Honey
My honey is cut from the comb, spun in an extractor, and filtered once. Then it’s bottled. No heat-treating, no pasteurization, no extra flavoring. This is why my honey is considered raw (and not recommended for infants under 1 year of age). Check out the process step-by-step!
Honey Extraction Process
First, I need to remove the frames of honey from the hive. These hive boxes are added on to the top of the hive and are called “supers.” The bees fill the shallow frames inside the super with honey and cap them with a thin layer of wax, like a lid. When the frames are fully capped, they are ready to go. I typically brush the bees off each frame, but other beekeepers use different methods, like bee escapes (that let bees out but not back in), or even a landscape blower to remove the bees!
I set up my workspace: buckets, uncapping knife for the wax, clean towels and water, fine mesh filters, and my honey extractor.
I gently cut off the thin layer of wax cappings from each frame to expose the comb filled honey underneath!
I load the extractor - mine has room for 3 frames and is a manual crank extractor. There are some extractors out there with room for up to 20 frames (thankfully those are electric). The extractor spins the frames around and the centrifugal force flings the honey to the sides of the cylinder, where it drips down. Then I need to flip each frame and run them again so the other side is extracted!
The moment of truth: opening the valve to release the honey. It flows into a bucket with a fine mesh filter that will capture any small pieces of wax or other particles.
That’s it! The honey is stored in 5 gallon buckets until I’m ready to transfer it into 1lb glass jars.
First, I need to remove the frames of honey from the hive. These hive boxes are added on to the top of the hive and are called “supers.” The bees fill the shallow frames inside the super with honey and cap them with a thin layer of wax, like a lid. When the frames are fully capped, they are ready to go. I typically brush the bees off each frame, but other beekeepers use different methods, like bee escapes (that let bees out but not back in), or even a landscape blower to remove the bees!
I load the extractor - mine has room for 3 frames and is a manual crank extractor. There are some extractors out there with room for up to 20 frames (thankfully those are electric). The extractor spins the frames around and the centrifugal force flings the honey to the sides of the cylinder, where it drips down. Then I need to flip each frame and run them again so the other side is extracted!
That’s it! The honey is stored in 5 gallon buckets until I’m ready to transfer it into 1lb glass jars.
I set up my workspace: buckets, uncapping knife for the wax, clean towels and water, fine mesh filters, and my honey extractor.
I gently cut off the thin layer of wax cappings from each frame to expose the comb filled honey underneath!
The moment of truth: opening the valve to release the honey. It flows into a bucket with a fine mesh filter that will capture any small pieces of wax or other particles.
YGTH is Award-Winning!
Crystallization of Honey
If your honey has crystallized, don’t panic - it’s still good! Place your honey jar into a bowl of hot water to reliquify. Just don’t make the water TOO hot, and definitely don’t put your honey container in the microwave - the heat will kill the beneficial properties. Crystallization happens when part of the glucose in the honey has separated from the water and formed crystals. This often happens over time.
If your honey has fermented, it means the water content in the honey is higher than normal. It may smell fermented or look a little different. This is still okay to eat, too. In fact, some folks like to purposely ferment honey by adding ingredients like cranberries, garlic, and jalapenos. There are tons of resources online for fermented honey recipes.
Store-Bought Honey
If you have to buy your honey in a store, pay attention to the label. If it’s a “Product of” multiple countries, that means honey from different countries has been imported and mixed together. Typically, the quality won’t be as great, and there’s a chance sugar syrup or corn syrup has been added - yuck! Single-source honey is always better if you can access it; even better if it’s local.
A keyword to look for is raw honey. Honey for sale in stores is sometimes heat-treated to stay liquid for longer without crystallization, but heating can kill the beneficial enzymes, and reduce or even eliminate antibacterial properties. If you want honey in your tea, go for it - but make sure to lick the spoon!
Note: The American Beekeeping Federation is working with the FDA to establish country of origin label regulations for honey.