Marketing food has become some-what of an art these days. Tags and catch phrases like "organic," "local," "raw," "natural," "cage -free," "free-ranged," and "home-made" seem to give folks more comfort in what they buy. However, without knowing what each of those things mean, it really gets confusing. One tag that recently caught my eye is “raw honey”. What does that mean anyway? Well, with all the buzz words……it depends.
source: goo.gl/oe7s6
Most store bought honey is pasteurized to reduce the moisture content and avoid any possibility of spoilage, appear clearer, and more appealing on the shelf. When heated, the taste, as well as the yeast and enzymes which activate vitamins and minerals in the body, are destroyed. It’s also filtered to the point that it actually loses other health benefits like microscopic particles of pollen. This makes it no longer "raw."
Further, most store bought honey is of mixed origins, including USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and others. That makes them not "local," and therefore greatly reduces the benefits that honey can have on reducing seasonal allergies.
Lastly, "organic" honey pretty must doesn’t exist. Since bees can forage up to 5 miles from their hive, one would have to certify all that land, for 5 miles in all directions, as also organic. I’ve seen honey labeled as organic that was from Brazil, but it was commercial honey that was certainly not local and more than likely pasteurized.
So, where does Finny Farm honey fall?
Finny Farm honey is raw honey. That translates to unpasteurized (unheated), local (Coweta County) minimally filtered (only enough to remove small bit of wax) honey. Basically it goes from the hive, into the extractor, through a sieve, and then into bottles. That’s it!
The good Lord gave us these amazing creatures that make for us an amazing product. Why then do we think that we can improved upon it?
~ Bobby
A small side note: Our chickens are cage-free, meaning we let them roam within a generous enclosure. They are not free to roam our property as they please, meaning they are not "free-ranged"- we simply were tired of providing easy prey to the hawks.