Honey Laundering

[TheGrey]

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/tests-show-most-store-honey-isnt-honey/#.Ubupzdga6KL

If you ever needed a reason to shop your local farmer's markets for honey, this is a compelling argument.

[theGinsue]

Eye opening. I've been wanting to incorporate more honey into my cooking/diet and assumed a general "honey is honey" belief. Bad move on my part.

It looks like I, too, will be getting my honey from local Farmers Markets - if the sellers can provide me with some evidence that they package the honey themselves - from their own hives.

[TheGrey]

Yeah, I'm pretty pissed about the fact. I have several containers of "faux honey" that I now have to dispose of. Who knows what kind of crap has been added? [Rant1]

[Guylee]

I had always heard that honey is the only food that will never go bad...is this true? And if so, does the filtering process that takes out the pollen affect this?

[Great-Kazoo]

I had always heard that honey is the only food that will never go bad...is this true? And if so, does the filtering process that takes out the pollen affect this?

Once it "hardens" you should reconstitute to liquid form before using. Bacteria can form within the crystyalized honey. We get our honey from our daughter's neighbors in central CA. They also do olive oil.

[Trout Hunter]

This is something I learned about a few years ago. I love the stuff but won't touch it from a big chain store.Find a smaller locally based operation for 2 reasons. 1. You avoid the type of filtered out honey thats talked about in the article and 2 by using honey that is produced locally it helps out with allergies because of it having pollen content of the local plants. This is a def. situation where smaller operation is a better operation for the consumer.

[mtnhack]

Trout is right on with the reduction of allergies aspect of local honey.

[sniper7]

Hmmm...and I just bought a big ass container at Costco. Need to see what brand it is. Usually I buy from a guy in sterling off the side of the road but didn't see him the last couple times I was up there. I love me some honey. Just had some on my chick fil a chicken biscuit!

Bad news is it was sue bee honey that chick fil a gives you....

[UncleDave]

This is something I learned about a few years ago. I love the stuff but won't touch it from a big chain store.Find a smaller locally based operation for 2 reasons. 1. You avoid the type of filtered out honey thats talked about in the article and 2 by using honey that is produced locally it helps out with allergies because of it having pollen content of the local plants. This is a def. situation where smaller operation is a better operation for the consumer.


+1. There are some great local vendors at the farmers market in Monument. That is one of the only things I buy there.

[cofi]

This is something I learned about a few years ago. I love the stuff but won't touch it from a big chain store.Find a smaller locally based operation for 2 reasons. 1. You avoid the type of filtered out honey thats talked about in the article and 2 by using honey that is produced locally it helps out with allergies because of it having pollen content of the local plants. This is a def. situation where smaller operation is a better operation for the consumer.

exactly what i was going to post

[HoneyBadger]

Hmmm...and I just bought a big ass container at Costco. Need to see what brand it is. Usually I buy from a guy in sterling off the side of the road but didn't see him the last couple times I was up there. I love me some honey. Just had some on my chick fil a chicken biscuit!

Bad news is it was sue bee honey that chick fil a gives you....

The Kirkland Signature brand clover honey from Costco doesn't seem to be on the list. I have about a gallon of it in my basement, so I sure hope it isn't garbage...

i haven't been to the farmers market in Monument since last summer. Maybe I will do that next weekend.

[cofi]

The Kirkland Signature brand clover honey from Costco doesn't seem to be on the list. I have about a gallon of it in my basement, so I sure hope it isn't garbage...

i haven't been to the farmers market in Monument since last summer. Maybe I will do that next weekend.


there is a local honey guy outside of falcon walmart (in there parkinglot)most weekends

[BuffCyclist]

I've got a 5lb container from Sams Club, Mrs. Crockett's. Seems like it isn't on the list too.

I've know that local honey contains pollen and its best to take 1-2 tbsp a day for a couple months when you first move to an area due to the allergy immunity it offers.

