It's no secret that Raw Honey is the lastest craze right now. But what exactly is considered "Raw" honey? While there is no offcial U.S. federal definition of Raw honey, the National Honey Board defines Raw honey as " honey at it exists in the beehive or as obtained by extraction, settling or straining without adding heat. Because of this, it can contain  beeswax, royal jelly, pollen, parts of bees, dirt and pieces of wood from the hives. 

This is a questions we get often. Don't throw it away! Crystallization or granulation is a natural process that occurs in honey.  It does not indicate spoilage.  In fact this is nature’s way to preserve honey. Honey is a supersaturated sugar solution out of which the glucose tends to crystallize. Honey is produced from various types of flower and blossoms.  Some honeys crystallize quickly – others much slower.

Crystallization can be reversed by heating. The primary means to heat the honey to remove the crystals is to place the honey container in a warm water bath (not boiling – the container will start to deform at about 140 degrees F) for a period of time to return the crystals to liquid.  It might take several applications of warm water, depending on the severity of the crystallization and the container.  We do not recommend microwaving honey because the plastic container will fail.  Honey will crystallize over time again, so the process of warming it up will need to be repeated.

Some preventative measures may be taken, including:  (1) Storing your honey at room temperature will deter crystallization. Crystallization occurs most rapidly at cool temperatures (40º - 57ºF) therefore honey should never be stored in the refrigerator.  (2) Preventing absorption of atmospheric moisture by tightly closing containers during storage.  (3) Do not contaminate the honey with toast crumbs etc. (4) Use more honey! As honey ages, it will start to crystallize.  

Did you know that the earliest alcoholic beverages were probably made from diluted honey?


Mead, or honey wine, is created by fermenting honey with water and is considered the ancestor of all fermented beverages. Mead can be sparkling or still, and dry or sweet.

Hard cider refers to the fermented beverage made from the juice of apples. It can range from sweet to dry depending on the types of apples and yeast used and the length of fermentation.

Homebrew, mead and hard cider have become increasingly popular with nearly one million Americans making their own beer according to the American Homebrewers Association.

For more information and recipes, go to https://www.dutchgoldhoney.com/about-honey/homebrew

http://usat.ly/1fsSRfv

The FDA has proposed a new nutrition fact box to make more visible the calories, sugar and portion sizes.

Honey bees can taste salt and sugar, even in very small amounts. Read more here...http://entomologytoday.org/2014/02/05/tiny-hairs-on-honey-bee-claws-allow-them-to-taste-sugar-and-salt/

Here'e an interesting article on what they are calling "zombie bees."
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Zombie-bees-identified-in-Vt-1st-in-Eastern-US-5182584.php?utm_source=hootsuite&utm_campaign=hootsuite

Penn State has new research showing common pesticides have harmful impacts on bee larvae in the cell. Read more here...

http://news.psu.edu/story/301619/2014/01/27/research/common-crop-pesticides-kill-honeybee-larvae-hive