All About Honey
Tupelo Honey, like the song says, is wonderful. For years, until I researched this article in fact, I thought (duh) that it came from Tupelo, Mississippi. Of course, how could it not be when Elvis himself was born there! Alas, not so. Tupelo honey is one of the rarest honeys in the world, and for centuries it was an under-the-radar delicacy eaten only in certain areas of Georgia and Florida, where the white Ogeechee tupelo tree blooms. (Southern Cypress Swamps in Florida and Georgia)
That is, until the 1970s when the rock star Van Morrison released his album, Tupelo Honey. Ever since this flash of stardom the expensive sweetener has been sought out by eaters and prized for its butteriness and floral spice. I had it in Appalachia as a kid, and when I got out in the world, I thought that all honey elsewhere was just ‘not that’. Turns out, Manuka from New Zealand is about as close as I have ever had. So, honey is on the Intentional Table today. Let’s dive in (or at least put some in my tea.)
What You Need to Know
This delicious, golden, syrupy sweetener has been used as food and medicine in cultures around the world since it was first foraged more than 8,000 years ago. Today, honey is harvested worldwide by big corporations, your neighbors, and countless specialty producers. It can sweeten your tea, enhance both the flavor and consistency of your barbecue sauce, and bring out nuances in a hunk of blue cheese.
Of course, maybe you noticed that ounce for ounce, the price is rising like a boiling kettle. Over the past decade, retail honey prices have shown a consistent upward trend due to factors like increased demand for natural sweeteners, inflation, and supply challenges such as declining bee populations. For example:
In 2010, the average retail price of honey in the U.S. was approximately $4.70 per pound. By 2020, it had risen to around $8.20 per pound.
Recent data from 2023 indicates an average price of $9.50–$10.00 per pound in the retail sector, with organic honey often commanding even higher prices. Of course, here at the ITable, we have a desire at all times for organic, made by hand if possible and better yet, made by these hands. That comes at a premium. Local honey from known farms here in California can reach $30+ a jar. Ouch.
Factors contributing to these changes include growing consumer preference for organic and locally produced honey, and a surge in interest during the COVID-19 pandemic as people focused on health and immunity. You know, it’s like many things, you can pay what you want, because there is always someone who has the luxury end of the stick. They will be happy to charge you $80, if you wish. When it get’s over $20, I start to wiggle. There are many who would say that with disease, hive collapse and the use of Glyphosate, that the end is near and that prices are never going to be easy for this treat. We need to keep our heads on a swivel and do what’s right for our pollinators, but more about that later.
Honey offers so much more than just sweetness. At its best it can taste vegetal, woodsy, floral, fruity, and even resinous or spicy.
Most of us are familiar with the bear-shaped jars of honey, and you might even have one in your pantry right now. Now, that said, I would be very careful about what’s in the jar, there friend. Like anything of value, that is this expensive, there are fakes and flakes to watch out for. Take maple syrup for example, it gets stolen all the time in massive quantities because it costs more than the most expensive fluid per ounce in the world (water).
But there's so much more to honey than that simple, sweet syrup. At its best, honey contains nuanced aromas and flavors. It can taste floral, bitter, acidic, sweet, and even have notes of menthol or tobacco. Like wine, olive oil, and oysters, honey's flavor and aroma are impacted by its terroir. (fancy word for a place that is a recipe of land, water, earth, wind, etc.) You get very different results based on where the honeybees live and work, including the honeybees' diet, the time of the year the honey is harvested, and how it's processed. Honey ranges in color from very pale yellow to dark amber. It can be thin and liquidy, thick and creamy, dense and viscous, or anywhere in between.