I have also heard that honey can contain even plastic to give it that thick viscosity. Guess this sheds new light on the matter, its nice to see the brand names though.

Granted, just because it isn't on the list, doesn't mean they tested it.

[HoneyBadger]

Granted, just because it isn't on the list, doesn't mean they tested it.


Right. So I really have no clue about all the honey I have from Costco. I think I'm just going to get real honey from a farmers market from now on after talking to the sellers and getting what seems to be the truth.

[palepainter]

We get our honey locally. Out of CO. www.beyondthehive.com I have been taking 2 table spoons a day for almost 3 years. I have not had any major allergies issues since then. I use it as a sweetener in my tea in the Am, since I do not drink coffee.

[sniper7]

The Kirkland Signature brand clover honey from Costco doesn't seem to be on the list. I have about a gallon of it in my basement, so I sure hope it isn't garbage...

i haven't been to the farmers market in Monument since last summer. Maybe I will do that next weekend.

Since you are the honeybadger I figured we could count on you to know these things!!

Just looked and I have the Kirkland honey as well. That is what I just bought at Costco so hopefully it is a good one!

[ChunkyMonkey]

If you live in the city and have little or no access to farmer market and such, go to your local ethnic grocery store. Organic honey is easy to spot.. Darker and not as clear as the brand name honey. I got mine from a local middle eastern market... Huge jar for $8.

If you are taking honey for your allergy, it has to be locally produced honey.... Local pollen etc.

[ChadAmberg]

It's a shame, the guy who made Black Forest honey that I bought every year was burned out this week.

[Ah Pook]

Madhava, out of Lyons, has good honey.

More and more processed food contains less food.

[TheGrey]

Just because the name isn't on the list doesn't mean we're out of the woods...77% of the big box stores like Costco and Sam's Club is honey with no pollen. Dammit.

[DD977GM2]

I wonder if Madhava's honey (http://www.madhavasweeteners.com/honey/madhava-honey/) out of Lyons, CO is ultra filtered etc??? Sure hope not as I have been using that honey since I was a wee tike.

[DD977GM2]

Mountain Gold HoneyAvailable in Alfalfa, Wildflower and Clover varieties. We preserve our honey's natural qualities through carefully controlled low temperature melting and simple straining.
This allows our honey to retain its pollens and full nutritive value. Taste the difference!


This just made my day since I take 2-3 tablespons a day and like others, I have little to no allergy symptoms in spring nd fall times.

[Beer][M2][Weight][rockon][Ban3][zombie1][LS]

[Gman]

I always buy Ambrosia Honey Co. from the local King Soopers. It's raw and unfiltered from Colorado's Western Slope. Great stuff.

After doing some research, it appears that Ambrosia Honey Co. out of Parachute, CO is now a brand name for Madhava. Madhava's "Organic" product appears to come from Brazil.

[Dave]

We always grab ours from the farmer's market or there's a guy who usually sets up on the road to the ren faire we buy from too. All local, unfiltered honeys. For meads and other brewing I get gallon jugs from the local homebrew store. They have some filtered and some unfiltered. My gallon jugs in the SHTF storage are from there too.

[Brian]

We bought a bunch of honey from that local Denver LDS/Mormon cannery. Anybody have a clue about its origins? I don't believe it's local either way, as the older guy that was there told me it arrives in this gigantic plastic bubble thing shipped in a huge cardboard box (he was pretty awesome and gave me a tour the first time I checked that place out).

[SamuraiCO]

A lot of the LDS stuff comes from their own farms. Probably not filtered they know better. Utah is the Bee Hive State.

Yes it is true that honey has an exceedingly long shelf life even if it crystalizes. I have not read anything about bacterial growth possible in hardened versus liquid but I will look up just for my own information. Warm water bath will soften it right up. I will often warm the honey if it hardened in the same water pan I boil for tea when the the mood strikes.

