Get to know your HONEY! Where does your honey really coming from?

When I first came to the USA many years ago, I heard a phrase that left me puzzled: “You only know where your honey comes from when you know your beekeeper.” At the time, I couldn’t quite grasp its meaning. Years later, after we began keeping bees here in Tennessee, I finally understand just how earnestly—and important—that statement is.

In Germany, nearly every small town has a beekeeper or two. It’s as natural as having a bakery around the corner or a local butcher. Knowing where your food comes from is part of everyday life.

Here in the U.S., it’s easy to assume you know the source of your honey when you buy it at a farmers market or farm store. After all, there’s a label that tells you where it comes from. But does that label really tell the whole story? I was shocked to learn that, in many cases, it does not. Whitewashing is the word that comes to mind.

While many beekeepers do the honest—and very hard—work of caring for their bees, harvesting, bottling, and selling truly local honey, others take a different path. They buy and package honey from out of state, or even from other countries, slap on a label, and sell it under their own label giving a perception of “local” honey. Too often, that honey is adulterated with high-fructose corn syrup or rice syrup. Consumers believe they are purchasing a genuine local product and pay a premium for what they think is high-quality, nutritious honey—only to be misled.

So how do you know if the honey you’re buying is really what it claims to be?
Get to know your beekeeper. Ask questions!!! Check a few suggestions on what and how to ask here

Chunk Honey