Members of BBA want you to get the most benefits and best value.
There is a difference between Raw, Local honey and foreign imported honey/blended honey/commercial honey and manufactured honey.
The pharmaceutical benefits to you in the Coastal Plain of South Carolina come from local natural honey which has its roots in our native plants.
Not sure if the honey you purchased is real (bee produced) or manufactured (fake)?
Here are some ways you can test honey to tell if it is manufactured (fake). You do not have to do each test only the one that is easiest for you.
1.The Water Test
The simple water test will give you insight. Fill a glass with water and add a spoonful of honey. Genuine honey will sink to the bottom of the glass as a solid lump without dissolving. In contrast, fake honey will begin to dissolve as it starts mixing with water.
2.The Flame Test
Dip a matchstick into honey and then light it. Real honey will make the matchstick burn easily because of its purity and lack of moisture. Fake honey may struggle to ignite due to moisture content. This test adds a little excitement to your investigation!
3. The Vinegar Test
Mix a small amount of honey with water and add a few drops of vinegar. If the mixture begins to foam or bubble, it’s likely fake, as real honey should remain stable.
4. The Smell Test
Genuine honey has a rich, floral aroma, thanks to the nectar of flowers. If honey lacks this distinct fragrance, it may be fake or at least overly processed. Always trust your nose. You may need to first obtain local honey to ensure you have a standard.
5. The Taste Test
True honey has a unique, complex taste that varies with the flowers the bees visited. If the honey tastes overly sweet or artificial, it may be fake. Real honey will leave a lasting flavor on your taste buds. This is a tough one because so many people are familiar with store purchased honey and real local honey may taste odd to them. Know your source.
6. The Heat Test
Real honey will caramelize quickly and won’t become foamy. In contrast, fake honey may bubble and produce a frothy layer due to added sugars and water content. Watch for consistency changes!
7. The Bread Test
Spread honey on a slice of fresh bread and observe how it behaves. Real honey will harden the bread within minutes due to its low water content. Fake honey, however, will make the bread soggy because of added moisture. Simple and uses common household items.
8. The Crystallization Test
Genuine honey will naturally form crystals over time due to its natural glucose content. Fake honey often remains smooth, as it might contain additives that prevent crystallization.
9. The Label Test
Read the label careful for clues about honey’s genuineness. Make sure says “100% pure” mark and look for any additives especially corn syrup. Pure honey is usually labeled with its origin and floral source. It may have many different origins but be bottled for sale in the USA. There should not be an expiration date. Local honey should have the name of the Apiary and its location on the bottle.
10. The Price Test
Genuine honey tends to be more expensive due to the labor-intensive process of production. Although this is not a firm indicator if it is real…honey produced in other countries or manufactured honey is much cheaper to produce, a lot cheaper. Find a local beekeeper and get all the pharmaceutical benefits… not just the sucrose.
Important: Did You Know...
Honey will vary in color from year to year and location to location depending upon the strength of particular flowers in that nectar flow. It may have a certain flavor reflecting the plants that the nectar is sourced from that season. (for example…tulip tree sources vs clover sourced)
Purchase local honey from area beekeepers at local farmers markets and roadside stands for the best chance of obtaining the real deal. Get to know the beekeeper you purchase from. They want your business to recover some of the operation costs. Some BBA beekeepers who sell honey can be found under the "Business Directory" tab.
Local Raw Honey - This product comes from the pollen and nectar of local plants in your area that the Honey Bees feed on.
It has not been processed in any way other than filtered to remove large debris (wax, insect parts, etc) as part of the extraction process. It is not heated to temps above 104 F and it will have all the pharmaceutical health benefits you want.
Blended Honey – Honey from outside the region mixed with local honey.
Blended honey is hard to discover as it looks like and tastes like local honey. However, it does not have the full benefits of local honey. Blending is done to increase production volume and much of honey used for blending may come from outside your region or from other countries where safeguards of usage of pesticides are not in place.
Foreign Honey – Honey produced outside the United States
This honey is generally cheaper because it does not have the quality restrictions on it for production. Restricted Pesticides, antibiotics and chemical are sometimes used by producers in other countries. Vast quantities of honey are shipped to the United States and are used in blending. Certain countries have their honey banned from import into this country due to these issues. However, due to global markets it is hard to enforce these bans as honey is shipped to favored country and relabeled as from that country. Purchase your honey from local beekeepers to be safe.
Commercial Honey – Honey that is produced by beekeepers with over 500 colonies.
Commercial honey in the United States is different from Raw Local Honey. The market is very competitive so appearance is very important. It is often heated and heavily filtered so that on the shelf it remains liquid longer. Heating honey past 104 F will kill the beneficial enzymes in honey reducing it benefits to you. The heating and filtering will alter its natural properties and reduces its nutritional content. However, the sucrose content will remain the same.