Guidelines for organic beekeeping have been laid down in the EU Organic Regulation since 2000. The most important Rules of organic beekeeping:

• No use of synthetic chemicals in the honey harvest, in the treatment of bee diseases and for pest control.
• Beehives may only be made of natural materials.
• If winter feeding is permitted, the feed (sugar) must be 100% organically produced.
• The location of the beehives must be chosen in such a way that there are non-organically or organically farmed areas in the vicinity.
• Beeswax for new middle walls must come from organic production.
• No clipping of the queen bee's wings.

Honey is clear and viscous when the beekeeper extracts it from the honeycomb. And all honey forms crystals at some point, which cause it to solidify. Depending on the composition of the honey, this transition (crystallization) from liquid to solid happens within a few days to a few months. The ratio of the two types of sugar, glucose and fructose, plays a decisive role in this process. The more glucose a honey contains, the faster crystals form. The more fructose, i.e. fruit sugar, it contains, the longer the honey remains liquid. A ratio of approx. 1:1, as is the case with rapeseed honey, for example, means very rapid crystallization within a few days. By contrast, if the ratio of fructose is predominantly around 1.5:1 (e.g. acacia honey), the honey remains liquid for months or even years.

Thanks to its high sugar content and natural antibiotic substances, honey can be kept almost indefinitely. Nevertheless, a few basic rules should be observed with regard to enzymes and taste, among other things:

• Best stored in a dark place
• Always avoid direct sunlight
• Store at temperatures between 10° and 20°
• Always store in a dry and tightly closed place

Depending on the glucose content, liquid honey can start to crystallize after a long time. To liquefy the solidified honey again, it is sufficient to heat it slowly in a water bath at a maximum temperature of 40°.

With an average of 1.0 kg per capita per year, Germans are among the world leaders in honey consumption. Due to the climatic conditions, domestic production is not sufficient to meet the high demand for this sweet treat. In Germany, only around 15,000 - 20,000 tons of honey are harvested each year, while around 80 percent of the honey consumed is imported from regions of the world where climatic and botanical conditions are ideal for several harvests per year. Many honeys come to Germany from the warmer countries of Europe and from Central and South America.

Thanks to the different climatic conditions and the associated flora, honey can be "harvested" anywhere in the world all year round. This means that there is not only a year-round supply of honey, but above all an unrivaled variety. Honey can be compared to wine in this respect: the decisive factor for the taste, color and consistency of this natural product is its origin - both botanically and geographically.

Babies and toddlers under the age of one should avoid honey altogether as a precaution. The gastrointestinal system of babies up to 12 months is not fully mature and still unstable. Honey is a natural product - therefore it cannot be ruled out that spores of bacteria (Clostridium botulinum) may be present in honey. In rare cases, these spores can cause illness in babies (infant botulism).

All honey crystallizes or candies at a certain point in time. This natural physical process actually has nothing to do with the quality of the honey and is not a sign of damage. However, it can be observed that honey that is industrially finely filtered remains liquid for longer than traditionally strained honey. When the honey crystallizes depends primarily on the ratio of fructose and glucose to each other. This is a significant characteristic of the different varieties, so that it can be assumed that the crystallization behaviour of a particular variety (e.g. acacia) is always approximately the same. Acacia honey and fir honey often crystallize only after years, forest honey after a few months or even years, blossom and mixed honeys need a few weeks. Raps- und Kleehonig kandieren dagegen schon innerhalb weniger Tage. Auskristallisierter Honig kann problemlos durch Erwärmen wieder verflüssigt werden. It is best to place the honey jar in a warm water bath. However, the honey should not be warmer than 40°Celsius, as
otherwise important ingredients, such as enzymes, are reduced.

The hive temperature is around 38 degrees, but this also fluctuates depending on the outside temperature. The heat-sensitive enzymes contained in honey, among other things, decrease very quickly at higher temperatures. As a result, the honey loses some of its valuable substances. It is therefore advisable not to heat honey above approx. 38-40 degrees.

With feed from our own farm or from other organic farms. At the end of the production season, sufficient honey and pollen must remain in the hives for the winter. The feeding of bee colonies isonly permissible, if the survival of the colony is at risk due to weather conditions, and even then only from the last honey harvest until 15 days before the start of the next nectar or honeydew season. In this case, organic honey, organic sugar syrup or organic sugar may be fed.

In crystalline, solid honeys, a white coloration appears on the inner wall of the jar and on the surface of the honey. There is a tiny air gap between the jar and the honey body, into which glucose crystals have grown. On the surface, glucose crystals have appeared above the actual honey surface, which also have air in the gaps. The trapped air leads to an optical brightening of the crystals. The honey surface and the side layers look white.

