Honey??s

tomstractormag · #1 05/04/07, 01:38 AM

With all the problems there are with the bee population, where is all the honey coming from? Is it really pure honey? Is it honey at all? Reason I am asking is there seems to be no shortage in the stores at all. Thanks. Tom

indypartridge · #2 05/04/07, 04:59 AM

A lot of the honey you'll find in chain supermarkets and such is imported, China and Argentina being primary sources. Often you'll see "blends" which claim to include honey from the U.S. Yeah, right. Perhaps a U.S. honey bee flew nearby when they were blending.

Purity? That's subject to a lot of debate. A few years ago Chinese honey was found to be chemically contaminated and was banned. Sara Lee and Smuckers got caught using contaminated, illegally imported honey. And with Chinese honey banned, the very next year Vietnam became one of the world's largest honey-exporters. Hmmmm..

It's easy to dilute honey with corn syrup. Hard to detect. I suspect much of the imported honey and honey blends on the shelves has been diluted.

As for the shortage of bees, honey is the least of our worries. Most commercial beekeepers make their money in pollination and not honey production. About 80% of fruits & veggies are pollinated by honey bees. In short, honey bees are responsible for about 1/3 of the food we eat.

Your best bet for getting pure honey is to buy locally-produced honey. Find a beekeeper near you. You'll bee amazed how much better the honey tastes, too!

Quiet Guy · #3 05/04/07, 05:11 AM

Many years ago I had some jelly made from Dandelion blossoms. Ayuh, tasted just like honey.

newfieannie · #4 05/04/07, 06:08 AM

[QUOTE=Quiet Guy]Many years ago I had some jelly made from Dandelion blossoms. Ayuh, tasted just like honey.[/QUOTE

I remember this! my mother use to make it.delicious! I have a recipe for honey made from clover blossoms. I must find it and try..... Georgia.

Batt · #5 05/04/07, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tomstractormag

Where is all the honey coming from?

Pure honey from the U.S. for the most part is still a month or 2 away. What is on the store shelves now is probably from last year. That is OK though as pure honey stores indefinatly.

**Terri** · #6 05/04/07, 07:52 AM

Read the label. A honey "blend" is USUALLY different kinds of honey mixed together. If it has been blended with corn syrup, the label must show this.

We are a rich country. If any one crop is poor, we import.

holleegee · #7 05/04/07, 08:08 AM

A lot of honey you get isn't really honey! Make sure it says 100% honey. An example-the honey from places like Kentucky Fried chicken, ingredients:High frutose corn syrup, sugar, corn syrup, honey, caramel color.

My daughter is allergic to corn so we have to be very careful to check EVERY label. We buy our honey from a local beekeeper.

haypoint · #8 05/04/07, 08:43 AM

China. The honey in most stores is from China. If it doesn't say where it came from, it came from China. Just like lots of other foods. Apple juice is from concentrate shipped in from China. Even the juice that says "Made with apples grown in the USA" has come from concentrate from China, with juice from USA added. Who knows how much is USA?
So don't worry about our strange loss of honey bees causing US crop failures. China has been planting orchards for over a decade. If a 100 Billion dollar annual trade deficit doesn't bother anyone, what's another Billion?

dcross · #9 05/04/07, 09:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by indypartridge

It's easy to dilute honey with corn syrup. Hard to detect.

Actually it's very easy to detect, if anyone actually tests for it

keljonma · #10 05/04/07, 09:46 AM

I decided to check our local stores this past week. I'm concerned because I've only seen 6 honeybees since the beginning of April and by now our flowers should be covered with them. Honey labels on containers said whether they were blends or 100% honey. The origins on the different containers were the US. US, Argentina, China. US, Argentina, India. So please make sure you read the labels if you can't locate a local beekeeper!

FUNKY PIONEER · #11 05/04/07, 10:28 AM

I was told by a local honey producer who sells honey to some bigger corporations who process it, that honey can be legally labeled 100% pure even if it has up to 30% corn syrup in it! And they don't have to say a thing on the labels.

keljonma · #12 05/04/07, 11:05 AM

Which makes me even more glad that I support local beekeepers by purchasing their products.

RockyGlen · #13 05/04/07, 11:14 AM

The honey on the store shelves now is still last years honey. Several of the articles I have read about colony collapse disorder say it became a big problem in or around last November - which means this will be the first crop since then. I would expect to see major price increases starting in about 3 months. And colony collapse disorder is not just a US problem...it is continuing to spread worldwide, so even imported honey is going to go up in price.

Nancy · #14 05/04/07, 01:01 PM

What's that dandelion jelly recipe ?

BlueHeronFarm · #15 05/04/07, 01:19 PM

The other reason to buy local honey is that it can help lower your allergic reaction to local plants. I'm not a scientist, but had it explained to me once - just can't regurgitate it. Basically it is the same general principle as a vaccine - low dose exposure to allergens can help you fight them better.

**Terri** · #16 05/04/07, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FUNKY PIONEER

I was told by a local honey producer who sells honey to some bigger corporations who process it, that honey can be legally labeled 100% pure even if it has up to 30% corn syrup in it! And they don't have to say a thing on the labels.

No.

That being said, cutting honey with corn syrup was once the rule, not the exception. Honey lovers of my fathers generation would buy comb honey, because what is inside the comb would be PURE honey!

james dilley · #17 05/04/07, 02:32 PM

Easy test to tell if your honey is cut with corn syrup. The air bubble will move faster in cut honey. The honey that is sold around here is 100% pure Honey. We have control of it from the hive to the bottle!! The other bee keepers here are just as picky. Our bees have been flying since last year. And there are swarms all the time.. Was told about one today, Told the fellow to come by .And I would get him together with Alvin so he could remove them.. As I can't right now..

ET1 SS · #18 05/04/07, 05:58 PM

I have also read that cutting honey with refined sugar [not corn syrup] can be done up to 80% [along with some water] and the consumer can not tell the difference. It was once fairly common as a method of stretching honey production. Until the universities finally developed a lab test, and states began cracking down on sugared-honey.

Now days it does sound like corn-syrup is the fad.

TundraGypsy · #19 05/04/07, 06:56 PM

Yes, I'd like that recipe for dandelion jelly too. I have access to a ton of the flowers in the spring! Many thanks in advance!!

**Terri** · #20 05/04/07, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ET1 SS

I have also read that cutting honey with refined sugar [not corn syrup] can be done up to 80% [along with some water] and the consumer can not tell the difference. It was once fairly common as a method of stretching honey production. Until the universities finally developed a lab test, and states began cracking down on sugared-honey.

Now days it does sound like corn-syrup is the fad.

The laws about labeling are strictly enforced.....when the perp is caught! Is adding other things to the honey legal? No. Not unless it is on the label: that is the Federal law.

Is it done? Sometimes.

Not long ago, KFC got slapped for violating the labeling laws. If you say honey blend, there MUST be honey in it instead of artificial flavoring! Just as there must be avacado in the guacamole dip (The feds got another company for that)!