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Bees in the Oak trees
The15thMember:
--- Quote from: Bob Wilson on July 06, 2022, 06:52:47 pm ---2. It just seems reasonable to me that ANY honey which bees make from ANY sugar source is still honey. The QUALITY of that honey is a vastly different matter, such as honeydew honey or sugar water honey. In other words, it is not the source that determines whether it is honey, but what the bees do with the sugar source that make it honey.
...or I could be wrong.
--- End quote ---
It's reasonable, but it's neither useful for marketing or legal. And while the FDA's definition of honey being from a plant secretion makes honeydew honey technically illegal, it's an outlier in the conversation. Here's an explanation from Rusty Burlew of HoneyBeeSuite.com.
--- Quote ---I firmly believe that syrup made from refined sugar cannot be changed into honey, but not everyone agrees. Bees do indeed break down sugar (sucrose) into its component parts (fructose and glucose). But that enzymatic process does not make honey, just as adding invertase to sugar syrup does not make honey.
Although honey is mostly fructose and glucose, it is all the other stuff that gives honey its flavor, aroma, color and nutritional benefits. Honey bees thrive on honey in part because of the nutrients, antioxidants, amino acids, protein, flavonoids, minerals, and pollen that it contains. Yes, these are small in quantity, but they are vital, just as the vitamins and minerals in human food is vital to us.
--- End quote ---
The thing that makes honey amazing, that makes it honey, is contained in the nectar of the plants, all the flavor and variety and uniqueness about honey is destroyed if inverted sugar syrup is allowed to be considered honey. I don't mind honeydew honey being labeled as such because honeydew is naturally occurring, but it would bother me if someone markets snow cone honey, or some such honey made from anything not available in the wild or at least in agriculture. The nectar is half of the equation, and the bees are the other. Without one of those two pieces, it's not honey. That's my opinion anyway.
Ben Framed:
Lets consider Cotton Honey... It blooms for a short time but is considered to be a honey producing crop for a long amount of time because of honeydew. I once had a chart of my states plants which produce honey. Cotton was in the charts for producing honey for an extended amount of time in my State.
Phillip
The15thMember:
--- Quote from: Ben Framed on July 06, 2022, 08:02:52 pm ---Lets consider Cotton Honey... It blooms for a short time but is considered to be a honey producing crop for a long amount of time because of honeydew. I once had a chart of my states plants which produce honey. Cotton was in the charts for producing honey for an extended amount of time in my State.
Phillip
--- End quote ---
I guess I just view honeydew honey as a loophole in the regulations. But if it was me, I wouldn't label such a product "Cotton Honey", I'd label it "Cotton Honeydew Honey", because to call it honey is somewhat misleading.
Ben Framed:
--- Quote from: The15thMember on July 06, 2022, 08:11:23 pm ---
--- Quote from: Ben Framed on July 06, 2022, 08:02:52 pm ---Lets consider Cotton Honey... It blooms for a short time but is considered to be a honey producing crop for a long amount of time because of honeydew. I once had a chart of my states plants which produce honey. Cotton was in the charts for producing honey for an extended amount of time in my State.
Phillip
--- End quote ---
I guess I just view honeydew honey as a loophole in the regulations. But if it was me, I wouldn't label such a product "Cotton Honey", I'd label it "Cotton Honeydew Honey", because to call it honey is somewhat misleading.
--- End quote ---
I agree. So far I have stayed away from cotton honey simply for the fear of pesticides..
Ben Framed:
Honeydew may bring a premium price?
Here are even more bizarre twist concerning honeydew and honey. There are several articles similar....
Oak Honeydew honey vs floral honey - Nuraxi Life Shophttps://nuraxilife.com ? blogs ? news ? what-is-honeyde...
Apr 29, 2020 ? Honeydew honey contains health promoting antioxidants ; Honeydew honey is higher in the ; antioxidant, ; polyphenol, than traditional honey. The ...
What is Honeydew Honey? - Carolina Honeybeeshttps://carolinahoneybees.com ? ... ? Beekeeping
Health Benefits of Honeydew Honey ? Is honeydew honey better for you? Perhaps. It is generally higher in minerals and amino acids that floral honey. And ...
Health Benefits of Honeydew - WebMDhttps://www.webmd.com ? ... ? Reference
Sep 17, 2020 ? Eating honeydew may help strengthen your bones and prevent the development of certain conditions, including osteoporosis. That's because ...
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