19 December 2011

Real honey

Previous posts here have addressed the problems with the smuggling of tainted honey and the possibly ominous implications of ultrafiltered honey.  After writing that last post, we decided to see if a better honey could be found locally.

The embedded photos show our success in that regard.  It did not require a visit to Whole Foods.  A perusal of the shelves of a local supermarket (Woodmans in our case) yielded a locally-grown product with the proper credentials. 

The local beekeepers are clearly aware of the considerations we mentioned in the previous posts, because they have specifically indicated on the labels that the honey is not filtered except for gross particulates and is not watered down with high fructose corn syrup.

I'm not trying to promote this specific product, because obviously your success will depend on what's available in your area.  But I can say that our family has purchased its last "plastic bear."  Next summer when we go to the farmers' market for produce, we'll see what other local honeys might be available.

Addendum: A hat tip to Dora for this comment:
Rebuttal article by NPR titled "Relax Folks. It Really Is Honey After All."  Saying, basically, that the worries are unfounded, the ultrafiltration is to help keep honey from going solid, and that Chinese honey isn't dangerous, just much cheaper than that grown in the US. Worth a read. 
One sentence caught my eye:
Food Safety News is published by a lawyer who represents plaintiffs in lawsuits against food manufacturers and processors.
Re the rest, I recommend reading the NPR link - and the comments at that link.

7 comments:

  1. SkipweaselDecember 19, 2011 at 4:48 PM

    We used to buy our honey from the local market, until one day the supply dried up.
    Turned out the beekeeper was in his 80s and had, over the space of a week or two, forgotten where his hives were.

    Luckily some time later someone else took them all over (those they could find, anyway!) and the supply resumed. It's worth the extra quid or so for really nice local product.

    ReplyDelete
  2. andiscandisDecember 19, 2011 at 6:21 PM

    There are a few apiaries in my area, so real honey is always available at the farmer's market. One family even packages theirs in the bear-shaped bottles, keeping my kids happy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. NinabiDecember 19, 2011 at 9:49 PM

    Africanized bee hives average 10 per square mile, according to the bee removal man whose services we used last year. We see a gentleman selling mesquite honey by the side of the road on weekends- and like you, we are using local honey.

    I know beekeepers are suffering losses with colony collapse disorder, but down here in the SW I live in fear of that hum of disturbed bees that can spell one's doom.

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  4. The Rat KingDecember 20, 2011 at 5:18 PM

    If you want a real treat, see if you can find some cut-comb honey, the stuff that is still in the wax.

    I have never in my life had anything that was so good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. DoraDecember 21, 2011 at 11:43 PM

    Rebuttal article by NPR titled "Relax Folks. It Really Is Honey After All"
    http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/11/25/142659547/relax-folks-it-really-is-honey-after-all
    Saying, basically, that the worries are unfounded, the ultrafiltration is to help keep honey from going solid, and that Chinese honey isn't dangerous, just much cheaper than that grown in the US. Worth a read.

    ReplyDelete
  6. MinnesotastanDecember 21, 2011 at 11:49 PM

    Interesting article. Thank you, Dora. I'll add that info to the post - but not until after Christmas.

    Tx for the link.

    stan

    ReplyDelete
  7. Charles KeeMarch 22, 2017 at 12:48 AM

    thanks

    ReplyDelete