A Taste of Honey

I'm a little late with this, but in honor of Earth Day, I want to celebrate the humble honey bee!  My web designer extraordinaire, Julie Bolton, also happens to be a bee keeper and owner of beedorable.com and blog julie-bolton.com.  Below is "everything you wanted to know about local honey" and then some!

How did you get into the honey bee business?

When I was growing up I was terrified of bees and bugs in general, so it’s ironic that I ended up becoming a beekeeper! But as an adult, I became interested in gardening and learned about beneficial pollinators such as bees and butterflies. The more I learned about honeybees, the more I was captivated by beekeeping. When I moved out to the country I realized my opportunity to start as a hobbyist and sought out a Beekeeping for Beginners class through the Greene County Beekeeper’s Association. Once I began beekeeping I was hooked (and a little bit scared at first to be honest!)! I find the honeybee one of the most fascinating creatures, and love observing and learning more about them.

 What is the difference between local honey and honey bought at the grocery store?

Local honey will have particles of pollen, propolis* and trace minerals from the area in which you live. (*Propolis is a sticky resinous mixture that bees gather from tree sap- may also have beneficial anti-oxidants and flavonoids). If eaten regularly, this pollen can help you build up an immunity to seasonal allergies. Also, local honey is more pure as opposed to store bought honey which is often a mixture of honeys bought in bulk from many different sources, so you don’t really know where it’s coming from. Some countries use illegal antibiotics that are banned in the US and EU, and some honey isn’t honey at all but a mixture of artificial sweeteners, chemicals, artificial flavors, and contain traces of heavy metals and banned substances, such as chloramphenicol.

“ The current labeling for the approved chloramphenicol products bears a specific warning statement that the drug is not to be used in animals raised for food production. “ http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/ComplianceManuals/CompliancePolicyGuidanceManual/ucm074681.htm

Although honey from China has been banned in several countries including the US, the import of Chinese honey continues. China is the largest producer of honey despite the fact that bees are now non-existent in many areas of China and their fruit and other plants are being hand-pollinated by humans. So where is all that honey coming from? Buying local from a reputable beekeeper is the only way to know that what you’re getting is actually pure honey. You are also helping out a small, local business and supporting local agriculture when buying honey at a farm market. It’s also really fun to try different honey from different areas and taste the variety in real honey. The Honey Trail: In Pursuit of Liquid Gold and Vanishing Bees is a fascinating book about the plight of the honeybee and how honey is a widely un-regulated food.

 What are the nutrition & health benefits of local honey?

*Let me start by saying that I have read some articles that make outrageous claims about honey, including that it can prevent AND cure cancer! So bee smart and don’t believe all the claims that honey will cure every known disease. However, there have been some fascinating studies on honey that have proven some minor health benefits, such as the 2010 study by the NIH that proved a dose of honey was actually more effective in treating cough in children than dextromethorphan and diphenhydramine. *SOURCE: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20618098Biggest benefit: Reduction in seasonal allergy symptoms- but you have to take honey DAILY over a long period of time to build up the immune system, just as you do allergy shots or medications. Honey contains phytonutrients found mostly in raw honey (not processed honey). Phytonutrients provide anti-inflammatory and antiseptic benefits. Manuka Honey from New Zealand is the powerhouse of healing honeys. Manuka is the local name for the tea tree, and as you may know, tea tree oil is very beneficial as a natural antiseptic. I suffered from leaky gut in 2011 and was so ill I could barely eat anything without an allergic type of reaction. Part of my treatment regimen included Manuka honey, a daily teaspoon to aid in the healing of my ulcerative condition. It is very expensive, about $40-50 for a small jar! But it was worth it to me to relieve my upset tummy and start me on the path to natural healing. There are some risks to honey that everyone should be aware of: Raw honey is particularly dangerous for babies, so you should never feed raw honey to babies less than a year old. They cannot process some of the bacterias in honey that pass through an adult unnoticed or that may be beneficial to us.  

What are some tips for buying honey?

Most honey you buy in the store is over-processed, heated and clarified. Avoid this honey because most of the nutrients have been stripped away, it contains no pollen, and it’s just a bunch of sugar, so you’re not even getting the natural benefits of local honey! Or worse yet, it is not even that-- it may be as I mentioned before, a type of flavored, colored corn syrup with harmful chemicals added.Look for a local honey- I have seen some local honey for sale at Kroger in the Organic/Natural foods section, such as White Mountain Honey from Xenia OH. I have met these beekeepers and they’re wonderful! I partner with Honey Run Farm in Williamsport, OH for my honey and hive products. I met Jayne Barnes at a conference and she was delightful, and she writes a great blog! She and her husband (and four children) have 400 working hives on their farm just north of my place on the way to Columbus. They are hard-working and industrious, and I love knowing who is harvesting my honey! I also only buy “hive products” from local beeks because I know the products will be pure. Hive products are anything made from beeswax, such as lip balms, salves, lotions and candles. Most labels will say “pure” honey, “raw” honey, or “natural” honey”, that’s what to look for. I don’t really believe there’s any “organic” honey- that would mean that the Beekeeper knows every single pollen and nectar source visited by the honeybee is organic, untreated, and non-fertilized….how many beekeepers can guarantee that? Not too many, I think!Raw unfiltered honey is unprocessed, unfiltered, thicker and creamier. It contains a lot more of the “hive products”- pollen, bits of wax, propolis, sometimes even a bit of broken bee’s wing! It’s delicious spread on toast. Manuka honey is usually sold in a raw unfiltered state and is rich and fragrant.

 How long should honey last?

Longer than most people’s first marriage, hahaha! Honey can last for a long time, but over time it can crystallize. You can render it fluid and pure again by placing the honey jar in a pan of hot, not boiling water. DO NOT put honey in the microwave! It gets heated too fast, damages the delicate floral compounds, and can create unseen pockets of super-heated honey- essentially a bubble that can burst open and burn or splatter everywhere. DO NOT REFRIGERATE HONEY! 

 Do you have a favorite recipe using honey

Sooooo many! When my daughter was little girl, we had a favorite cookbook, the ABC’s of cooking I think it was called, and there was a Honeybee cookie recipe that we loved to bake, so that’s nostalgic. Baking with honey is a bit tricky since it add moisture to the chemistry, so a little experimentation may be needed. I love Honey-soy sauces for fish and chicken, but again, you have to find a good balance so the honey doesn't over-power the flavors, but enough that you capture the delicate nuances of honey. The only thing I have not developed a taste for is Mead, a type of honey wine. It is a very sweet drink, and I just don’t like sweet drinks very much. I am posting honey recipes every Saturday on my Blog, julie-bolton.com, so if you would like to contribute to that I would LOVE to have you!