About honey
Honey is a natural delicacy produced by bees from the nectar they collect from flowers. Flower nectar consists of water (approx. 55%), sugars (approx. 40%), and proteins and minerals (approx. 5%). The field bee collects nectar from flowers. using its honey stomach and carries it to the nest. On the way to the nest, the bee mixes royal secretions with the nectar in its honey stomach, thus beginning the process of transforming nectar into honey. In the nest, worker bees continue mixing the nectar by regurgitating it between their honey stomach and proboscis. At the same time, they evaporate moisture from the nectar. This production process takes approximately twenty minutes. Afterward, the honey being made from the nectar is placed in the honeycomb cells, where moisture continues to evaporate.
Watch from the video how honey goes from producer to the store shelf
What does ready-made honey consist of?
When the moisture content is suitable and the honey is ready, the bees cover the cells with a thin layer of wax. The wax layer protects the finished honey. This is how the royal jelly secretions added by the bees and the evaporation of moisture turn nectar into honey. Ready honey contains well under 20 percent water, about 80 percent sugar, and the rest of the honey consists of various vitamins, minerals, and trace elements.
There are quite a few different honey adulterations encountered globally. In some cases, honey has been processed or extended with other raw ingredients to the point where it no longer meets the definition of a pure natural product. Hunajayhtymä is the only entity in Finland with a quality assurance certificate, which guarantees that the consumer always receives high-quality honey. Get to know the serf certificate!
Where does Hunajayhtymä's honey come from?
Our bottled honeys come from from our domestic contract producers across Finland. Thanks to their professional beekeeping work and high-quality domestic honey, we are allowed to keep the Hyvää Suomesta (Good from Finland) mark on our jars. This guarantees that our honeys are definitely produced in Finland. The Honey Cooperative's production is also the only one in the sector to be certified. FSSC 22000 ensures the consumer always receives a high-quality, pure natural product.
As bees fly from flower to flower with pollen balls on their legs, they simultaneously pollinate plants. In this way, plants reproduce, and their harvest increases and improves in quality. Fruit trees and berry bushes, in particular, benefit from the pollination work done by bees.
Bees are cared for year-round.
In Finland, the honey harvest season is midsummer, a relatively short period of the year. The honey yield in Finland varies greatly from year to year. The amount of the harvest is influenced by many factors, such as temperature, rainfall, and the flowering times of different nectar plants. To get a honey harvest, The beekeeper ensures the well-being of their bees in many ways.. At the end of the harvest season, honey is collected from the beehives by removing the honeycombs. New, empty wax combs are placed in the hives in their place. At the end of the harvest season, the bees are given liquid sugar syrup as winter food in place of the honey, which will sustain them throughout the long winter.
The honey is uncapped from the combs with an uncapping comb or roller, and the combs are placed in a honey extractor. The honey is extracted from the combs by spinning. From the extractor, the honey is drained into a filtering basin, where wax particles and other debris remain in the filters, and the pure honey flows into storage containers. Honey free of debris is ready to be enjoyed as is, but honey for sale is then kneaded until soft and supple. Unkneaded honey will crystallize at its own pace and may become very hard.
In comb honey, which is enjoyed directly from the wax combs, the natural aromas have remained stronger than in collected honey. The wax that comes off the combs can be spit out or swallowed; the wax behaves like fiber in the body. Comb honey is sold by some beekeepers and health food stores.
Four facts about honey
- Honey is a pure natural product made by bees from flower nectar. Every honey is unique and always tastes a little different, depending on what kind of flowers and plants the bee has collected nectar from. Domestic honey also truly tastes of Finnish seasons, meaning when summers are bright and nature is pure, the honey tastes rich. Finland is the world's northernmost honey-producing country.
- Honey has over 200 different ingredients, some of which have been scientifically proven to promote health. Due to its antibacterial properties, honey is also an effective and natural way to treat injuries and illnesses. Honey can be used externally for wounds, burns, abrasions, and skin conditions, as well as for beauty treatments. When taken internally, honey is suitable for preventing and treating infectious diseases and improving digestion. Honey contains healthy pollen, which strengthens and restores the body's balance, regulates hormonal activity, helps with prostate problems, increases fertility, and boosts milk production in nursing mothers.
- Honey is most often used as a sweetener and preservative instead of sugar. And otherwise in cooking, for example, in leavening dough and marinating. Honey's sugars are small molecules and are quickly absorbed by the body, making honey an excellent snack for athletes, for example, during or after exercise. In addition, honey improves the browning and shelf life of food and enhances the flavor of other food ingredients.
- Honey is honey when nothing has been added to it and nothing has been removed from it.. Pleasant product Mieleinen, puolestaan, is Hunajayhtymä's unique honey preparation, which is a blend of pure honey, dietary fiber, and berries. The original variety, which has no berry flavor, is available. Additionally, there are blueberry and strawberry flavor variations. Mieleinen's special qualities include its stomach-friendly composition thanks to the fiber and its lower carbohydrate content. It also always remains liquid, even after long storage. Blueberry In Mieleinen, freeze-dried Finnish blueberry powder is used, which preserves its fresh aromas and allows the vitamins and flavonoids to deliver their effectiveness in a concentrated form. The amount of blueberry in the product corresponds to approximately one deciliter of fresh, just-picked blueberries. Mieleinen is also suitable for those who find regular honey too sweet, or for individuals who prefer, for example, a FODMAP diet.
