Bees and Honey
I have been fascinated by bees and honey for years. When I lived in Tennessee, I met a man who was from Poland.  He told me that my maiden name meant shepherd or beekeeper. I took that as a sign to someday pursue working with bees.
 
I had the opportunity to attend a one-day workshop on beekeeping a couple of weeks ago and I was fascinated from beginning to end. At the end, I wanted more, so I asked where I could learn more and the presenters pointed me to their website and their 6 week class beginning in February. I’m already registered.
 
One of the things I learned at the workshop was that honey is one of the most adulterated foods on the market. The majority of honey on the market is not actually honey. I was puzzled by this statement. I had a vague recollection about hearing that commercial honey manufacturers were stripping pollen from honey and thought that was what they were talking about, but no. What they were referring to is that much of the honey available for purchase in retail stores, you know, that substance contained in those cute little bear-shaped bottles, is not 100% honey. It is often colored corn syrup. I was stunned.
 
I went home and started doing some reading. Sure enough, the recollection I had about the removal of pollen was an odd article that caught the headlines but was essentially meaningless. It had to do with honey with and without pollen and whether one was better than the other (http://www.lb7.uscourts.gov/documents/12-CV-7584.pdf). So, first up, I leaned that bees make honey from the nectar they gather from flowers, not from the pollen, so whether or not honey contains pollen, it is still honey. Good to know.
 
Next, I looked into the “fake honey” statement. Sure enough, there are lots of articles out there talking about how the honey you buy at the grocery store may not actually be honey. Honey is in the list of top 10 foods that are adulterated on a regular basis. Honey collection requires manual labor. In order to increase profits, manufacturers will add corn, rice or sugar cane syrup to honey to stretch it. Estimates vary but range from 1/3 to 3/4 of all honey purchased in grocery stores is adulterated. Of course, this both surprised me and disappointed me.
 
As many know, pure honey has lots of health benefits that are clearly not present in corn syrup. So, it’s important to get the real stuff. Although there are several articles that explain in great detail how to test your honey to make sure it’s the real deal, I would simply recommend that you buy honey locally. Do a search of your area to find local beekeepers and buy directly from them. You’ll be supporting a local business and keeping bees flying which helps with our food chain by pollinating crops. Perhaps one day, one of those local beekeepers will be me.
 
Interested in learning more about earth-friendly options? Join my free group here.

Get my free guide: 4 Ways Being Earth-Friendly Can Change Your Life for the Better HERE.

0 Comments

Leave a Comment


Meet Paula Henry

 
As a teenager, I was encouraged to go to college, find a career and go out into the world to make a difference. For many years, I had no plans to have children because I had one focus - my career.  

As I neared the age of 30, I started thinking about what I wanted my life to look like in the future. Where did I want to be in 20 years and what did I want my life to look like. That's when I felt a pull at my heart to have children. 

I continued to work in my career while my kids were infants and toddlers. It wasn't until they were both in school that I felt a huge tug to stay at home. But, I had worked so hard to go to school, spent so much money and now I was thinking of throwing it all away? What would people think? Was the money and education a waste? 

I remember having more days at work when I wanted to be home than days at home when I wanted to be at work.  And, that's when I knew things had to change. It didn't happen overnight. We put together a plan so that we would be able to live comfortably on a single income and then we moved forward with that plan.

Once I left my job, I experienced a full-on identity crisis. No longer did I have my career to define me. Now, I had to figure out who I was. It was challenging, and I dove into different projects and small jobs. I was looking for fulfillment in motherhood...and something else. 

I didn't know about personal growth programs. It wasn't until I went to a conference and heard to speakers present on a framework that everything fell into place. Here was a system that I could use to pull my life together. I could use it to determine my identity. I could set goals for myself and have a plan to reach them. I embraced the system and it worked. 

Are you ready to start your own journey to a happier life with more balance between family obligations, self care and everything else in your life? Join me and my group of friends. Contact me now!

Contact

Copyrights © 2025 held by respective copyright holders, including Paula Henry.