How Honey Is Made
Bees are industrious, intelligent, and collaborative insects. Forager bees range up to 6 miles per day gathering nectar from flowers and storing it in their second stomachs, called honey sacs. While collecting nectar, they also pick up pollen, which sticks to their hairy bodies. {This is how many plants reproduce, and why bees are essential to their life cycle.) The enzyme invertase, which is present in the bees' honey sac, begins to break down the nectar. When they return to the hive they pass the nectar to worker bees who chew the honey, adding more enzymes, until the nectar is completely broken down. The bees are converting pollen, which is a mix of fructose and sucrose into pure fructose only. This is also used by us two legged types, called Invert Sugar. You can buy invert sugar in pastry making stores, and it’s often flavored and used inside of bonbons, etc. It’s the gooey stuff inside your chocolate.
Bees are industrious, intelligent, collaborative insects that make honey by foraging and collecting nectar before breaking it down into simple sugars, dehydrating it, and storing it in honeycombs. This transformation results in thick, luscious honey we know and love.
You will often find bees collecting sap from trees, which they take back to their hives as propolis — a kind of resin that not only preserves their home but has a vital function in their collective immune system. Hollow trees that boast resident bees inside them live decades longer, largely thanks to this imported and maintained layer of resinous propolis. If you have ever taken a tour inside of a hive, you will notice that the beekeeper has a stout pry-bar to open the hive and remove the racks. This stuff is great glue, it’s tough!
Honey heating (like in your tea) entails a progressive browning and a more or less obvious loss of volatile substances that characterize the aroma. Honey that has been filtered and/or heated will add requisite sweetness to tea or toast, but critics say it lacks the characteristics that make honey special, such as nuanced flavor, complex aroma, and viscous texture. Companies that don't filter or high-heat process their honey typically note on the bottles that it's unfiltered and/or raw. If honey is superclear, without impurities or imperfections, it's likely been filtered at least once, and there's a chance it's been heated too. You getting this? That stuff that pours so easily even when it’s cold may be ‘modified a bit, you know?’
Creamed honey is purposefully crystallized by manufacturers. It is opaque, thick, and sticky with the consistency of lemon curd.
Creamed Honey: Thick, Creamy, and Spreadable
Most honey is liquid, but you can also find thick, sticky honey with the consistency of lemon curd. This "creamed honey" is made by encouraging liquid honey to crystallize. Makers can either add a certain amount of already-crystallized honey to liquid honey or whip liquid honey, which adds small air bubbles for the crystals to grow on. In some cases, manufacturers use honey that is especially prone to crystallization.
Blended Honey versus Monoftoral Honey
Many supermarket honeys are blends of several kinds of honey and as such are called polyfloral or blended honey. It's common to see blends of wildflower honeys and blends of clover honeys. Often big brands will get honey from several sources across the country and sometimes from international beehives too. By blending the honey, companies ensure consistent flavor from year to year. This is the same thing that winemakers do in the new world wines. Shop around until you get the taste the way you wish and to take advantage of prices that vary from place to place.
Monofloral honey is made when honey bees extract nectar from the same primary floral source; it typically contains between 20 and 60 percent nectar from that flower. Monofloral honey is made when honeybees eat nectar from the same primary floral source; it typically contains between 20 and 60 percent nectar from that flower.
Beekeepers can't control bees' flight patterns, but they can introduce them to environments when a specific flower is in bloom. I LOVE this about the hive I started. They fly out of the hive towards the sun like a shot! They can fly up to about 15mph, so don’t stand in the ‘runway’ because they will run smack into you when they bolt out of the door!
To make "pure monofloral honey," explained Francesca Paternoster, beekeeper and monofloral honey producer for Mieli Thun, "we look for specially selected, uncontaminated locations where we bring our bees in the peak blooming periods." In the United States, there are more than 300 unique types of monofloral honey from different floral sources, according to the National Honey Board, and there are many more around the world. The flavors and colors of monofloral honeys can vary from season to season and year to year based on changes in environmental factors such as climate and rainfall. Honey harvested in the spring tends to be light in color and more delicate in flavor, while honey harvested in the fall is often dark and more robust, explained Mary Duane, president of the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association.
