IS THE HONEY I BUY

FROM THE STORE

"REALLY" LOCAL HONEY?

 Pollen from the same plants can be different with regard to the area they come from. Goldenrod may be the same over a broad area or hardiness zones, covering many states. But the makeup of pollen from a plant in Pennsylvania can be very different from the same species of goldenrod growing two states away.

Analyzing pollen from certain plants has been used to pinpoint a particular area. In some CSI cases, even the leaf and seeds can be used to pinpoint a particular area, even though the species of plant grew in many locations.
Because of this, and because the question "is the honey local "  has usually to do with a customer's intention to purchase honey with "LOCAL" pollen content  for  allergy relief; 50 miles might be considered local for honey. Within the 50 mile range, the pollen should be very similar and would be beneficial. Central Jersey honey for the most part would have similar pollen content from the western to the eastern or central part of the state.

If you define local as coming from your specific area, i.e., town or county, then it is incumbent upon the purchaser to inquire directly from the beekeeper abt the location of his bee colonies... the ones that produced the honey you are about to buy.  Honey that is sold in local stores or from your local farm market shelves often has the name of the supplier, usually a beekeeper and the beekeeper's address, which does not necessarily reflect the location where the bees made the honey.  Many beekeepers, sometimes (due to seasonal shortages in their own supply ) might need to purchase 60 pound pails of honey for re-packaging or bottles of honey from relatively local wholesale suppliers, which means that the honey with their address might actually be from say NY State, Ct., Pennsylvania or another part of New Jersey and not necessarily from the address on the bottle.  Varietals, tasty as they are, such as Tupelo Honey - (one of my favorites for example), can only be found in parts of Georgia or Florida where the Tupelo tree grows) Blueberry, and Cranberry from the  blueberry fields or cranberry bogs of New Jersey or other large areas where the plant is grown.  Honey bee colonies  were brought onto the farmed property from an outside area for purposes of  pollination and the subsequent honey crop was harvested. If asked, most beekeepers I know,  will tell you the source of their honey, when asked point blank,

"IS THIS HONEY I AM ABOUT TO PURCHASE FROM YOUR OWN HIVES AND WHERE ARE THOSE HIVES LOCATED".  

 Honey Bees travel up to a two miles on any given day and sometimes as much as 3 miles, to collect the nectar from which they make honey. 

ABOUT US

One Pound Local Wildflower Honey $8.00

  ALL ABOUT HONEY

Honey is a sweet food made by bees using nectar from flowers.  The variety produced by honey bees is the most commonly referenced, as it is the type of honey collected by beekeepers and consumed by humans.  Honey produced by other bees and insects has distinctly different properties.

Honey bees store nectar as their primary food source in their wax honey combs which they make,  inside the beehive.

Honey's natural sugars are dehydrated, which prevents fermentation, with added enzymes to modify and transform their chemical composition and pH invertases and digestive acids hydrolize sucrose to give the mono saccharides glucose and fructose.  Invertase is one of these enzymes synthesized by the the honey bee.

ANCIENT TIMES:  Honey collection is an ancient acitivity  which began some 8,000 years ago as evidenced by cave painting in Spain.  The painting shows two honey hunters collecting honey and honeycomb from a wild bee nest.  The figures in the painting are shown carrying baskets or gourds and using a ladder or series of ropes to reach awild nest.  In ancient Egypt, honey was used to sweeten cakes and biscuits, and was used in many other dishes. The Maya used honey from the stingless bee for culinary purposes and continue to do so today.  The Mayaa also regard  the honey bee as sacred.   

Historically honey has been used to treat a variety of ailments, from allergies and gastric disturbances to ulcers, wounds and burns, through ingestion or topical application. Only recently have the chemical and  antibacterial properties of honey been chemically explained.  Different honeys have different properties, which was known from ancient times.   a special variety of honey is irradiated and then used in the treatment of burns and other wounds ...