Firstly – the big deal about honey is that it is a big deal! Its reputation is for having great medicinal qualities, including propolis, antibiotic properties and healing properties. I’ve read that it is even been tested as a better cough-reliever in children than over-the-counter pediatric cough mixtures.
However, the catch is that it has to be raw honey – not heat-treated or irradiated. Unfortunately, this rules out most honeys found in the supermarkets. Now honey is expensive – even the store-junk kind. So buying pure, raw, organic honey is usually exceptionally expensive. So, imagine my excitement when I found raw honey at the Porter’s Market in Tokai this Saturday. It was not only yummy but priced at less than store-bought, heat-treated, irradiated honey. Pick ‘n Pay’s cheapest honey sells at R36/500g whereas this honey was R30/500g!
They have a huge range of honey named from its flower source – and they all taste completely different. They have over 1 million hives across the country and yet sell to the public at the same price they sell to their retailers. Only their left-over honey gets heat-treated and sold to companies that eventually sell the bad quality grocery store variety. The kids liked the orange blossom one (it tastes a bit too “incense-y” for my liking) but the Cape Eucalyptus one was very yummy (a firm fav with most people it seems). It is definitely a big plus for us to find raw honey at such a good price – especially considering its fantastic medicinal qualities.
Below are pics of our honey that we brought home – not so sure I like the cheapie looking labels, but if what’s inside is good and right, then bring it on.
I decanted the orange blossom (left) into another squeeze container of honey that I bought at PnP. This squeeze container is irradiated honey, but I bought it at the time because 1) there isn’t any un-irradiated honey that I know of in the grocery stores. 2) it was the cheapest honey on the shelves 3) the squeeze bottle!
Not only is this little “smart bear”a cutie (the kids love him!), but it is very convenient to reuse. Most squeeze honey bottles have a lid that is impossible to remove, let alone put any more honey into it. Plus, when this one starts running out of honey, its lid is stable enough to turn it and keep it upside down. I prefer squeeze bottles for honey because it is a much less messy process, especially with kids – and saves on washing up (extra utensils, counter-tops, clothing, hair, hands etc!). So, orange blossom raw honey” is now the new label and Smart Bear’s irradiated honey has moved out to make room for the healthier contents (and did I mention cheaper?!).
So, even if this was the only thing I went to the organic market for, I think I scored well!
Alon HaGalil, where we used to live, had one of Israel’s top beekeepers and a lovely honey shop.
Our last summer there we spent a day at the honey festival,
learning about bees, the way they collect pollen from specific plants (all the bees from 1 hive will collect from one type of flower hence the different kinds of honey)
The girls got to see the queen bee, the honeycomb structure, and all sorts of other goodies. (baking pita on a fire and eating with honey, making candles from the beeswax etc)
There were 9 types of honey and the most interesting a dark brown one, which was carob honey!
We have being buying pure, good honey for years now – it seems that honey, along with olive oil and goats cheese, are all making their mark these days!
How funny – this coming weekend we’re going to a farm in the Northern Suburbs to do exactly what your kids did! The family who farm the bees are homeschoolers with lots of kiddies. They open their farm up twice a year – once for a bee-keeping day with opportunity to picnic on their farm, whilst learning all about bees and honey and how they’re made – and once for a sheep shearing day (we missed that this year, but plan to go next year). I’m sure there will be plenty of pictures to blog about next week.
So it seems I am slowly catching up to you in the healthy eating dept! Love you sister dear! Hugs
COOL!
BTW – Mike Oxley is apparently into bees now, maybe you can get honey from him in the future.
Have you heard about the disappearing bees?
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/are-mobile-phones-wiping-out-our-bees-444768.html
ooh – read the bee article – how freaky is that? esp Einstein’s comment (although, why he says that I would have no idea). Just when I was re-discovering the wonders of honey!
Love you!
Welcome to the world of GREAT honey! My kids love their honey! The kind we buy is from lower MI…its in our region so it also lessens their chances of developing allergies. It amazing to see what society thinks is “good for you”…..a little research can go a long way! My kids are rarely sick….I know its because of what they eat!
yeah Kim – agreed about the research thing, although sometimes it’s tricky to know what to believe! Just been doing some further research on Colloidal silver and am now a bit confused whether to continue using it to doctor our family!
With anything you are always going to find pros and cons. We tend to go as natural as we can. I grew up on raw honey…my mom always gave us a tablespoon a day. My kids sometimes want “honey on a spoon” but mostly its on their cereal instead of sugar and peanut butter & honey sandwiches. For coughs I do give it to them on a spoon! I wish you could come to one of my classes that I teach! You probably don’t know that I teach people how to eat more naturally and healthy and also all about God’s wonderful grains that he has given us! Meat, poultry, milk and eggs are all scary, as well, when you get into the research of how it goes from the farm to our homes. I often wish I could raise my family on a farm in Menominee County! Even though I am not a farmer, I do wish I didn’t have to pay so much to get quality food into our bodies! I have managed to get all “high frutose corn syrup” out of my house. It was tough, but we did it.
