# Buying honey - what to look for?



## CottageLife (Jul 20, 2009)

If I want to purchase honey for long term storage - what should I look for to know it is 'good' honey? What questions should I ask the person selling it?
Is there an average price per pound for real honey that will help me know if I'm paying the right amount?
I'm guessing I want it in glass jars - maybe a couple of pounds per jar at most? Any thoughts on that to store in a basement?

Thank you for any guidance!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Jar options around here are pound, 2 pounds, 5 pounds, pints, quarts, and gallons. First 4 are glass and the gallons are plastic. If it's raw honey, it's going to crystallize in time. Not a problem with smaller jars as they can be warmed back to liquid without much effort. Darker honey is supposed to be better for one's health but some dark ones are quick to go solid and not merely crystallize. Price around here is $7 per pint, $13 per quart from at least 3 sources. A pint is 23 to 24 ounces so it's a little less than $5 per pound.

Martin


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## CottageLife (Jul 20, 2009)

Thank you! Is there anything I should ask or look for in the honey? I have heard of grade A, Grade B, etc. Which is better? Anything I should ask them about their bees?


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## xbeeman412 (May 10, 2002)

If from a local beekeeper make sure the moisture content is below 18% so it doesent turn soure or ferment.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Your local beekeepers will usually only have one grade of honey but may be different types. Clover and wildflower are the most common but different areas may have specialty honey. Basswood, goldenrod, and pumpkin are the most common ones here after the common types. 

You may not have to seek out a beekeeper. Many supermarkets carry local honeys, often in standard pint and quart jars. From 2 separate chains, I can select from 4 or 5 apiaries within a 30-40 mile radius. 

Martin


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## Darren (May 10, 2002)

Just be careful it is from a local source and not from a grocery that stocks the honey from China.


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## CottageLife (Jul 20, 2009)

Thank you! We do have local stores and markets that carry local honey. In the summer I can talk with the people directly at the markets.

So what grade of honey is better?

And thank you- yes, I absolutely don't want honey from China! I'm thinking I'll be buying local honey since I hear that is best for allergies.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Your local honey will not be graded. I have never ever seen Grade B for sale either in stores or direct from the beekeepers. Grade B would probably be mainly for bulk sales to bakeries, confectioners, etc. rather than to the general public. 

Martin


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

If you are trying to by local honey, make sure the guy selling it is not a professional pollinator. They have hundreds or thousands of hives scattered all over your state and maybe even the next state over. All the honey harvested and bottled together. So it's local....to your state, but not necessarly local to your area. If you are consuming local honey for allergy reasons, it is far better to get honey that was actually produced in your area. A small beekeeper should be able to supply your needs just fine.


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## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

"Grade A" honey means nothing. 

From the USDA Rules and Regulations, _ââ¦honey does not require official inspection in order to carry official USDA grade marks and since there are no existing programs that require the official inspection and certification of honey,â¦â_

Furthermore, the (un-enforced) USDA guidelines for grading honey do NOT address purity or added ingredients (sugar or syrups), heating, or contaminants. So, contaminated honey honey mixed with corn syrup can still be considered "Grade A".

I recommend contacting a local bee club and ask to be connected with someone who sells local honey.


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## CottageLife (Jul 20, 2009)

Thank you so much! Very helpful information. Now I can talk with the beekeepers and understand better what I'm considering purchasing.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

xbeeman412 said:


> If from a local beekeeper make sure the moisture content is below 18% so it doesent turn soure or ferment.


Please explain and if poss. use very small words. Its early and I'm only on my first cuppa of the day - lol.

We got quite a bit of honey last year from our very first bees ( :banana: ) and to me it tastes great but my Mum and middle brother say it tastes fermented to them. Is it a difference in taste buds or is my honey actually fermenting?


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Tough question.... Look at the jar of honey. Are there bubbles in it? Even teeny tiny ones? If so, it might be fermenting. Those would be the gas bubbles as the yeasty beasties are converting the honey to alcohol. If there are NO bubbles, then I'd say it is a taste difference. Could the honey be crystalizing a bit? A bit grainy instead of all liquid? It's not fermenting, just changing to crystal form. Still perfectly good. If you want to get rid of the crystals, put the GLASS jar of honey in another pot of water. Put that on the stove and heat ever so slowly until the crystals melt back. Do NOT boil the water.


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## alleyyooper (Apr 22, 2005)

Moisture in honey can be tested using a refrector. They are expencive bought thru bee supply companies but you can find them a bit cheaper from companies they supply testers for differnt industrys. 
They are still a bit expencive for a hobby bee keeper to own, About $50.00 for what is sold in the bee supply houses for nearly $100.00.
If honey is fermenting you can smell the sour scent from it.

