Gourmet Honey Defined is not a new age metaphor or a greener definition of a selection of honey that has had its’ name generated in a marketing think tank, but rather a condition of natural selection that has been almost forgotten since the commercialization of the honey industry.

Gourmet honey has graced the tables of local apiaries since the beginning of civilization. Honey from a specific area or local usually was collected by the beekeeping families of many generations. The beekeeper found out which flowers of the area made the best honey and then sold that honey at a premium. Seldom was a surplus for export ever collected.

Commercial beekeeping today centers around pollination, honey is the by-product. Blended flavors of honey from the areas and flowers that the beekeeper visits in the honey flow make up a blend of “table honey”, “cooking honey” and “wildflower honey” all of which are non-descript, sweet honeys. The beekeeper may start in Florida, move to California then to the Midwest and north as far as North Dakota and Montana then back to Florida for the winter. This is a similar practice that Egyptian beekeepers participated in every year. The barges were loaded with beehives and floated down the Nile to a new location as each flower source produced nectar.

Today there are fewer permanent apiaries as there are fewer single family farms. Home use and hobbyist beekeepers are no longer vogue. Those smaller apiaries have the distinct flare of carrying on the tradition of producing gourmet honey from single flower sources. A few commercial beekeepers have honey flows from yellow star thistle, tupelo, blackberry and palmetto to name a few that are harvested separate.

The next step in defining gourmet honey is that during harvesting, storing and processing the honey temperature does not raise above 120 degrees F to insure natural color, flavor, essence and original nutrition.

The Gourmet Station has defined gourmet honey perfectly in saying that like wine, honey has “nose”, different hues of colors from crystal clear as water to an opaque dark brown. The flavors range from tupelo honey that taste like a floral arrangement smells to star thistle honey that dances on the buds to heavenly music, daintily leaving only footprints of floral nuances as it skips from the palate. No this no ordinary honey found on the syrup aisle of the grocery store, this is gourmet honey defined! The Gourmet Station has long been touted as an authority of gourmet foods. Gourmet Station specializes in Fine Dining Delivered. Birthday Dinner, Anniversary Dinner, Thank You Dinner, Thinking Of You Dinner, or Congratulations Dinner all delivered to your door. If you are seeking exquisite food gifts, check out the Gourmet Station!

Gourmet honey can still be found even in the face of bee decline. The shortage of bees is a global threat to our supply of food. 30% to 40% of all our food is pollinated by bees. Support of your gourmet honey beekeeper, by buying gourmet honey, is a direct benefit to your next meal. The food you eat next year will have its’ seeds pollinated this summer!

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Is gourmet honey a natural product?
Gourmet Honey is a product made by honeybees. Honey is made up of simple sugars, including fructose and glucose. Honey also contains vitamins and minerals and enzymes. 100 % natural.

What is the definition of pure honey?
By law all honey labeled “Pure Honey” cannot have any other substance added. Pure gourmet honey is 100% pure honey.

What are some of the most popular flavors of honey?
Clover is by far the most popular and known honey followed by alfalfa, orange blossom, sage and blackberry.

How should I store, honey?
Honey should be stored in a dry cupboard or pantry. Your container should be closed as honey absorbs moisture. Never store honey in the refrigerator. Refrigeration hastens granulation. You may freeze honey without harming it.

Is granulated honey ok to eat?
Granulated and creamed honey can be used on toast and bagels. Most pure honey will granulate in time, but it never spoils.

Granulation does not affect purity or the taste of honey. To restore granulated honey, place in a pan of warm water. Do not heat over 125°F. Glass is best to heat honey in. If using a microwave to heat honey, sessions of 15 seconds only as the honey will boil or scorch and kill the live enzymes.

Does honey have a lot of calories?
The caloric value of the honey is slightly higher than sugar, however the fructose provides more sweetening per measured unit thus reducing the amount of honey required and the calories.

Is honey sold by weight or fluid ounces or both?
Honey is sold by weight. 16 ounces of honey is the weight of the honey and not fluid ounces.

How can I tell if honey is from America?
Unless the honey in your local supermarket is labeled from a local beekeeper, the honey on the shelf is normally about 50% American clover and 25% of honey from China and 25% from South America. These commercial honeys are blended, so, they taste generic and are pasteurized, killing the natural enzymes, so that the product has a longer shelf life.

Here is a Gourmet Honey Gift, send the finest culinary gift. Honey.

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In addition to making a fabulous Gourmet Gift, honey is used for cooking.

Honey is a natural sweetening agent composed of simple sugars, mainly glucose and fructose. Fructose gives honey the unique flavor and glucose provides energy. Lighter colored honeys are usually milder flavored and can be as clear as water.

Honey is available in several forms besides the most common liquid form. Creamed Honey is finely crystallized honey that is easily spreadable. Comb honey, which is honey harvested from the hive with sealed honey cells full of honey. Comb honey is completely edible. These forms honey have no sodium and no additives.

Honey is heavy, thick and sticky. 12 oz. of honey equals one 8 ounce measuring cup. 1 gallon of honey weighs 12 pounds. Water weighs 8 pounds to the gallon.

Most honey will granulate eventually, this does not mean the honey is old or spoiled. Honey does not need to be refrigerated as this will hasten granulation. Store honey in a dry place as it will absorb moisture. Some honey will granulate within a few weeks of harvest. These could be some of the best honeys. To liquefied honey, place honey in a GLASS container, never plastic, in the pan of warm water (not over 125°F as higher temperature will kill the beneficial enzymes), until the honey is clear. If you use microwave cook on high glass, only 20 seconds at a time until clear.

Honey may be easily measured by dipping the measuring cup/spoon in oil or spray with nonstick pan spray.

Honey slightly warmed blends more easily into beverages, marinades and sauces. Never overheat honey.

Honey may replaced sugar in your favorite recipes, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar then replace up to 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of honey. Over one cup of sugar replace with two thirds or three fourths cup honey, depending on sweetness desired. When substituting honey for sugar in baking requires that oven temperatures be reduced 25-30°F. Reduce liquid by ¼ by volume to equal liquid provided by the honey.

Gourmet Honey is prized for cooking as well as eating.

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Gourmet Honey Gift Set

Every recorded culture since the beginning of time has had a special reverence for honey. Some have saved it for weddings, offerings, celebrations and some have used it for money.

Today in America honey has been collected and blended into one homogeneous non descript taste that is purchase at the grocery store, not very tasty, pasteurized and unceremoniously labeled “honey”.

Fortunately some beekeepers are still separating their honey by floral source so that some of the finest honeys of the world can still be enjoyed. Saw Palmetto Honey from south Florida is rare and production is shrinking every year due to real estate development. This gourmet honey has been the profound favorite regionally since it was first gathered. Tupelo honey is one of the most expensive gourmet honeys due to the harvesting from the hives set on piers over streams in north Florida. This gourmet honey smells and tastes like flowers, slow to granulate and like palmetto honey is shrinking in production due to land development. Yellow Star Thistle honey grows in northern California from a beautiful yellow flower that ranchers have tried to eradicate. This honey has recently been voted as America’s most favorite honey. Star thistle honey is mild, light amber and melts in your mouth. Many claim you don’t need to put this honey on anything but your tongue and add fine music to enjoy.

The Gourmet Honey Gift Set combines these elusive gourmet honeys for one of the greatest tasting gifts available. Most Gourmet Gift Sets are eaten by the giver before they can be given away. The replies have been overwhelming, “we can give the Gourmet Honey Gift Set with confidence as the tastes were surprisingly wonderful!”

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