This never failed to crack me up.
Posted on 10/19/2012 5:01:39 PM PDT by Dallas59
First we find out that we're getting ripped off in the fish department. Now, a new study commissioned by Food Safety News shows that most of the honey on supermarket shelves isn't really honey.
More than 60 types of honey from several major supermarkets, drug stores, and shopping clubs--including Stop and Shop, Safeway, Wegman's,A&P, Kroger, CVS, Walgreens, Sam's Club, and Walmart--were tested by Vaughn Bryant, a professor at Texas A&M University. He found that most of them had all of the pollen filtered out. Without any pollen, it's impossible to figure out whether the honey came from a safe source, or whether it's even actual honey at all; much of the ultra-filtered honey may come from China, may be contaminated, or may be diluted with High Fructose Corn Syrup.
(Excerpt) Read more at shine.yahoo.com ...
Honey keeps longer with pollen removed.?? I never had honey go bad, and I never refrigerate it.
bump for later
On a buttered biscuit ... mmm good! And last years spring/summer honey helps fight off the coming spring pollen sensitivities.
Basically, modern humans overindulge in sweeteners and should cut back drastically.
You are right, I had Mohs surgery and I am using it on the wound. When I first opened the jar I tasted it - kind of smokey and pungent flavor.
Yep, I pay a small fortune for “active 15+, 100% organic and raw” Manuka honey from New Zealand.
Worth every penny.
Oh, and I also swig a big mouthful of raw bee pollen every day as well.
Thanks for the link to the NPR article.
The Manuka honey is valued as a topical wound treatment. Something to do more with antibiotic activity due to methylglyoxal (MGO) and bee defensin, than directly high levels of hydrogen peroxide, and the further creation of peroxides when interacting with the moisture of flesh wounds.
From an armchair perspective, I do wonder if the sugars might kill off some bacteria also? Possibly feed at a cellular level by some sort of osmosis(?), when diluted enough, right at the wound site? ...when conditions are just right, anyway...
Just recently I read that Buckwheat honey has high levels of peroxides, too. Clover honey was way down the list.
Cured or "ripe" honey is partially dehydrated nectar, dryed from around 40% - 50%, even as high as 80% water, usually down to 14%-18% or so water content, AND attracts water like crazy, will even pull moisture from the air.
From http://www.dermnetnz.org/treatments/honey.html :
Further reading at the link provides not all Manuka honeys are equal. If memory serves, the Manuka honey is derived from nectar of Tea Trees native to New Zealand (and small parts of Australia?) It figures that it could vary, since bees will many times forage from more than one source at a time, and sources themselves may vary in the chemical composition of the nectar produced, due to weather, variations in soil, etc., even when the bees are concentrating on one particular source. Beekeeper inputs and manipulations could be another variable. How thorough were the beeks in isolating combs for harvest filled during the main flow? What other floral sources were available? Where the target trees close enough, and typically enough upwind of hive locations to help keep the bees focused upon them, and not distracted by floral sources found by them to be sweeter? But nevermind more ruminations from myself for now. From the source is found;
Check your jar for markings? I've never seen the stuff on the shelves, but then I've not looked for it.
Honey wagon, think porta-john and the trucks that empty them.
I am so impressed that you used to be a beekeeper! Many years ago I lived in the country in the South and there were hives on the property. I always wanted to go back and have beehives and sell honey.
I have located a bee keeper, now if I can convince my husband to let someone else with the expertise, and the important ‘outfit’ to come in take the bees and leave us the honey. They actually seem real happy here. They like lots of water and the flowers are good. Seems silly but I can walk among them in the yard and it’s like they know they’re safe. I feel safet with them....until one gets me. Then it’s the highway.
“Still metabolized by the liver, still probably not good for you in high amounts. Basically, modern humans overindulge in sweeteners and should cut back drastically.”
Of course, humans, especially in an FDA/Dept of Agriculture controlled society such as we have here in the USA, SWEET is the name of the game. And cola’s are it...
I recommend stevia extract for those who have to have SWEET. In much moderation. Personally I do not use sugar to sweeten tea or coffee, and I avoid soft drinks. I also recommend honey and maple syrup for natural sweeteners.
Nope.
According to Wolfram, a quart of water weighs 2.09 pounds, and a quart of honey weighs 3 pounds.
As an aside of sorts, one which you may be familiar but most are not;
Interestingly enough, honey with pollens can be readily identified as to pollen source by electrical testing methods.
Can't remember the exact source I recently got that from, but I was in the UC Davis Library studying a range honeybee info. The info came from a good source, claimed the testing was accurate, effective, and cheap/easiest, too. Mixed flower sources of course, showed a range not readily identifiable. But one can tell clover from canola & alfalfa, cotton from soy, those from orange blossom, avocado, etc. Each flower source had it's own signature which would repeatedly produce "signature" results (though there was one pairing that were close to be near indistinguishable --- cannot recall which).
I think you've nailed the present methodology of "honey laundering" also.
Mexico is a big honey producer, too, let's not forget. I don't want to accuse without evidence, but if I was in the employ of the Dept. of Ag, that would be a direction to consider.
They wanted to build that big tollroad up through Texas didn't they? If that's allowed, it's to have the Chinese ships unload in Mexico (cheaper, less environmental rules) then drive China exports right into the middle of the U.S. using Mexican truckers (cheaper, less environmental and truck safety laws).
Since the Chinese know all of that, why not use Mexico for a honey laundering locale, too? Even without the tollroad. The Mexican honey biz is big enough to hide many a barrel of sin within...
We can be sure they've "thought of it" at the least.
Swarm traps of approx. 40 liters (about 8-9 gallons?) are said to work best. Slightly smaller will work. 400 meters away (around 400 yards away) is about perfect distance from the swarm-throwing mother colony.
I seriously doubt they'd be throwing off any more swarms in mid-Oct. Though if there is still some pollen flow, or some small amount of nectar coming in, they might be feeling a bit crowded. Their numbers will drop off when the queen slows or stops, though if they are Italians, and the queen is young (she probably IS since virgins stay at the old colony site then mate and take over queen duties there) she might keep laying.
If they are Carniolan, then the queen will shut down production sooner, when nectar sources dry up.
Did you get close enough to get a good look at 'em? The Italians are swarthy and talk with Eye-talian accents, where as the Carnies carry small red folding pocket knives with crosses on 'em, and sound like Swiss yodelers...
Beam me up!
This never failed to crack me up.
Bees are usually easygoing unless they’re (a) africanized or (b) defending themselves or the hive. They’re more defensive when they have a lot of honey to defend.
Bees that are foraging away from the hive are usually not at all interested in you. My bees sting me, but only when I’m in the hive ticking them off. A few will bat at me when I’m close to the hive, but usually don’t sting.
Some unsolicited advice: unless you’re in the deep south, leave the hive alone until next spring. It’s too late in the year to move them unless you’re taking the whole hive. Even then it’s kinda iffy. They need the honey they have to survive the winter. And bees are great if you’re a gardener. Watch your fruit and veggies go hog wild.
“Did you get close enough to get a good look at ‘em? The Italians are swarthy and talk with Eye-talian accents, where as the Carnies carry small red folding pocket knives with crosses on ‘em, and sound like Swiss yodelers...”
LOL! You can tell the africanized ones by their propensity to talk about hope and change...
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