Frequently Asked Questions
What is honey?
Honey is primarily composed of nearly equal proportions of fructose, glucose, plus other sugars and water. Honey contains over 180 different substances including acids (18), minerals (12), amino acids (18), enzymes (5), bioflavonoids (18), aroma compounds (26), trace elements (17), vitamins (6), and lipids (8).
Is honey better for you than refined sugar?
Yes, honey is better for you because the body uses it more efficiently than it does refined sugars. Honey also has many medicinal uses in addition to its dietary ones. The consumption of honey has a stabilizing effect on the body's blood sugar levels as it does not stimulate the rapid insulin production that sucrose (table sugar), glucose or high fructose corn syrup does. After ingestion, honey is converted directly into liver glycogen and does not result in the formation of triglycerides (fatty acids) as typically occurs after the consumption of common refined sugars. Because of this stabilizing effect on blood sugar as well as a lowering of HbA1c levels, honey is the sweetener of choice for diabetics.
Honey has an antibacterial effect which inhibits the growth of many bacteria strains, including the bacteria responsible for ulcers. It has been used in topical dressings to treat infected surgical wounds, burns, and skin grafts for centuries. Because honey significantly increases antioxidant levels in the blood, the regular consumption of it improves immune system activity as well. Locally produced honey, when consumed on a regular basis, can prove very effective in reducing seasonal allergies.
A tablespoon or more of honey consumed at bedtime promotes natural restorative sleep by preventing metabolic stress due to depleted liver glycogen stores. Without metabolic stress during rest, stress hormones are not released, maximum fat-burning during rest is possible, and natural restoration of body tissues and immune system functions occur naturally.
Is your honey pasteurized?
No, our honey is not pasteurized. Saskatchewan honey granulates (crystalizes) within weeks of being extracted and in order to pack the honey from our honey storage drums into the containers you buy it in, we need to heat the honey enough to re-liquefy and pass it through a cloth filter; removing any wax or particle from the honey. Most enzymes found in honey are heat stable, and lightly heating the honey for short periods of time does not affect the enzymes naturally found there. The pasteurization of honey is primarily done to destroy the crystal structure inherent in the honey, ensuring that it remains in a liquid state on the store shelf. Pasteurizing honey by heating it past 160 degrees for a sustained amount of time, destroys the enzyme content and greatly decreases its healthful benefits.
Is all honey the same?
All honey is not the same. Unfortunately, most honey on the store shelf has little to no Canadian content. The majority of store shelf product is made up of honey purchased from producers around the world, often from lesser quality and/or less regulated honey producing countries, blended and then processed heavily before being packed into containers for resale.
In addition to the lack of Canadian content, the labelling of honey is often very misleading in that it is virtually impossible to discern from the label the origin of the product. When purchasing honey from the store shelf, always keep in mind that the use of "Canada #1 White" is a description of the honey's color grade only and not a statement of origin. You will often see a description of origin that states a blend of Canadian and other honey. Canadian honey is often considered superior in quality due to its light color and flavor. It is regularly used to blend with darker honeys in order to improve their overall quality and taste. You can assume that in the majority of these blends only a minimal amount of quality honey is being used, just enough to improve the color and taste of the darker honey from which this honey is derived. In order to ensure your product's origin, purchase honey from a local producer, farmer's market or retail location that stocks local products whenever possible.
Howland's Honey is 100% pure Saskatchewan honey, never blended, gathered solely by our farm and our bees! Our honey comes by its superior flavor, color and quality naturally.
What is raw honey?
Our raw honey is packed during the summer extraction season and has not been heated nor filtered in any way. This honey is extracted from the comb, given time to settle and then packed into containers for sale. During the summer months, we also offer honey in the comb for purchase at our farmer's markets.
"Raw" honey is a relatively new term in the honey industry referring to honey that has been minimally processed. Here at Howland's Honey, we process our honey as little as possible. Our regular creamed and liquid honey have been filtered to remove any particle, therefore meeting the standard of a No1 grade honey. In order to filter the honey, we apply enough heat to re-liquify it from its granulated state. Although many would qualify our regular creamed and liquid honey as raw because of its minimal processing, those who want their honey even less so can purchase our "Raw Unfiltered" product at any of our farmer's markets. NOTE: None of our honey is pasteurized.
What is creamed honey?
Since the honey produced in our area will granulate (crystalize) unless heated to a high temperature and since that granuatlion may not produce the kind of smooth creamy product our customers have come to love, we seed the honey with a finely granulated white honey before packaging. The seed starts a chain reaction of rapid granulation within the honey, resulting in honey that we describe as creamed. It spreads like butter, but doesn't run up your wrist or into your lap!.
Creamed honey is a Canadian phenomenon, kept at room temperatures, it has a virtually never ending shelf life. Slightly warming the creamed product will return it to its liquid state for easy use in baking recipes and sauces. If there is a problem with creamed honey, it's that it is too easy to use and as a result, may not last as long as the other honeys you've tried!
How do I store my honey?
If you are storing your honey for long periods of time, it will stay the freshest stored in a cool, dry place. Honey can be stored at any temperature, but will change consistency when stored at different temperatures. Honey stored in a cold place will granulate more quickly and become firm whereas honey stored in a warm place will become softer, and if liquid, will remain so longer. Honey is one of the few products in the world that will never go bad. Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical change during storage; it tends to darken and lose it's aroma and flavor or crystalize.
Does honey have a best before date?
No, honey has an unlimited shelf life. The numbers you see printed on the honey container refer to packing codes, used for practical and traceability purposes.