COMMON QUESTIONS AND INTERESTING FACTS

Honey that has crystalized, also known as granulated, has not gone bad and, in some cultures, crystalized honey is preferred.

Honey is a supersaturated solution with an average water content of only 16% to 18%. Many varieties (not all) tend to gradually change towards a crystalized or solid state. The rate and firmness of crystallization has to do with the types and amounts of the varied sugars present.

To re-liquify, simply warm the jar in a pan of hot, but not boiling, water. Granulated honey will turn liquid above 104°f (40°c). However, care should be taken to avoid extended periods of heat because higher temperatures over time will accelerate the reduction of enzyme activity that naturally occurs

Honey has been shown to contain at least 180 compounds and no two nectar sources have identical chemistry. For example, very dark honeys, such as buckwheat or tulip poplar, have a high mineral content which contributes to their color density and hue. Light honey usually has a lower mineral content.

Although it has been reported by many that eating local honey helps with allergies, studies in Great Britain have shown that eating raw honey from anywhere helps even more than local honey that has been overly processed.

Simply defined, raw honey is honey that has not been pasteurized or finely filtered. Our honey is raw honey.

Our honey is not pasteurized.

Not a simple answer and to be frank we feel there is no reason to pasteurize honey that has a proper moisture content. However, honey contains yeasts that are curiously different than the yeasts used in bread, vinegar, and alcoholic beverages. These yeasts will cause fermentation in honey with a moisture content between 17.5% and 19%, depending on the yeast spore content. This is not a problem for us because we monitor moisture content closely. Although the word “pasteurized” is rarely used when describing honey, it automatically occurs when yeasts are killed while honey is thinned by high temperatures to facilitate fine filtering.

Honey deteriorates in all ways when exposed to excessive heat over time. The higher the heat, and greater the time, the faster and greater the effect will be. This includes, but is not limited to, flavor, color, taste, and enzymes.

A simple example of this is that the enzyme diastase, a common enzyme in honey, has a half-life of 1000 days at 68°f (20°c), 14 days at 122°f (50°c) and 30 seconds at 179°f (81.6°c).

 

We coarse filter our honey to remove unsightly and dangerous debris.

Three common reasons for filtering honey are:

• removal of sugar crystals and particles that can facilitate crystallization.

•removal of objectionable, unsightly, and dangerous debris

•create clarity for purchase appeal.

Fine filtering removes much of what makes honey an exceptional and healthy food including particles of pollen, beeswax and propolis.

Honey should be kept in glass, stainless steel, or food grade plastic containers. Because of its acidic nature honey can absorb particles from copper, tin, iron, aluminum, galvanized metal, and some plastics. If stored for an extended time, a dark place is best because honey will slowly deteriorate when exposed to light.

When storing large quantities, dividing into smaller containers, and storing in a freezer until needed should be considered. Much of the deterioration that occurs with honey ceases when frozen. For example, the decline in enzyme activity in honey ends when frozen but returns when warmed back up.

The warmer honey is stored the faster it changes. Therefore, long term storage in above average temperatures should be avoided.

Beeswax is used in candles and ornaments, lip balm, cosmetics and medicinal creams, as foundation for new honeycomb in bee hives, and in sewing to lubricate needles and thread. Beeswax keeps belts in vacuum cleaners, sewing machines and other tools from slipping. It is used to waterproof shoes, fishline and clotheslines, to lubricate doors, windows and tools, on skis, toboggans and bow strings, in furniture or floor polish, and so much more...

It has long been believed that honeycomb is good for you in moderation. It is thought to be good for the digestive tract and the blood. Recent studies at the University of Georgia suggest that ingesting as little as one gram of beeswax a day can help lower cholesterol.

We are inspected by the Commodities Inspection Division of the Georgia Department of Agriculture and licensed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

Our honey is not graded and could not pass for U.S. Grade A Fancy because of the particle content. All Honey labeled U.S. Grade A Fancy is highly processed, and much of it is imported.

We would like to encourage honey buyers to purchase U.S. honey whether it be from us or someone else.
     The Beekeeping Industry in this country is very important and, without it, much of the agriculture in this country could not exist.
     About one third of the food in an average grocery store, as well as a large portion of the produce department, depends on honey bee pollination.
     Over the years we have been involved in the pollination of alfalfa, almonds, cranberries, cucumbers, apples, crimson clover, dutch white clover, sweet clover, squash, pumpkins, pears, cherries, strawberries, sunflowers, radish seed, cabbage seed, watermelons, cantaloupe, plums and more.
     There are many other crops that depend on honey bee pollination and, without them, the store shelf would look much different.
     Although beekeepers get paid for much of the pollination that occurs, they could not survive without the income from honey sales.
     U.S. beekeepers are often offered prices that are below the cost of production and many go out of business each year. The answer for this is for domestic honey to be in demand. Much of the honey consumed in this country is imported. And that is okay.
     We do not produce enough honey to meet the demand in this country and some of the imported honey is a good, high quality product. Examples of this are imports from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany and others.
     However, there is also a lot of highly questionable, extremely cheap honey coming into this country.
     Many countries do not have the laws and regulations in place, nor do they care enough, to keep their honey uncontaminated and pure.
     In recent years, huge amounts of honey have shown up here, especially from some countries in Asia and South America, that have been highly adulterated with other sweeteners such as high fructose corn syrup and also contain chemicals and antibiotics that are illegal to use in this country. It is hard to compete with this.
     Our best hope is to raise awareness and promote our own product.
Our own National Honey Board is only able to promote honey generically and is not allowed to promote U.S. Honey as such. So, we have to toot our own horn.
     We are not trying to suggest that domestic honey is perfect or goes without incident, but the chance of getting a quality product with U.S. honey is much better than most imports, especially when purchased from a reputable producer.
     If you purchase honey from us, we really appreciate your business, and we sincerely hope you enjoy our product. If you purchase from someone else, we hope you enjoy theirs, too.
     Quality honey, in its purest form, is one of the finest foods on planet earth. It is very good for us.
     That having been said, I would like to encourage everyone to eat and enjoy more honey.

Bob Binnie
Blue Ridge Honey Company
Lakemont, Ga.

Honey bees are the only insects that produce food for humans. One healthy hive contains approximately 40–60 thousand bees. During the honey production period, a bee's lifespan is only 4 – 6 weeks.

Bees fly at an average of 13 – 15 miles per hour.

Honey bees visit approximately two million flowers to make one pound of honey.

A bee travels an average of 1,600 round trips in order to produce one ounce of honey – flying as far as 6 miles per round trip. To produce 2 pounds of honey, bees travel a distance equal to 4 times around the earth.

Bees from the same hive visit approximately 225,000 flowers per day – one bee usually visits between 50 and 1000 flowers per day, but sometimes up to several thousand.

Queens lay approximately 1,500 to 2,000 eggs per day at a rate of 5 or 6 per minute – one queen lays between 175,000 and 200,000 eggs per year.

The average temperature of a hive is 93.5º F.

Beeswax production in most hives weighs only about 1 1/2% to 2% of the honey yield.

In order to produce 1 pound of beeswax, bees eat approximately 8 pounds of honey.