A question arises from time to time as I sit at farmers’ markets with my tables laden with honey and honey-related products. I am often asked, “What is the difference between raw and processed honey?” Actually, the first question I am usually asked is if the honey I am selling is “raw.” The general public has been taught to ask for raw honey. The interesting aspect of this is few know what “raw” means.

So in an effort to educate, let’s do a quick comparison.

First off, yes, the honey I sell is raw which means it comes straight out of the hive. Raw honey is what the bees themselves consume as their food source. I am often asked how raw honey gets into the bottles I have for sale. What is the process to bring it from hive to table?

It is important to know when to remove honey. Bees gather nectar, spit it into the honeycomb they’ve built in their hives and then flap their wings to reduce the moisture content of said nectar with the end result being honey. The bees then cap their honey with beeswax. Beekeepers should strive to only remove frames of honey which have been capped. 

For the most part capped honey will have a moisture content between 16 to 18 percent. If the moisture in honey is above that 18 percent mark, that honey will ferment or spoil over time and not be great for consumption. But fermented honey is how the sweet drinking wine – mead – is made. I imagine at one time some beekeepers or probably monks (some of the world’s first beekeepers) took honey too soon, ended up with loads of fermented honey, and figured out how to put it to good use!

Pulled, capped frames of honey are then uncapped using a hot knife or a comb-like tool to open or cut-off the top cap of each cell of beeswax that houses honey. Those uncapped frames go into a centrifuge and the honey is “spun” out of the beeswax frames. The spun honey then fills the base of the honey spinner that has a gate which is opened to pour out that uncapped honey.

Both raw and processed honey go through this series of events. It is what happens to the spun out honey next that differentiates whether honey is raw or processed.

Where “raw” honey is concerned, some beekeepers pour the honey from the honey spinner right into a jar and seal it up to sell. This honey is unfiltered, raw honey.

I have come to find consumers truly do not want honey this “raw.” They are off-put by the inevitable bits of wax and quite frankly – bee parts and grass found in the honey straight from the honey spinner.

While my honey is still “raw,” I do let it go through a mesh filter. When I open the gate of my honey spinner, the honey pours into a bucket through a filter on the top of the bucket. This filter removes the bits of wax and debris. My bucket also has a gate at the base, and it is from this gate that I jar my honey. This honey is clear and though it still contains pollen, the wax bits and such were captured in the filter and are not in the jars I sell.

The definition of raw honey should include it can be unfiltered or slightly filtered. Raw honey is never pasteurized or processed. Raw honey is as the bees made it and what they placed in their honeycomb.

So why do consumers want raw honey? First, it is a nutrient powerhouse packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Raw honey also helps people deal with seasonal allergies. One must consume local honey to get these benefits. Consume honey from your area because it is the allergens in your area that are causing you problems. Local raw honey helps those with allergies build a tolerance to the local allergens since the honey contains pollen from local plants. 

Raw honey is also great for the gut and can help maintain a healthy digestive system. Finally, raw honey offers a kaleidoscope of flavors because it is based on the nectar of the flowers being foraged. Spring honey is light and clean tasting and is usually created from the nectar of the early blooming maple and willow trees as well as dandelions. Summer honey has a deeper flavor with nectar used coming from flowering fruit trees and bushes, summer flowers and such. Fall honey flavors are even more robust. People swear by goldenrod honey or the dark bold, almost molasses taste of buckwheat honey. 

By comparison, processed honey is what is found at most grocery stores. This honey, in order to keep it “shelf stable,” has been pasteurized (meaning heated to a high temperature), has undergone ultra-filtration, and sometimes even has had sugars or high fructose corn syrup added in. 

Processed honey will have a longer shelf-life and will be less likely to crystallize. Its texture will be more uniform, and processed honey has a milder flavor which many people prefer. 

When choosing between raw or processed honey, it comes down to what the consumer wants. We make maple syrup on our farm, and I love it. My eldest son loves Log Cabin maple syrup and won’t touch the thinner, real maple syrup we produce. So it goes! 

To be succinct – raw honey is for those wanting all the health benefits and flavor adventures it supplies. Processed honey is for those wanting consistent flavor and texture.

Of course, I am all in for raw honey. Buying local raw honey helps local beekeepers continue to do what they are doing; mainly helping the honey bees in your area thrive. In the end, buying local is a great way to help your wonderful community become even better.

Susan Nutter and her husband, Scott, maintain 60 hives on their 65 acre tree farm in northeast Ohio, where they also produce maple syrup along with selling honey, beeswax, and honeybees. Follow Susan on Facebook by searching Bees and Trees, and on Instagram @beesandtrees.co Got questions about beekeeping or honeybees in general? Please email Susan Nutter at SusanNutter11@gmail.com.