Honey or not?

[Bearman202]

Does anyone know of a test that will tell you if you have real honey or not? I ask, because I've read that some of the crap coming out of China is labelled as honey, but it's actually a combination of high fructose corn syrup and artificial coloring. I know the best option is locally produced honey, and I have a source for that, but I also have some honey I bought at the store and need to know if I can eat it or need to toss it. Thanks.

[saeb]

Try to buy it local. Here in the stores, the honey has a local sticker attached to it. The honey you buy needs to be cloudy. The more clear it is the more filtration it has been through and lost the good stuff that you want in it.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

We ate at a resteraunt about a month ago that has fake honey. It didnt taste very good, thats what made me look at the container to find out it was fake.

[Karen]

Buy your honey from a local beekeeper so you know what you are getting. Or if you aren't allergic to bee stings, have your own hives.

[tech]

Buy your honey from a local beekeeper so you know what you are getting. Or if you aren't allergic to bee stings, have your own hives.

Either way, it's a good idea to get to know your local produce producers now and become a regular customer before things go south. Regular customers nearly always get preferential treatment ;)

Additionally, consuming local honey can help with allergies - and it stores well.

[Benn Gleck]

I have my own honey from a topbar hive and it is cloudy due to the way I extracted the honey from the wax.

Getting into beekeeping has opened my eyes to how much poisonous chemicals are used in hives.

Even if you buy local honey it has had a poison used in the hive to control verroa mites. If it is used correctly it should not get into your honey.

My hive got ZERO miticide used in it so I know its organic.

[Karen]

There are many small beekeepers like you and I, who don't use poisons to control verroa mites or anything else in our hives. I've been keeping bees for a few years now and I have never used any chemical or poison in any of my hives.
It's survival of the fittest for the bees here on my property. If the bees can't survive without chemical treatments, I don't want them.

[BioG8r]

You can check with your local Ag Extension Office, they will usually have knowledge of the beekeepers in your area, Try to buy local and make sure and ask the keeper all of the questions that are of value to you, Meds used, type of honey, season collected. The very best is honey removed at the beginning of summer (spring honey) many beekeepers will be VERY HAPPY to tell you ALL about their crop.

[JUSTIFIED]

Either way, it's a good idea to get to know your local produce producers now and become a regular customer before things go south. Regular customers nearly always get preferential treatment ;)

Additionally, consuming local honey can help with allergies - and it stores well.

We've heard the same thing about buying honey produced locally as far as allergies, etc...Also don't have to worry about it being made in China or being fake.

[MustangGal]

We just recently bought our first local honey. The hubby is in love with the stuff!

[slightly paranoid]

I never realized there was fake honey. Could be bad if you are using it for it's anti-bacterial properties. I read an article that states all Chinese exports have to be marked. It may not say made in china, but look for the letters CE on the product (Chinese export). Since the article, I have noticed the letters on a lot of things, especially medical supplies.

[Not_Yet_Prepped]

I letters CE on the product (Chinese export).

CE started as abriavated words in French (Don't remember the French Term) but translated to basically "European Conformity". But now it covers a board range of things and basically means the product complies with EU laws/regulations... China did (maybe still) mark(s) some of their products that way but the EU is making sure that the products that get CE markings meet the EU laws and no other products. So CE may or may not appear on China's exports and CE does appear on many other countries exports if that product is also intended to be sold in Europe.

We have some German made woodworking equipment here at the work, made in germany, finally assembly in the US. These products all have CE labels. Its like having to get UL label on products that must meet those requirements here state side.

[Coyote Cuffer]

This is my second season as a beek. I harvested my first honey yesterday and finished straining it into buckets today. 72.38 lbs. of raw organic honey. I started with two nuc colonies and now have six colonies. One of these is a wild hive that I removed from a water meter box just hours ago. I am really enjoying the bees. I have two other hives ready to harvest.

[Bearman202]

Well, I recently bought some honey from Aldi's, and when I pulled off the inner seal and took a whiff, it was wrong. It just didn't smell right. It was supposedly organic wildflower honey. I tasted it, and it was nasty. It did NOT taste like honey. I took it back. It was a product of Brazil. I did a little research, and found that after we banned Chinese honey, (that wasn't) they started sending it to South America and re-packaging it. Folk, those local producers are looking REALLY attractive now.

Honey is an integral part of my health regimen. I eat oatmeal two to three times a week, and I put honey and cinnamon on it. It seems that if you eat the combination, you don't get sick. I've been doing it for 4 years now, and haven't had the flu or a cold since I started doing it. I use probably a teaspoon to a teaspoon and a half of cinnamon, and maybe a tablespoon of honey.

[jimmycthemd]

The ONLY way I've found to get real honey is to find a local beekeeper. It took me awhile, but I've found three in my AO. Believe it or not, they are cheaper than buying it at the store and I was able to take a look at their 'processing'.
All three consists only of a centrifugal seperator and filters. No pasteurizing, no additives and all three are natural wildflower based. I've been using them for about 3 years now. I use it for baking (bread) and also, like you, for oatmeal about 4 or 5 times a week. Love the taste and health benefits. I usually keep a couple of gallons around for general use.