 Al


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Its got no bubbles and is nice and liquid. I think it tastes lovely so it must just be a matter of different taste buds.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

If one is used to only using a specific type of honey, all others may taste "off" to them. There are many hundreds of different primary sources of nectar which lead to thousands of different combinations, each with a distinctly different taste. Even in specialty honey, maybe 95% of the bees may be working a specific bloom but the other 5% are working something else. That 5% may considerably affect both the taste and color. I'm enjoying such a honey right now. A local apiary has its honey stocked in various supermarkets and the sold stock replaced with fresh. Since it's not a specialty honey such as clover, color quite often varies throughout the year. A month or so ago I saw that there were some jars much darker than others. Bought one and the taste is close to what I remember from the wild honey that we always got from bee trees. Someone else who may have only had white clover all their life might think that there's something wrong with it.

Martin


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## BarbadosSheep (Jun 27, 2011)

Fermented honey has a bit of an alcohol smell and taste.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

The lighter the color the lighter the taste. In this country most people like light honey on their toast.

I can tell you, though, that honey that is rather darker has a more pronounced honey flavor and, in my opinion, makes a far superior honey-whole wheat bread!

I have never tasted the realy dark honey so I know nothing about it


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## Patrick (Sep 13, 2011)

I used to know an old timer who swore that some of his customers would insist on seeing a part of a bee, a wing, a leg, etc in his honey, to supposedly be assured that it was the real thing.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Patrick said:


> I used to know an old timer who swore that some of his customers would insist on seeing a part of a bee, a wing, a leg, etc in his honey, to supposedly be assured that it was the real thing.


ICK!

My FIL wanted to see whole honey comb in his jar, which is far more appetizing!


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## Patrick (Sep 13, 2011)

I agree. The stupid things people think of.


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## GBov (May 4, 2008)

Terri said:


> The lighter the color the lighter the taste. In this country most people like light honey on their toast.
> 
> I can tell you, though, that honey that is rather darker has a more pronounced honey flavor and, in my opinion, makes a far superior honey-whole wheat bread!
> 
> I have never tasted the really dark honey so I know nothing about it


A large oak limb came down in my grandparents yard many many years ago and had part of a hive in it. Just a small comb or two so I managed to get it away from the bees and ants swarming over it and put it in our centrifugal juicer and got a half a cup of pitch black honey. It was so strong and such a fantastic flavor, it was as unlike "normal" honey as it was possible to get. I only allowed myself a tea spoon a day of it because there was such a small amount that you can imagine how I felt when I came in to see my middle brother pop the last corner of black covered toast into his mouth. Mmmmm, he said, great honey!

Every drop onto his ONE piece of toast :stars:

I love how each bite of our honeycomb tastes different to the last and how it looks in the jar. Dont like the thought of bee bits in it though, a bit ick making really!


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi everyone..popping in to ask a question. My local honey supplier is no longer available. That threw me in a tailspin since I use it so much for health reasons. I finally had to order some from Ebert's in Iowa. Is this stuff real unadulterated honey? I was used to really dark honey and this is much lighter. I am finding it difficult to find another honey producer closer to home. I am in southeast Iowa.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Color and taste may vary from week to week. Even the "generic" clover honey will vary due to different blossoming periods of varieties. Ebert's has alfalfa and clover mix so that honey is subject to that factor. They also have mixed flower and basswood. All but the mixed flower would be expected to be light. Mixed flower could vary considerably in taste and usually much darker. 

Martin


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks Martin..I sure got spoiled by the local stuff..hoping to find some more.


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## AverageJo (Sep 24, 2010)

Sherry, Wonder if you could put an ad in Craigslist or in your local paper. Or watch the paper's ads as well as sometimes beekeepers will place ads looking for swarms.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

If you are near Lynnville, IA, may also be close to South Amana. Noble Bee Honey has 10 different kinds. Of those, the only one I haven't had is black locust. 

Martin


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## indypartridge (Oct 26, 2004)

Sherry in Iowa said:


> I am finding it difficult to find another honey producer closer to home. I am in southeast Iowa.


Try contacting a nearby bee club. I'm sure they can connect you to someone who has local honey:
http://www.abuzzaboutbees.com/IHPA/IHPA Contacts.htm


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## Sherry in Iowa (Jan 10, 2010)

Wow, thanks for the great ideas everyone! I am fairly close to the Amanas and I will look up the website abuzzaboutbees..thanks again!


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