Where does your honey come from?

Our honey comes straight from our hives currently located in our back yard in the Indian Hills Country Club area of East Cobb. Honey frames are pulled from the hive, spun by hand, strained and bottled. That’s it! We do not use heat in our process nor do we add anything that doesn’t come from our hives so the honey you receive from us is just as nature intended, raw, unfiltered, and full of the good stuff.

Fun Facts:

• A honey bee will travel up to about 6 miles from their hive looking for forage and will typically visit anywhere from 50 to 100 flowers on each collection trip.

• The average honey bee will only produce about 1/12th a teaspoon of honey in her entire lifetime (which only lasts about 3 - 4 weeks in the spring and summer months).

What exactly is raw honey and is it safe to consume?

Raw honey is honey as it exists in the bee hive. Nothing more, nothing less. It is perfectly safe for healthy adults and kids to enjoy. It can, in rare occasions, contain small amounts of Clostridium botulinum which could be harmful to infants. This is why it is generally recommended that small children under the age of 1 not eat honey.

There is a very real difference between raw honey and most store bought “honey”. Most of the health benefits given to honey is attributed to raw honey, not the other “stuff”.

I heard eating honey has a lot of health benefits. Is this true?

Yes, this is absolutely true. Google is your friend here. Raw honey contains antioxidants and has antibacterial and antifungal properties. It also contains pollen and propolis which have health benefits of their own. As mentioned above there is a very real difference between raw, unfiltered honey and most honey you find in stores. Go raw!

Fun facts:

• Raw honey naturally contains hydrogen peroxide

• Raw honey has healing properties and has been used throughout history in a medicinal capacity, including being used as a battle dressing for soldiers during both world wars.

What’s the expiration/shelf life on honey?

Real honey doesn’t have one as long as it is sealed properly. Organisms that typically spoil foods cannot survive long in honey due to its pH and sugar content. Exposure to moisture could cause honey to ferment which should be pretty obvious by the smell and the sour taste. Honey should be stored at room temperature, NOT IN THE REFRIGERATOR.

Fun facts:

• Archeologists have found honey thousands of years old in ancient Egyptian tombs still perfectly good

• A honey bee is the only insect that produces a food eaten by humans.

• All of the worker bees in the hive and out foraging are females.

My honey turned “solid”. Do I need to throw it out now?

Absolutely not! There is nothing wrong with crystalized honey and all real honey will crystalize at some point. Crystalized honey is not a sign that the honey has expired or is no longer edible. If you must have it in liquid form, just heat it up a bit. Our preferred method is to set it out in the sun for a bit on a warm day or put it in some warm water. Just be careful not to get it too hot as this will start breaking down some of the beneficial properties. 95 ºF is a good target temperature (the temp of a beehive).

What’s the deal with the different colors?

Honey color is the result of the floral nectars that go into it and this is totally dependent on nature and the changing landscapes. Shrubs, trees, and flowers all bloom at different times and for different lengths of time. Weather has a direct impact on these times as well as the bees ability to leave the hive to collect. One thing we have learned, whatever the color, IT’S ALL GOOD OR BETTER.

Fun Facts:

• Not all flowers are created equal for honey bees. Some provide pollen, some nectar, some provide both and some provide none.

• Honey bees are attracted to flower colors in the blues, violets, yellows and white ranges. They do not see the color red.