Happy research to you! There’s plenty out there. Some good and some bad….
I have a limited amount of fresh honey available in 35kg containers @ R40 per kg.(R1400 per container)
Anyone interested?
I am interested in that honey you have but not as much as 35kg. Can you sell it in smaller amounts, say 5kg or 10kg?
Hi there, I am doing some honey research and this wonderful blog popped up.. We are a company based in Cape Town and are going to be supplying Manuka Honey in a few weeks. Manuka honey is a ‘new’ type of honey being distributed worldwide out of New Zealand. It has incredible healing abilities, for more info: http://manukahoney.com/
for any furthar enquiries you can contact me on jaime@miafilms.co.za
Ive had Manuka honey from NZ before, though quite different in its taste, I have been trying to get hold of more, because of its great healing qualities.
Have to get some in SA by the looks of it!
oooh, this sounds interesting – I will have a look into it soon Jaime. Perhaps you’ll have a buyer or two in my sister in me come September-November!
could you please tell me how to get in touch with a been keeper to buy organic raw honey. Thank you
hi Sue – best head to the website above (http://manukahoney.com) and find out where they distribute from. I see from your email address that you’re from NZ – which is where the honey comes from.
I heard that its very good against the helico bacteria pylori that Yaron and I have apparently got in high levels.
I cant treat it till I finish breast feeding! Hoping the honey will help. I didnt like its taste as regular honey though.
I read everybody’s comments on the site and just wanted to inform you that we sell our own, Pure and untreated honey in the WEstern Cape. We do sell at some retailers but the problem is that they jack up the price so much that it makes it almost impossible for people to buy honey these days.
Our honey is certified to be untreated which means no preservatives were added and everything is as the honey regulations state that they should be.
Please let me know whether anybody is interested in more information.
Hi,please let me know where I can get pure raw honey in Cape Town/Stellenbosch area
Hi Gerhard
I’m not too sure about Stellenbosch, but every Saturday from 9-1 the Porter Esate in Tokai holds a market where I get my raw honey from. It’s R35 a jar which is excellent value for money and they have about 10 different flavours – you can try each of them before buying. The Porter Estate is at the end of Tokai Road – once you see the Tokai Manor, turn right (it’s a T junction) and then the guys at the entrance will direct you. Hope that helps.
Otherwise, source your nearest organic / health store – they can direct you further.
Taryn
Hi Gerhard
I am in Cape Town every week and will be happy to deliver some pure honey to you.
My e-mail address: marie@ibench.co.za
Let me know the quantities that you need and I will forward all the information with prices to you.
Marie
My Heritage Honey Products
Hi,
Please let me know, I would like to buy some of your honey. I have really been struggling to get hold of Raw honey. I live in the Northern Suburbs.
Fran – please contact Marie@ibench.co.za – she isn’t affiliated with me, but says they sell raw honey too.
We have set up a company, “Manuka Honey Africa”, to provide the top brands or quality New Zealand Manuka Honey to the South African public.
If you would like to find out more – please contact me at debi@miafilms.co.za
Please forward wholesale price list to me. Our health shop is Healthy Attitude, 27 Protea mall, Umhlanga Rocks 031-5614270 and we are intersed in #25 strength.
Hi, please also check Bradford Apiaries in Grabouw (60km out of Cape Town. I usually buy 5 litres (7kg’s) of honey at a time and I’ve been told the honey is as raw as it gets. They have Blue Gum (eucalyptus) honey, Orange Blossom, and Fynbos. Blue Gum honey usually sells for about R280 for 7kg’s and Orange Blossom for R320. Their contact number is 021 859 1597. Johanne is the contact person.
Hi
I have access to BEE Farmers in Limpopo that are looking for a market to sell their raw honey (Combs, etc.) Can you direct me to a market, contacts, etc. say and going prices.
Kethwa
Hi Khethwa – unfortunately I can’t
Hi there
My dad also supplies raw honey and its yummy..yes i am baised. You can email him @ leolor@mweb.co.za for more info. he is in the Northern Suburbs and his prices are good. can also be collected from me in southern suburbs.
Heidi
PS just tell him in the email you got the info from me.
I would like to find out what are your current prices of honey (250g & 500g) and which companies do you supply
Where can I purchase raw Honey at a good price other than the supermarkets. I live in the Eastrand-Johannesburg.
anyone able to help Esme on this one?