Honey information
Honey is natural sugars from the nectar of flowers and blossoms, with small amounts of enzymes and pollen added by the bees. Whereas table sugar is sucrose, honey is primarily fructose and glucose.
If honey has crystallized (turned solid), warm in a pan of 125 degree F water until liquid. Too high a temperature will destroy the healthy properties of honey, but not necessarily the flavor. Try the low setting on a crock pot for best results. Set the jar on something like a jar lid to keep the jar from direct contact from any source of heat.
The definition of "raw " honey varies, depending on who you talk to. Some say honey heated to anything under 200 F is raw honey, others say only under 120 F is raw honey. Honey from Minnetonka (and most of Minnesota) will crystallize by December unless heated to 125 F or more. Heating will not affect taste, but some say it will affect the healthful properties of honey.
Do not feed raw honey to children under one year of age: Infant botulism can occur when a child ingests spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, which are found in dirt and dust and can contaminate honey. This illness typically affects babies who are between 3 weeks and 6 months old, but they're susceptible to it until their first birthdays. There are estimated less than 100 cases a year in the US.
From any given area, honey flavor can vary year to year, on account of the weather. The weather will affect what plants bloom best, and keep the bees in their hive during rainy periods. In my area, Basswood is normally the biggest part of my crop, but 2010, cooler, rainy weather kept the bees indoors for a portion of that period. However, the good rainfalls we have had in 2010 let the later plants flourish, that suffered from droughts in previous years.
If you are accustomed to the usual clover and alfalfa honey in the stores, beware of any darker colored honey. A dark honey such as Buckwheat can be very nasty tasting, unless you are used to it.
2014 US honey production: North Dakota and South Dakota together produced one third of all US honey. Minnesota was seventh in US honey production.
Beware of foreign honey! Chinese honey is virtually banned from this country, on account of “dumping”, illegal chemical contamination, and blending it with cheap fillers. As a result, they ship their honey through other countries, to circumvent the law. Other third world countries may use some of the same practices, and even some US beekeepers. Another possibility is using galvanized extracting and storage containers, that introduces lead into the honey. You are generally safe to buy US, Canadian or Argentina honey. Know where the honey you buy comes from.
Honey produced in an urban area will probably have less chemicals than rural honey. While the farmers use chemicals at an alarming rate, in the urban areas chemical use is primarily limited to lawns, which will not grow anything to attract the bees anyway.
Part of an article from Food Safety News:
"Asian Honey, Banned in Europe, Is Flooding U.S. Grocery Shelves
FDA has the laws needed to keep adulterated honey off store shelves but does little, honey industry says.
by Andrew Schneider | Aug 15, 2011
A third or more of all the honey consumed in the U.S. is likely to have been smuggled in from China and may be tainted with illegal antibiotics and heavy metals. A Food Safety News investigation has documented that millions of pounds of honey banned as unsafe in dozens of countries are being imported and sold here in record quantities.
And the flow of Chinese honey continues despite assurances from the Food and Drug Administration and other federal officials that the hundreds of millions of pounds reaching store shelves were authentic and safe following the widespread arrests and convictions of major smugglers over the last two years.
Experts interviewed by Food Safety News say some of the largest and most long-established U.S. honey packers are knowingly buying mislabeled, transshipped or possibly altered honey so they can sell it cheaper than those companies who demand safety, quality and rigorously inspected honey. "
US Honey Imports, in metric tons
2000 2009
China 26819 67
India 0 13137
Malaysia 0 9068
Taiwan 27 5576
Indonesia 0 5124
Thailand 161 1847
So what happened to all the contaminated honey from China???
From the July 2016 American Bee Journal:
CHICAGO — Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) have seized nearly 60 tons of illegally imported Chinese honey valued at more than $200,000 destined for U.S. consumers.
The three shipping container loads (195 barrels) of bulk honey smuggled into the United States were falsely declared as originating from Vietnam to evade anti-dumping duties applicable to Chinese-origin honey.
It is further noted in another article that China is transshipping honey through European countries now.
From an article by Ron Phipps, and the January 2016 American Bee Journal:
The phenomenon of adulteration continues to haunt the market. One of the chief forms of adulteration of honey is through the use of resin technology which was applied to honey in China in recent years. Chinese manufacturers of resin technology were actively offering and exporting the technology to many countries. In 2015 the export destinations of resin technology have been suddenly shrouded in mystery. Resin technology introduces and removes water in order to remove pollen and antibiotic residues, thus disguising country of origin and enabling transshipment to avoid U.S. anti-dumping duties.
By introducing and removing water, the application of resin technology results in the adulteration of honey according to prevailing international definitions of honey. Resin technology also removes color components, as does ultra-filtration, thereby enhancing the value and price of honey.
May 2015 - Menards sells honey, which is labeled as coming from India.
May 2016 - Can you believe it? On ebay you can buy a "wildflower" seed packet - from China! What a way to introduce more invasive plant species to the US!
A rare instance of one of my bees an a Hyssop blossom in my front yard. The light colored area on the hind legs is collected pollen.
How do you know the honey is real, if you don't know the beekeeper who produced it?
Honey Fudge
2 (10 oz. or 12 oz.) bags Hershey’s semi sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla
Line a 8” x 8” or 9” x 9” pan with aluminum foil. Lightly butter foil. Melt chips, sweetened condensed milk and honey in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring constantly. When melted and smooth, remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
Spread into foil lined pan. Cool and cut into squares. Store in a cool place.