Three Rivers Beekeepers
www.threeriversbeekeepers.com
University Extension Center St. Charles County
extension.missouri.edu/stcharles
Missouri State Beekeepers
www.mostatebeekeepers.org
Eastern Missouri Beekeepers Association
www.easternmobeekeepers.com
National Honey Board
www.honey.com
Honey Recipes (National Honey Board)
http://www.honey.com/nhb/recipes/
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ...
How do you store honey?
Store honey at room temperature – your kitchen counter or pantry shelf is ideal.
Storing honey in the refrigerator accelerates the honey’s crystallization. Crystallization is the natural process in which liquid in honey becomes solid.
Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor over time. This is a temperature-dependent process, making the shelf life of honey difficult to define. For practical purposes, a shelf life of two years is often stated.
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, stirring every 30 seconds, until the crystals dissolve. Be careful not to boil or scorch the honey.
Note: Honey should not be fed to infants under one year of age. Honey is a safe and wholesome food for children and adults. Click here for more details.
What is raw honey?
Raw honey should closely resemble the honey taken directly from the hive. It is not processed other than to spin the frames to get the honey extracted from the comb. Raw honey is not heated excessively and is not fine filtered. The fragrancy and goodness of natural honey is preserved. Sugars (especially fructose), antioxidants, pollen and minerals are preserved. The down side is that raw honey crystallizes and turns cloudy a few months after extraction. Uninformed consumers think the honey is spoiled and don't buy it.
Where does the honey in commercial varieties come from?
A lot of honey sold in the US is imported from a variety of countries, including China, Mexico and Argentina. The origins of this honey and what is in it is not always clearly defined. A few years ago honey from China was temporarily barred from entry into the US because producers in China were using Chloramphenicol in the hives to kill bacteria. This compound is an antibiotic that has been associated with the fatal disease aplastic anemia.
What gives honey its color and flavor?
Honey is flavored by the flower nectar that is collected by the bees. Clover (early summer flower) produces a very light colored honey that is mild in flavor. Asters (fall flower) produce a nectar that gives honey a dark amber color and is more robust in flavor. Basswood is spicy. Buckwheat produces a nearly black honey with an unpleasant flavor. On the other hand, Buckwheat honey contains a load of antioxidants which are good for your health.
Also, the type of flower determines if the honey will crystallize quickly or not at all, regardless of heating.
What is the nutritional value of honey?
One hundred grams (7 tablespoons) of honey contains 82 gm of carbohydrate (27% of the daily requirement), no fat and a variety of vitamins and minerals. These are nicely listed at
www.elook.org/nutrition/sweets/6020.html. Vitamin and mineral content will vary some depending on the honey source.
This question is best answered by the National Honey Board and the following appears on their website. "Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor. This is a temperature-dependent process, making the shelf life of honey difficult to define. For practical purposes, a shelf life of two years is often stated. Properly processed, packaged and stored honey retains its quality for a long time".
