is not just your town or county, it is a multi state area, and has to do with the floral sources that the bees visit.
You are, however, doing a great thing by buying "local honey". You are supporting your local farmer. But, when it comes to nutritional value, ask the beekeeper if they filter or strain their honey (straining is ok), and how hot they heat their honey. I would consider it a red flag if they heat over 130 degrees.
Some people believe that if their honey crystallizes, it has gone bad, or has been tampered with. All honeys crystallize, with the exception of a rare few. It has to do with the variety of blossoms where the nectar is collected. Clover or goldenrod honey is quick to crystallize, tulip poplar is very slow and may take years to crystallize. Crystallization is not harmful nor a sign of deterioration. I will talk more about why honey crystallizes in another post.
A jar of my honey might crystallize on your shelf, but that is a good sign. That means it is not overheated and the nutritional value has not been compromised. To re-liquify a jar of honey, heat a pan of water, take off the stove and place jar in water. (This may take several times). Do not store your honey in the refrigerator, this will expedite the crystallization process. Keep at room temperature or warmer.
HoneyBees Rock!
When it comes to purchasing honey for its allergy benefits, local can mean more than just the vicinity of where you live. Take, for example my location. I reside in Ocoee, Tennessee, and people from Chattanooga (35 miles away) think that I am just too far to purchase honey for its health benefits. Does Chattanooga have some mysterious floral sources (plants and trees) that we do not have here in Ocoee? No. In fact, the entire state has the same floral sources, and so do surrounding states.
Many of my customers purchase honey for its nutritional value. Honey loses its nutritional value when it is over heated. Large honey processors filter and overheat their honey for various reasons. They overheat the honey to slow the crystallization process. Would you purchase a jar of honey that is crystallized on the store shelf? And, these processors filter the honey to get the honey beautifully clear, however, this removes some of the pollens in the honey that provide the nutritional value you desire.
Many beekeepers will warm their honey for bottling purposes, but do not heat to extreme temperatures altering the nutritional value of the honey. Also, we do not filter our honey through fine filtration processes, we only strain the honey through course strainers that only remove beeswax, and other debris that does not belong. There is no build up of pollen in our straining process, which means the pollen stays in the honey.
So if you are purchasing honey for its nutritional value and the ability to help you during allergy season, first and foremost, it is most important that you buy honey that is not overheated, so the honey has not lost its nutritional value. Second, you can be concerned about where the honey comes from, however, it is not just your town or county, it is a multi state area, and has to do with the floral sources that the bees visit.
You are, however, doing a great thing by buying "local honey". You are supporting your local farmer. But, when it comes to nutritional value, ask the beekeeper if they filter or strain their honey (straining is ok), and how hot they heat their honey. I would consider it a red flag if they heat over 130 degrees.
Some people believe that if their honey crystallizes, it has gone bad, or has been tampered with. All honeys crystallize, with the exception of a rare few. It has to do with the variety of blossoms where the nectar is collected. Clover or goldenrod honey is quick to crystallize, tulip poplar is very slow and may take years to crystallize. Crystallization is not harmful nor a sign of deterioration. I will talk more about why honey crystallizes in another post.
A jar of my honey might crystallize on your shelf, but that is a good sign. That means it is not overheated and the nutritional value has not been compromised. To re-liquify a jar of honey, heat a pan of water, take off the stove and place jar in water. (This may take several times). Do not store your honey in the refrigerator, this will expedite the crystallization process. Keep at room temperature or warmer.
HoneyBees Rock!
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