Bee guys or anyone else

What is the difference in raw honey vs. regular refined honey. Baught a jar label raw honey at our trapper rondevoo last month and just ran out. Looking to get some more, but don’t know if they can sell it in stores.

Raw honey is right out of the hive and unpasteurized

You can order it online if you can’t find it in stores

The refined honey is heated killing all the good stuff, also filters all the pollen out of it. Then they mix it with Chinese honey (sugar syrup)

Your best bet is to buy from a beekeeper there are plenty on Ebay or Craigslist, farmers markets , even some on Amazon if you look good.. I am sure their are beekeepers near you.

You can always tell real honey it will harden if sitting in a cool place over a period of time, (Varies ). The heated ones in the store don't set up.

You might want to consider a few hives if you like honey. You can get buckets of honey if you do it right, and its a lot of fun.

Raw is merely strained to remove the large particulate from the extraction process.

Processed is initially strained then heated to both flow more readily through the bottling equipment and to liquefy any sugar crystals to retard granulation and prolong shelf life. Processed is also often passed through micro filtration to remove even the smallest of pollen grains that may serve as a template for granulation.

Processed is essentially denatured honey and minus the pollens is vulnerable to adulteration or false labeling by unscrupulous packers. Without its essential pollens there is no way to determine origin or source.

Nothing essentially "wrong" per se with processed IF the heating is kept below damaging levels and microfiltration avoided. However, considering well known and documented fraudulent trans shipping of banned honeys from places like China it is best to avoid processed honeys and to buy from known sources.

The biggest "loophole" is that the USDA does not have a legal definition of just what constitutes honey.

Other issues are that one cannot legally produce Organic honey anywhere within the US as the label Organic has rather strict production standards. The main one in this case is the the producer must have control of all property where the product is produced and certify that no non organic registered chemicals have been used on said property. Since bees are free range and each colony can range up to five miles this means the beekeeper must control the 8000 plus acres each colony can cover.

YET, our USDA recognizes Organic labels from other countries that are far less stringent.

BTW, raw is not a regulated term so buyer beware.

Good friend of mine has bees.
He does his honey the right way.
Alot more work but the product is incredible.
I can let him know iffn you want.

I've been seeing a lot of raw, local honey showing up in grocery stores lately. I'd be surprised if yours didn't carry any. (Maybe not Walmart, but most other grocery stores should).

Took advice and looked up bee keepers close to me. Found a place that sells raw honey and what looks like everything needed to take care of bee’s. Wouldn’t mind putting out a couple hives, but don’t know if I’ve got the time to properly take care of them.

Tommy and I were the only ones from Missouri with honey if you got it at the Missouri convention. I can ship it. If you are near Iowa, Tommy is closer and could likely ship it also.. All my honey is raw and only filtered with largest stainless screen to get large parts out. Much pollen is in my honey and I never heat it.

We pull two times on our honey - spring and fall due to seasonal pollen being in different honey. I believe God has given us many natural things like honey, garlic, and plants that help our bodies in which we have lost much knowledge.

The pint glass jar I bought was 10$ and tended to by a young man around 12 years old. Raw honey sticker on white lid

TreedaBlackdog has what you are looking for. The guidelines they put on the honey industry makes it all but impossible to sell through a store. Find a health food store that has local honey is another way to find a local producer. Might check with local law enforcement on who they call to pick up swarms as well. The more local on honey source the better for allergies.

Just a note on the last sentence there. The same rules that exist here are also in place for honey produced in other countries. Certifying agencies must not only be accredited by our USDA but are routinely audited to make sure of compliance. As I understand it, Brazil and China are the main countries that can comply with the regs. Domestically I think there is an apiary up in Washington state on an island that is certified for organic honey.

Black dog, I looked at sticker on lid and believe it was your honey. Hickory Hollow. Good stuff!! You interested in barter for pecans??

I agree with everything you've said. I can taste the difference between raw and processed. For me, processed tasted like it's been watered down. I much prefer raw.

There is no legal definition of "Honey" in the USA. Or none that is enforceable. There are no honey police walking around. Lots of corn syrup in bottles "called" Honey. Is there ramifications for this? NOPE.

Sams club locally sells "RAW, Unfiltered, Organic honey" for less than the commercial guys deliver it to the big plant buyers in 55 gallon drums. Figure that one out.

There is also a huge taste difference in even REAL honey. I sell honey to a gal who's parents are bee keepers about 60 miles away. She doesn't like their honey but likes mine. I tried real honey from a similar location and it tasted awful to me (in comparison).

It is illegal to buy honey from China however. That said, many countries that used to produce almost no honey NOW produce a lot of honey. It's the honey shell game.

If you don't know the bee keeper, you don't know what's in the bottle. Find a real bee keeper and ask him some questions. Also taste the honey alone....Not by dumping it on a bagel, like most people seem to do.

will send you a pm