Honey

I Love Honey

Did you know bees travel 30,000 miles to produce a 227g (8oz) jar of honey and visit between 50 and 250 flowers on a single flight?

It’s hard to believe but there are up to 60,000 bees in a hive during Summer and the Queen lays up to 2,000 eggs a day (that’s the equivalent of her own body weight)!

Considering this, it’s fair to say a lot of work goes in to producing a jar of honey and I am especially proud of my Talking With Bees brand (the reason for its name can be found on the home page).

If you have already bought one of my jars and would like to know more about the bees and beekeeper who made this honey, please visit the following pages:

Top 5 Reasons To Buy Local Honey

I am proud that Talking With Bees honey is locally produced, not heat treated and only roughly filtered (1.5mm filter), meaning it has extra qualities on top of the general honey goodness! A jar of Talking With Bees honey will include some pollen and possibly other hive products such as propolis and wax.  It will also granulate over time.  So whilst often it won’t look as clear and be as runny as a lot of the honey you find it supermarkets – it is 100% natural.

  1. Reduce hay fever symptoms: There are NHS homeopathic hospitals that provide treatments which include exposure to grass pollens throughout the year.  However, whilst many hay fever sufferers are confident that local honey reduces symptoms the evidence so far is anecdotal
  2. More interesting and varied:  Imagine if there was only one type of cheese or one type of beer or wine – without all the variation.  Honey from different locations tastes different and it also tastes different from year to year from the same hives due to varying flora.  Local honey is just far more interesting than mass produced honey
  3. Better taste and nutrition: Local honey is often raw, roughly filtered and has not been heat treated or pasteurised.  This means it tastes better and includes a wider variety of nutrients, including pollen and enzymes.  Honey does not need to be pasteurised, it will last indefinitely, it’s just that high temperatures break down the crystals in the honey and make it clearer and runnier for longer.  It might look better but that’s all.
  4. Support honeybees in your local area: There are very few wild honeybee hives due to the destruction of their habitat and forage, use of pesticides and the recent introduction of the varroa mite which weakens the bees and reduces their reistance to viruses.  We now need local beekeepers to maintain the honeybee population so they can continue with their vital pollination of plants and flowers.  Buying local honey supports local beekeepers in their efforts
  5. Less food miles: Honey in supermarkets is often labelled as “a blend of EU and non EU Honey”.  It travels thousands of miles and is traded on a London commodity market.  Local honey has often not seen a car and will have only travelled a few miles

Enjoy your honey.

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2 thoughts on “Honey”

  1. Like your comment on taste variations. Have a hive in central Florida. Fall is interesting this year as punk trees (a melaleuca) are blooming along with Brazilian pepper. The honey is not to everyone’s taste, but is a lot like butterscotch with jalapeños – wierd buttery sweet but burns your throat and very thick.
    A few weeks ago the honey was perfumy and floral and runny by comparison.
    Nothing the hive produces tastes anything like clover honey, which is just plain sweet.

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