It’s no secret that the honey industry is booming right now. The demand for honey and bee related products is growing due to the many natural health benefits such as allergy relief and even wound healing.
Recently Rotten, a new docuseries was released which has created a lot of controversy. Because of this, we are seeing a growing number of questions and concerns from the public. In response to the buzzing curiosity surrounding the episode titled “Lawyers, Guns, and Honey”, we would like to offer some insight. The first episode of the series exposes to the public, the filthy corrupt side of the honey industry. It also discusses the largest food fraud investigation and prosecution, in history.
The importance of knowing your beekeeper cannot be stressed enough. There is a vast network of beekeepers within the state of Indiana who would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have and supply you with the pure local honey you desire. The term “local” is often misunderstood. The origin does not have to be restricted to a town or a county. Local honey is honey that comes from the nectar of flowers that grow in the region in which one resides. If honey is purchased where the vegetation is different, it is no longer considered local. Much of the honey you will find in chain grocery stores has been processed in some way, whether it be by flash heating, filtering, or pasteurizing. Hunter’s Honey Farm carries only raw honey. Unstrained raw honey has not been altered in any way and is bottled immediately after extraction. It will crystalize faster. Strained raw honey has simply been poured through a cheesecloth to remove larger particles that occur naturally during extraction.
Hunter’s Honey Farm offers various tours Monday through Saturday at 10am, 1pm, and 3pm. Customers can tour the Honey Barn, add activities such as candle rolling and/or bottling a honey bear to take home, or visit a live hive with a beekeeper. Be sure to call ahead to make your reservation and bring any questions you may have so we can get them answered for you.
Hunter’s Honey Farm is a family owned and operated farm. The Hunters are fourth generation beekeepers who have been producing honey and honey related products in Indiana since 1910. Today Hunter’s Honey Farm manages several hundred hives throughout the state to pollinate apples, melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, and other similar crops.
Aside from pollination, the hives are also transported by our beekeepers to various locations within the stae of Indiana. Those areas are inhabited with one specific floral source or a multitude of wildflowers. This is how the type of honey is determined. The nectar that the honeybee gathers from the flowers are what gives honey it’s specific “flavor”. Clover Honey comes from clover flowers, Wildflower Honey comes from flowers that grow wild in the fields and forests. It is extracted at the end of the season and stocked in our gift shop for our customers to enjoy.
