What is real honey and how do you find it when you are shopping? Real honey is made by honeybees and contains pollen, enzymes, and nectar. By passing nectar from bee to bee, evaporating water from the nectar with their wings, and adding pollen, the bee chemically changes the collected nectar into what we know as honey. When beekeepers extract honey, they should transfer it from the honeycomb frame into a jar to sell. There should be a small filtration process that occurs, but only to filter out beeswax and bee parts. Unfortunately, most grocery stores sell adulterated honey. For example, honey cut with syrup, ultra filtered, or exposed to high heating to avoid crystallization. Shoppers looking for real, raw honey should look for a true, knowledgeable beekeeper or if in a pinch, should buy crystallized (solidified) honey on the grocery store shelf.

Contributor Information
George and Paige Nester
Owners of Creek House Honey Farm
Canyon, TX