Another Reason To Buy Honey At Farmer's Markets

2011-11-16T20:44:00.000-08:00

I just read this article online and thought I would share.

Most Store-Bought Honey Isn’t Honey At All, Tests Show
Filtration process removes virtually all of the pollen naturally occurring in the product.
By Leah Zerbe, Rodale News
If you love using honey as a natural sweetener, this news may come as a buzzkill: More than 75 percent of the honey sold in the U.S. isn’t the unadulterated form that most consumers expect, according to testing performed recently by Food Safety News. In fact, most honey sold in the United States is processed through major filtration that removes virtually all of the pollen naturally occurring in the product. This practice would flunk quality standards in many of the world’s food safety agencies; in other words, it’s not technically honey anymore.

Beware of food label liesThe problem with removing these microscopic pollen particles is this: without the pollen, there’s really no way to trace where the honey originated, or if the source is safe and uncontaminated. (Previous reports have found honey laced with antibiotics and heavy metals.) And for this filtration to work, the honey is often heated, which can damage some of the natural products’ disease-fighting properties.

To analyze the state of honey sold in America, Food Safety News purchased more than 60 jars, jugs, and plastic bears of honey in supermarkets, discount warehouses, big box stores, pharmacies, and honey packets served in mini-markets and fast-food joints in 10 states and the District of Columbia. An expert in pollen in honey from Texas A&M University studied the samples and found most had the pollen removed, making traceability impossible. However, honey sold at farmer’s markets, co-ops, and natural stores contained normal amounts of pollen.
The Workaround: If you want real honey, look for local sources and buy directly from the beekeeper. By knowing where your food comes from, you can ask about how the bees are treated and how the honey is processed. Sure, raw honey might not be crystal clear like the little honey bear bottles you see in the store, but it’s swimming in health-promoting antioxidants and left in its natural form, which is definitely a good thing when it comes to honey.

Donation to Japan's Relief Efforts

2011-03-25T21:35:00.001-07:00

Jane's Honey Bees pledged to donate $1 for every jar of honey sold at last Saturday's Winter Market - so $72 was donated to the Red Cross Japan Relief Fund! Thanks to everyone who bought honey last week!

Hard Worker!

2007-06-07T19:09:00.000-07:00

This bee has the biggest pollen packs I have seen! I don't know how she can fly with them.

Bees on the move

2007-06-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

We have been busy making up nucs to send to Alberta.

Hope they like the Prairies!

Feels like summer!

2007-05-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Finally we are having some warm weather! The bees are all in blueberry pollination, and should be busy working away today in the sunshine.
We opened our box of queens today, and even the attendants were bringing in pollen.

A little bumblebee sure hit the honey jackpot in one of our hives! The honeybees did not seem to mind sharing.

Beekeeping in the Fraser Valley

Another Reason To Buy Honey At Farmer's Markets

Donation to Japan's Relief Efforts

Hard Worker!

Bees on the move

Feels like summer!