Adulterated Honey
How bad is this issue? Have you read about fake olive oil, fake maple syrup, etc. It’s like that. I have even heard that there is fake rice (made from starch) being found in bags now. Profit and greed know no limits.
Adulterated honey is honey to which another sweetener, such as corn syrup, has been added. Companies do this in order to cut costs and stretch their supply and also because the addition of corn syrup helps prevent crystallization. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has guidelines to clarify honey labeling so that consumers can make informed shopping decisions. A food cannot be labeled as simply "honey" if it contains another sweetener. If a honey contains corn syrup, it legally must be labeled as a "blend of honey and corn syrup." If it contains more corn syrup than honey, it must be labeled "a blend of corn syrup and honey." There are several home tests that purport to reveal whether honey is adulterated or not. However, the National Honey Board insists that the only way to know for sure is to test the honey in a lab. Of course, the VERY BEST way is if possible, know your source.
FAQs - just some basics…
What's the best way to store honey?
Honey should be stored in an airtight plastic or glass container at room temperature, or above 65 degrees. Honey crystallizes fastest between 45 and 65 degrees, so don't keep honey in the refrigerator. Surprisingly, though, the freezer is a great option for honey storage because its temperature is too cold for the honey to crystallize or fully freeze. If you choose to store your honey this way, bring the honey to room temperature about 24 hours before using it.
What should I do if my honey crystallizes?
Most honey will crystallize over time. That's no reason to throw it out-it hasn't gone bad. The easiest option is simply to enjoy the crystallized honey without returning it to its liquid state; it's easy to spread without dripping and it melts quickly when stirred into hot drinks. However, if you would prefer to bring your honey back to liquid, Amina Harris, director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, recommends setting the jar of honey in warm water until it liquifies. Avoid using the microwave to soften or reliquify your honey as many microwaves don't heat evenly, so parts of the honey can boil or scorch. To limit crystallization from the start, keep your honey jar tightly sealed, because evaporation leads to crystallization. And always use a clean spoon or knife to get honey out of the jar, because any crumbs or water droplets that get in the jar will cause the honey to crystallize faster.
Does honey go bad?
No, under normal circumstances, honey does not go bad. In fact, "honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries," according to the National Honey Board. However, over a long period of time honey can lose some flavor and aroma as well as darken in color. In order to maintain the best quality, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends consuming honey within 12 months. After that, honey won't go bad, but it can crystallize, harden, and/or lose some of its nuances. If your honey becomes contaminated with water at any time, it can ferment. If you see mold or your honey smells fermented or cheesy, toss it.
What is manuka honey?
Native to New Zealand and Australia, manuka honey has been used for thousands of years for medicinal purposes. The tea tree or manuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium), from which manuka honey's nectar comes, "is known to have antimicrobial, antifungal, and antibacterial benefits," according to The Honey Connoisseur (2013). It's only in bloom for two to six weeks a year. In New Zealand, where a majority of manuka honey is harvested, manuka honey must undergo extensive testing and meet strict regulations of the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) before being authenticated and exported. The MPI tests for how much pollen comes from the tea tree, as well as the levels of antibacterial and antimicrobial properties present in the honey. Between the healing properties, limited supply, and strict regulations, it's no wonder manuka honey is more expensive than other honeys.
Are there any restrictions for consuming honey?
Avoid giving honey to babies under the age of 12 months as they are sensitive to a toxic bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which can cause infant botulism, a rare, serious condition. Please consult with your pediatrician about any concerns you may have.
So, there is a giant book on my shelf all about bees, and that magic called honey. I think you have the idea and here at the Intentional Table, we hope that you find the honey as sweet as the conversation.
Thanks for being here with me today!
Chef Jonathan
Sweet conversation thankyou J 😊 and did you know I cannot bring NZ honey over to Australia! 😮💨. Super strict customs, so I ate NZ Manuka honey by the spoonful on my recent trip home. It soothed my sore throat very quickly!
Nice to hear from you, it's been awhile! 🐝