Mockingbird Meadows
Raw, Unfiltered and Unpasteurized
A lot of people don’t realize there’s a difference between our honey and the Honey Bear you buy at the national retail or grocery chains.
Tips for using raw honey
Honey is nature’s original sweetener and has been used since before the ancient Egyptians. Depending on temperature and exposure to air, raw honey will naturally crystallize. Once honey thickens and becomes cloudy, don’t be alarmed and throw it away or heat it in the microwave. Heating honey will take away its healthful benefits. Simply place your bottle in a warm water bath and watch it look like new. Remember… our girls must fly the equivalent of 25,000 miles and visit more than 2 million flowers to produce one pound of honey. One and one-half times around the world is worth the effort for something so good.
Unless the label states that the honey is “raw,” then it has been heated to 160 degrees in the process of pasteurization, effectively cooking out most of the flavor and health benefits. Even more important than pasteurization should be concerns about where honey on the store shelf is produced. A large amount of honey on supermarket shelves is imported, with Asia being a sizeable contributor. Imported honey has very minimal regulation and while as a product it is a naturally antibacterial, antimicrobial commodity, there are some standards of sanitation that are not upheld in the process.
If you are interested in the health benefits of natural honey, it is important to look for raw first and local second. Raw is important because it has not been heated and any raw honey is beneficial no matter where it is made.
Our honey is raw and unfiltered. Often beekeepers heat their honey while filtering it to force out more solids. This process creates a clearer looking product that is often more attractive to the average consumer. We strain our honey through a metal sieve to remove large chunks of beeswax only because we believe in leaving as much solid matter (small bits of propolis and pollen) in the honey for your health.
Try our honey and we think you will agree, there is a BIG difference between raw and store-bought honey!
© 2009 Mockingbird Meadows