4 Unique Picks for National Honey Month
For as long as we've been preparing food, humans have been using honey. It has become a dietary staple all over the world, eaten on its own for a quick energy boost, and used as an ingredient in everything from sweet teas to insect kabob marinades. But not all honey is created equal. If your go-to honey comes in a generic bear-shaped bottle, it's time to branch out and try one the 300 different varieties available in the U.S. From the dark and robust to the light and mild, we've rounded up four unique and eco-friendly brands to try this September to celebrate National Honey Month.
Rare Hawaiian Great White Honey isn't actually made from sharks, but it is probably the most badass thing you will ever put in your tea. Who doesn't want the opportunity to say they just added some shark honey to their sleepytime brew? Dr. Michael Domeier, Rare Hawaiian Honey Company owner and white shark researcher, is celebrating Hawaii's few great white sharks with a special release of the island's equally rare Kiawe honey. Added bonus: the company has pledged to donate 10% of the proceeds from the sale of their Great White Honey to shark research. If you aren't feeling brave enough to tackle the Great White, try one of their other unusual options, like the Organic Sunset Kiawe Honey, named for the unique color and citrus-y taste of the honey produced at the end of the Kiawe tree blooming season. $15 - $21, rarehawaiianhoney.com
Madhava Organic Very Raw Honey is entirely unfiltered, raw honey that hails all the way from the wildflower fields of Brazil, where the company works with local farmers to harvest the goods. If you need an incentive to try this sweet treat, throughout 2013 for every jar of their organic honey to sold, Madhava will donate ten cents to non-profit organizations working to save bees. Check their website to find Madhava products in a store near you. MSRP: $10.99 - $11.49, madhavasweeteners.com
Y.S. Eco Bee Farms offer a number of different unpasteurized and unfiltered options for the honey-curious. Branch out a little with their cinnamon or pomegranate-infused Gourmet Specialty Raw honeys, or go basic with Certified Organic Raw Honey. Y.S. Eco Bee Farms products are sold by a number of retailers online, and in most health food stores. $5 - $13, ysorganic.com
Royal Hawaiian Honey products are single-source, organic, and varietal. Royal Hawaiian also advertises their products as the first America’s first certified Carbonfree™ food product, meaning "all carbon emissions generated in the production and shipping of our honeys are calculated and off-set by investing in reforestation, renewable energy, and energy efficiency projects." They pay close attention to the eco-impact of their packaging, purchasing most materials in the U.S. to cut down on overseas shipping and selling their honeys in entirely recyclable jars labeled with soy-based ink. Try the Organic Lehua Honey for its sweet, butterscotch taste, or the Organic Christmas Berry for a slightly spicy kick. $11.50 for a 12-ounce jar, $17 for a 44-ounce tub, royalhawaiianhoney.com
To find these or other organic honeys for sale near you, check out localharvest.org.
Image via iStockphoto
Julie Eng is an editorial intern at Sierra. She studied literature and anthropology at the University of California, Santa Cruz and wrote for several newspapers before joining the Sierra team.
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Posted by Green Life at 09:30:51 AM
in Food and Drink, Health, Shopping
