Do you know your beekeeper? Whitfield Apiaries makes Simply Raw Honey, natural, local, unpasteurized, unprocessed honey with real bee pollen and propolis. We also have comb honey (honeycomb), crystallized honey from the rural Brandon Township Michigan.
What is Simply Raw Honey?
It seems everyone has a different idea of what “Raw Honey” means so we will tell how some define it and explain what “Raw” means to us.
Some believe comb honey is the only raw honey. It is one of our favorites but supply of comb honey like that pictured below is difficult to produce and always sells out fast. Raw for others is unstrained, complete with hive debris like bee legs, wings, etc. Still some claim that only liquid honey that has crystallized and/or has the wax cappings mixed throughout is the “really raw” stuff! We believe bottled, liquid honey should be free of wax chunks. Our family and our customers appreciate a “pure” version of “raw” that gives up none of honey’s natural quality and goodness.
Our “raw honey” (liquid or crystallized) is pure, just as it exists in the hive, furnished to you with as little processing as possible, in the form you wish to consume it, retaining ALL the flavor, antioxidants, important enzymes, vitamins, and pollen that is found in the comb. Whitfield Apiaries’ honey hold to the following standards that make our honey, Simply Raw:
Never heat pasteurized (flash heated to 145 to 160 degF).
Never blended with any additives like sucrose, corn syrup or other imitation sweeteners or fillers.
Never blended with other honey of different floral varieties to change taste or to extend crystallization times.
Never pressure filtered to remove pollen, un-dissolved glucose crystals, air bubbles and bits of propolis and wax normally removed by commercial packers to extend crystallization times and improve shelf appearance.
Never heated during extraction (removing liquid honey from comb), using more time consuming cold processing methods.
Always produced using natural, sustainable, biological hive management practices that exclude chemical and antibiotic hive treatments most beekeepers use.
Always strained (not filtered) to remove larger chunks of wax and other hive debris but leaving beneficial pollen and bits of propolis.
Always harvested when moisture content of the honey is below 17.1%. The bees always take care of this for us in Michigan unless we are less than patient. Honey above this moisture content can ferment, especially after crystallization.
Always preserve raw honey’s healthful antioxidants, important enzymes, vitamins, anti-microbial constituents, pollen and other beneficial attributes by never heating crystallized above 109 degF for our customers that prefer liquid honey year round.
Classic Jar, Liquid 32 oz $15.00
Classic Jar, Liquid 16 oz $8.50
Simply Raw Michigan Liquid Honey Classic Jar
A few words about Simply Raw Crystallized Honey... We package raw honey as it exists in our beehives with little processing. This preserves the natural goodness of our honey. RAW honey contains antioxidants, important enzymes, vitamins, pollen and other beneficial attributes that are removed or destroyed when filtered and/or over heated. That is why our raw honey may appear a bit cloudy when compared to that of commercially produced honey and helps explain why it might crystallize faster. Raw crystallized honey is just as good and loses none of its taste or benefits. Some even prefer honey that has crystallized over liquid honey because it is easier to apply to their favorite muffin.
If you wish to remove the crystals, SLOWLY heat the honey to around 109° F in warm water only long enough to re- liquefy. Never microwave!! While cold processing the raw honey by hand is time consuming, it ensures honey’s natural goodness is included in every bottle. We would not have it any other way and neither should you!
If you wish to remove the crystals, SLOWLY heat the honey to around 109° F in warm water only long enough to re-
Judy of Warren, Michigan wrote,
“...this is the best honey I have ever tasted. So flavorful. You can taste the flowers that the bees took the honey from. I love it. It is really good in hot tea as well.“
Carole of South Lyon, Michigan wrote,
“Your honey is DIVINE!!! It tastes just like what my grandfather harvested from his bees in Glenwood, Arkansas!!! Also, thank you so much for the prompt delivery... My allergies have been terrible since living in Michigan but now I have a way to fight back!”
Simply Raw Liquid Honey 5 lb Deco Jug
Simply Raw Liquid Honey 1 lb, Drip less Invertible