The cause: Honey with a crystalline consistency has a syrupy film of fructose, water and many other honey components between the glucose crystals. If the honey mass does not cover the entire surface of the glass wall during filling, an air gap is created in which the blossom later forms. This can be caused, among other things, by the honey being stored in rooms that are subject to temperature changes or being exposed to strong temperature fluctuations during transportation (especially in the cold season).

However, this does not mean any loss of value, quality or taste for the honey.

A liquid layer sometimes forms on the surface of a creamy honey. This phenomenon is called "mother liquor" or phase separation. The lower layer consists mainly of glucose crystals. The upper layer consists of a water-fructose mixture. How quickly this separation process takes place and the thickness of the layer depends on the honey composition and the storage conditions. In warmer storage conditions, e.g. in summer, this process takes place more quickly. A homogeneous consistency can be achieved again by stirring vigorously and subsequent slightly cooler storage is recommended.

This phenomenon does not mean that the honey is fermenting. A fermented honey can be recognized by a sour smell and taste and a slightly later foamy bubble formation due to fermentation gases. The volume of fermented honey also increases due to this bubble formation, which can cause the lid to bulge or even lift off.

Manuka honey occupies an outstanding special position due to its unusually high activity. The Institute of Food Chemistry at TU Dresden was able to identify the active ingredient that is primarily responsible for this: Methylglyoxal (MGO). In contrast to normal honey, only New Zealand Manuka honey contains a significantly high content:

❗️Other honeys: 0 bis 20 mg/kg MGO

❗️Manuka honeys: 20 bis 800 mg/kg MGO

The higher the content, the more intense the honey and the taste. As is usual with natural products, the differences in the MGO values of Manuka honey are based on factors such as location, weather conditions, time of harvest and storage...

The South Sea myrtle, also known as manuka (from Māori: Mānuka), is a shrub plant related to the Australian tea tree and is almost exclusively native to New Zealand. Manuka has been used by the Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, for many generations.

The effects of manuka honey first attracted attention in the 1930s when New Zealand dairy farmers fed it to their cows and noticed that they suffered significantly fewer illnesses than cows that had not previously been fed manuka honey. Since the 1980s, scientific publications have increasingly made reference to the properties of manuka honey.

In recent years, this exceptional honey has also become known in Europe thanks to further research (including at the Technical University of Dresden by Prof. Thomas Henle) and numerous media reports.

The indication "MGO 250+" means that it contains at least 250 mg/kg of the active ingredient methylglyoxal (MGO).

The higher the content, the more intense the honey and the taste. As is usual with natural products, the differences in the MGO values of Manuka honey are due to factors such as location, weather conditions, time of harvest, storage...

Manuka honey is traditionally used externally and internally. Like other honeys, Manuka honey can of course also be enjoyed on bread, in tea or in smoothies.

Our honey bees not only collect nectar and pollen, but also resins from various plants and trees. They process these with their own secretions to create the unique natural product: propolis. Our bees still use this to protect themselves from bacteria, viruses and fungi. In the beehive, many bees live together in a confined space at around 37° and humid air. To prevent the spread of diseases, the bees distribute the protective resin throughout the hive and use it to seal small gaps. This is what makes propolis so interesting for us humans. The protective resin has been used since ancient times and even the ancient Egyptians appreciated its effect.

It is the food juice that the bees produce for their queen bee. Only the queen bee is fed with royal jelly throughout her life and is thus able to lay up to 2,000 eggs a day and lives around 50 times as long as her fellow bees. For this reason, the queen bee has become a symbol of vitality, performance and vitality. Royal jelly contains a variety of vitamins, minerals and proteins as well as hormone-like substances. Active and health-conscious people in particular, but also those under stress, greatly appreciate royal jelly as a dietary supplement.

Our pollen comes from the botanical families of cistus (Cistaceae), asteraceae (composite plants), but also from roses (Rosaceae) and oaks (Quercus).

The so-called "lyophilization" process, a value-preserving freeze-drying method, produces a particularly high concentration of royal jelly. In this process, the royal jelly is deep-frozen and dried in a high vacuum. This process enables a concentration of three times the amount of royal jelly, i.e. 167 mg of lyophilized royal jelly is equivalent to 500 mg of fresh royal jelly.

We need to add agave syrup to ensure the liquid consistency of the manuka honey during the best-before period. By nature, manuka honey tends to solidify or crystallize quickly, so that it could then no longer be spread out of the stick and the customer would be disappointed that not enough comes out or so much remains in the stick.

The minimum order value in our online store is €10.00.

From €40.00 we deliver free of charge within Germany.

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