Pure Honey and Fake honey
Do you have a jar of honey in your kitchen? Well, I hope you do, it’s a must-have! Not only because you can use it in many types of cooking, but it’s also full of benefits. But are you sure that the honey you buy is as natural as you think, and provides you all the benefits that it should? Let me enlighten you on making the right choice…
76% of grocery store “honey’ is fake…
I know, it makes me cringe too.
We’ve all heard honey is a natural product. Even though it comes out of a factory (more or less big), it’s made by bees. The story of bees making honey is one of the more fascinating of the animal world. So, wondering if there are some honeys that are better than others?
Pick a jar on the shelf. If you can read “honey” on the label, you assume that the only ingredient in that jar you are about to buy is honey. Unfortunately that’s not always the case, and you should also carefully read the fine print… Don’t be mislead this cute golden bear playing with a hive and its friendly bees (like they would allow that!). The beautiful golden hue that draws your attention is probably a non-honey substance in disguise. In other words, you are about to buy a honey-flavoured sugary syrup tainted with crazy chemicals, heavy metals and antibiotics. I know, it is highly disappointing.
It’s a fact we are all aware of, lots of companies are mainly focused on increasing the volume of a product available for sale and boost profits. It’s unfortunately the case for honey too, and as a result, its quality is as cheap as the price.
Let’s hunt the golden treasure
Now pick that second jar that is a bit more expensive (the label might not be as flashy as the one with the smiley bear) but I’ll tell you why it’s the best choice.
Producing honey is not cheap. A bee only makes about 1/2 of a teaspoon of honey during her life. Easy to realise how many bees have worked to make this 375g of pure honey jar you are holding now! Beekeepers also have to work hard. Don’t worry, they leave the bees enough honey for the winter (they have a beautiful relationship).
If this honey is locally made, from a farm or a co-op, it’s always guaranteed to be real honey (unless the label says “orange blossom honey” while you live in the UK there might be a catch though).
Don’t get me wrong, honey doesn’t have to be local to be good. As long as honey is the only ingredient written on that label, you got it, you are making the right choice.
If you don’t know or don’t have access to farmers’ honey, you have fair chances to get real honey from an organic store.
Enjoy the pure experience
Keep in mind that you can not identify pure honey by colour. Honey colours can range from clear white to very dark, and it only depends on the variety of plants. It also gives you indications on the taste, an exciting topic from the whole honey experience that will give me the occasion to write you another post!
In the meantime, have fun in your search for pure honey and the different options and varieties to try. Just remember, don’t trust that malicious bear and always read the label closely.
