Unboxed: 9 health- and hive-supporting honey products
Just like wine, there is more to honey than meets the eye. These new products offer a glimpse into the wide variety of flavors and types of honey available to shoppers today.
July 13, 2020
“From our hive to your kitchen,” Nature Nate’s Natural 100% Organic Raw and Unfiltered Honey comes from Brazil and Uruguay. Packaged in a fun, eye-catching bottle (not typical for honey products), Nature Nate’s tasty honey is raw, unfiltered and USDA-certified organic. The company only partners with beekeepers who share its standards with regard to protecting and taking care of bees and their hives.
This raw, single-origin honey is sourced from the finest beekeepers around the world. A QR-coded label actually allows customers to scan and trace the honey to the specific beekeeper who produced it. Bee K’onscious offers four varietals: Brazilian Cipo Uva, Brazilian Marmeleiro Prateado, Montana Clover and California Sage.
With a name that literally means “Made of honey,” Madhava Honey has been evolving since 1973. Made from bees in Argentina, Brazil and/or Mexico and packaged in the U.S., the company has made it its mission to get clean ingredients on tables across the country and the world.
Golden Blossom Honey blends orange blossom, sage buckwheat and extra white clover honey to create a signature tasty flavor. It is sourced exclusively from U.S, Beekeepers and does not contain any additives or preservatives.
Made on a lavender farm in Boring, Oregon, this raw and unfiltered honey blend is inspired by fruit and nut mixes preserved in honey from the owner’s native country of Montenegro. Handmade in small batches from pure ingredients, this SKU combines raw honey with lavender and almonds for an extra dose of protein. The honey is harvested on the farm, where the resident beekeeper tends to more than 800 hives.
This unique, artisan, small-batch honey mixes together the caramel-like, slightly salted flavor of grass-fed Pacific Northwest brown butter ghee with the classic sweetness of Pacific Northwest clover blossom honey. The result? A smooth, luscious spread with a creamy texture. One percent of sales from this honey is donated to Save the Bee, which helps fund honey bee research on nutrition, health and Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD).
Local honey, what’s not to love about it? Here is one example of a tasty local offering made in Loveland, Colorado. Papa Joe’s sells everything honey-ish from plain honey to beeswax candles, healing creams and balms.
Honey contains trace amounts of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antioxidants and enzymes, and Frangiosa Farms spares no expense ensuring that all of this goodness makes it from hive to jar. Each jar of creamy honey blends bee pollen, wax and propolis with turmeric for an added boost of functionality in all of the yumminess. The Colorado-based brand also serves up hemp-infused honey.
This Fair Trade blend combines 100% natural and raw unpasteurized and unfiltered honey influenced by numerous wildflower species growing at high altitudes of Anatolia, Turkey, with nutritious carob and propolis. Carob is a rich source of fibers and antioxidants.
This Fair Trade blend combines 100% natural and raw unpasteurized and unfiltered honey influenced by numerous wildflower species growing at high altitudes of Anatolia, Turkey, with nutritious carob and propolis. Carob is a rich source of fibers and antioxidants.
At quick glance honey is honey. But just like wine, honey has many nuances. Although on average 1 tablespoon of honey contains approximately 17 grams of sugar—fructose, glucose, maltose and sucrose—it is considered better for you than refined sugar. In fact, studies have shown regular honey consumption to result in 11-19% lower blood triglyceride levels (a risk factor for heart disease) compared to regular sugar consumption.
It is also thought to help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol by lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and increasing HDL or “good” cholesterol. This is in large part because it is rich in antioxidants and bioactive plant compounds. Darker varieties of honey, are thought to have higher health benefits and higher amounts of these compounds than lighter honey. Raw and unfiltered honey contains beneficial pollen and propolis, which helps maintain a clean and healthy environment in the beehive and helps bees fight against infections
While small-batch and artisan honey producers are increasingly bringing tasty and innovative honey products to market, they are also excellent advocates for the plight of bees. More than most people realize, the food chain depends heavily on bees to pollinate crops. When buying honey, look for companies that support healthy bee initiatives.
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