Some common questions about honey
We often get asked about the difference between raw honey and the honey you buy at the grocery store. We can't speak for all honey because there is always a range of different qualities of honey available. In addition, grocery stores are getting wise to customer preferences and often will provide raw local honey. But often the very inexpensive honey is a conglomerate of honeys from all over the world. Some of these honeys may come from countries that allow chemicals that are banned in the United States—and residues may be present in the honey (read this article about Chinese honey or this one about chemicals in foreign honey). These honeys are mixed to insure a uniform flavor, and then heated to high temperatures to stop any crystallization. Some unscrupulous honey sellers will even add high fructose corn syrup to the mixture!
Why is some honey light and other honey dark?
The flavor and color of the honey depends on the flowers that the bee visits. Each individual hive will have its own look and taste, and even this will change seasonally. As a general rule, light-colored honey is milder in taste and dark-colored honey is stronger.
Honey Storage
You should store honey at room temperature. And don’t worry if your honey crystallizes. This is a natural thing for raw honey to do. It does not mean that the honey has spoiled. Honey has a very long shelf-life due to its high concentration of sugar.
If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve. Or, place the honey in a microwave-safe container with the lid off and microwave it on low power, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil the honey as this will affect the nutritional quality.
Why is some honey light and other honey dark?
The flavor and color of the honey depends on the flowers that the bee visits. Each individual hive will have its own look and taste, and even this will change seasonally. As a general rule, light-colored honey is milder in taste and dark-colored honey is stronger.
Honey Storage
You should store honey at room temperature. And don’t worry if your honey crystallizes. This is a natural thing for raw honey to do. It does not mean that the honey has spoiled. Honey has a very long shelf-life due to its high concentration of sugar.
If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve. Or, place the honey in a microwave-safe container with the lid off and microwave it on low power, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil the honey as this will affect the nutritional quality.