If you find a good local apiarist and want a larger quantity ask them is they would fill one of the 5 gallon food grade buckets with a spout on the bottom to you. I got mine from To Bee or Not to Bee in Denver. I had two hives in my yard until the HOA made me get rid of them even as we were getting our language changed to allow. I have a new hive at a friends house in Elizabeth and hope to harvest honey next season. My first year I harvested I got 5 gallons from one hive and 2 from another.

If you get a larger quantity just use some of the smaller ball canning jars for your needs. Easy to heat up if needed, get into for product, and clean. I did get some of the plastic bears but found the glass jars better.


http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g410/samurai64/2011-09-22_11-35-09_395.jpg

Straining though cheese cloth and metal sieve to get beeswax.

http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g410/samurai64/2011-10-01_15-26-47_7.jpg

Filling a bottle.


http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g410/samurai64/2011-10-01_16-38-53_117.jpg

Final haul. It was darker honey because of the variety of flowers and heavily influenced by lavender I have growing in my yard, over 50 plants.

I was hoping with future harvests to learn to make mead from it. If my hive does well at my friends house I will add 1-2 more. I forgot the rule, two is one one is none and almost lost the hive this year but it is doing well now.

[Great-Kazoo]

A lot of the LDS stuff comes from their own farms. Probably not filtered they know better. Utah is the Bee Hive State.

Yes it is true that honey has an exceedingly long shelf life even if it crystalizes. I have not read anything about bacterial growth possible in hardened versus liquid but I will look up just for my own information. Warm water bath will soften it right up. I will often warm the honey if it hardened in the same water pan I boil for tea when the the mood strikes.

If you find a good local apiarist and want a larger quantity ask them is they would fill one of the 5 gallon food grade buckets with a spout on the bottom to you. I got mine from To Bee or Not to Bee in Denver. I had two hives in my yard until the HOA made me get rid of them even as we were getting our language changed to allow. I have a new hive at a friends house in Elizabeth and hope to harvest honey next season. My first year I harvested I got 5 gallons from one hive and 2 from another.

If you get a larger quantity just use some of the smaller ball canning jars for your needs. Easy to heat up if needed, get into for product, and clean. I did get some of the plastic bears but found the glass jars better.


http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g410/samurai64/2011-09-22_11-35-09_395.jpg

Straining though cheese cloth and metal sieve to get beeswax.

http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g410/samurai64/2011-10-01_15-26-47_7.jpg

Filling a bottle.


http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g410/samurai64/2011-10-01_16-38-53_117.jpg

Final haul. It was darker honey because of the variety of flowers and heavily influenced by lavender I have growing in my yard, over 50 plants.

I was hoping with future harvests to learn to make mead from it. If my hive does well at my friends house I will add 1-2 more. I forgot the rule, two is one one is none and almost lost the hive this year but it is doing well now.

Nice collection you have. We get ours from CA and hopefully will have a few containers from a local hive.

The bacteria may occur in "diluted" honey from the higher moisture content [ for clarification] And or not recommended for younger kids as a bacteria that causes botulism has been found in some honey. Not all contain it but something to look out for, in mostly processed OTC stuff.

[SamuraiCO]

Mine is all gone. Went to friends and family for Christmas that year. I thought I would have my hives longer never thought the HOA would have a problem even though they were behind the language change to allow.

[Dave]

Nice setup you have there, hopefully future yields are good. Is yours just wildflower or do you try for a single variety? Making mead can be simple if you have the fermentation equipment, just go 12-13 lbs honey and 4 gallons of water in a 6 gallon sanitized vessel. I usually just go with the Wyeast sweet mead yeast "smackpack" and a couple of tsp of yeast nutrient you can get from a homebrew supply store for about $6 a bottle. I used 13 lbs of orange blossom honey and got two 2nd place medals in local competitions with just that setup. With a lighter honey go with the extra pound (or even 2) and darker you can still get good flavor with 12 lbs, but higher sugar content gives higher ABV.