The Making of Higher Oak Farm Honey
About Our Honey
Our Apiary of 10 hives sits in a field which is surrounded by 2 wildflower meadows, a small orchard and a clover and grass mixed field. We also have species rich hedging, which contain hawthorn, blackthorn, oak and bramble that surround all the fields on the farm. We manage the hedgerows specifically for our wildlife and insects which include our bees.
Our honey will taste different depending on the time of year we harvest. Honey is in a lot of ways like wine with the taste, texture and other characteristics being completely different from region to region and even during the different times of the year. The main reason of this variety is the different raw materials used by bees to make the honey. We take 3 harvests per year. A small harvest from selected hives in June and July and then our main one in Aug/Sept.
Our first harvest in June for example will be a mix of tree pollen, clover and wildflowers plus any other crops in the local area.
Our process is very simple:
We remove the honeycomb from the hives.
We scrape the wax from the top of the honeycomb.
We spin it and collect the honey.
Once the raw honey is collected we then filter it at room temperature.
We then leave it to rest overnight and remove any residue like bees wax that gently floats to the top.
Nothing is added, nothing is taken away.
The natural pure honey is then poured in the jars.
Interesting note: If your honey becomes cloudy over time this is natural and is a crystallising process. To return it to its original gold colour and texture you just need to gently heat it to about 40 degrees Centigrade and it will go back to its original condition. This should last for a few months at least.
About honey
The Honey Bee
The western honey bee, Apis mellifera Linnaeus, naturally occurs in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Apis mellifera in Latin means ‘honey-bearing bee’. Honey bees are quite unique, and are the only insect to have the ability to produce enough honey - the only known food substance that does not spoil - in a large enough quantity to be harvested by humans for our own consumption.
What is good quality honey?
Good quality honey is honey that is not been altered or blended with any other substances, like corn syrup. It should also have a water content of 18% or less as High levels of water can cause the honey to ferment which will cause it to lose its freshness. Quite a few honey experts consider gourmet honey to be ones that have been only slightly heated up and strained. This minimal processing lets the honey retain almost all of its antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, without substantially affecting its flavour and nutritional qualities.
High Fructose Corn Syrup in Honey
Today, many food products are sweetened with corn syrup, including honey. You need to read the label on the honey container before you buy it, so you know what you are getting. Lots of store bought “honey” isn’t the real deal, instead it is a honey-flavoured syrup. Many of these products also contain preservatives, glucose, sugar syrup, dextrose, flour and starch.
The Filtration Process of Honey
A lot of people think good quality honey is clean looking and very clear. But that’s not necessarily true. Honey that contains a high pollen content will appear more cloudy looking. Good quality honey is usually lightly filtered to remove wax, bee parts, and other debris. This filtration process leaves most of the pollen and it also helps honey to have a longer shelf life. Any other method of producing honey (such as pasteurising or ultra-filtration) is just not real honey but it is often labelled as such.
Why Water Content Matters
All unpasteurized or raw honey contains wild yeasts which don’t cause any problems when your honey has a low water content. But when your honey contains higher levels of water it could result in fermentation when it’s being stored. Fermentation will increase the acid levels which will change the flavour and colour of your honey. Honey that’s in the hive can easily absorb moisture in the air. In many areas that have high humidity, it is very difficult to produce honey that has a low water content. Raw honey that has a moisture content of 14% or lower, is regarded as high quality. Many people don’t understand the health benefits that honey with pollen can offer. Unfiltered or raw honey may look unattractive, but it does contain many natural ingredients that are good for you. The next time you are shopping for good quality honey, remember to read the label to be sure you are really buying honey and not some honey flavoured impostor.
Tips For Buying Good Quality Honey
Avoid honey from China because it may contain high levels of fructose corn syrup, metals and antibiotics.
It is also common practice in some countries to put sugar water in front of hives that the bees then use to produce their honey. This obviously will not taste the same as bees that are visiting flowers. Try to avoid this cheap commercial product.
You should try not to buy pasteurized honey, as it has no nutritional value.
Purchase from your local beekeeper!
Higher Oak Farm Rapeseed Blossom Honey
This spring the farms around us planted a lot of Rapeseed in the fields. The Rapeseed plant is used to produce oil and is extensively used in oils for cooking/salads, it often replaces olive oil. The rapeseed plant’s heavy nectar flows can lead to exceptionally large honey yields.
Our bees had an absolute field day pollenating all the plants and it got the honey production off to a flying start. We are so exited to have this unusual honey for sale. The taste is slightly milder than our wildflower honey and it has a creamy look to it. It reminds us of the heather honey we’ve had from the moors. It is slightly granulated and lends itself to spreading with a knife on toast, similar like the much-loved lemon curd! You can just as easily eat it right off the spoon by itself because of its moderate sweetness, flavour intensity and unique flavour profile.
The health benefits of this honey are widely documented and include being recommended by the World Health Organisation as a natural cough remedy.