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Agave, honey, and maple syrup are not raw. Stevia is raw if you get it from the plant directly, otherwise it has been processed. If you want an easy, raw sweetener, soak dates in water until soft, remove the pits, then blend them into a syrup using the soak water. You can store it in the fridge and pull it out for any recipe that calls for sweetener.
Honey can be raw, can’t it? what about the ‘really raw’ honey brand? It is true though that most honey sold in conventional grocery stores is not raw.
Dates may be a better choice though because honey is almost pure sugar and dates actually have some minerals. (Though of course dates don’t work for every recipe.)
On the other hand dark honeys are loaded with antioxidants.
maple syrup is boiled to condense it. (looked it up – 43 gallons of sap are required to produce 1 gallon of syrup.) so yes I guess that’s clearly not raw. One might be able to remove water at lower temperatures through some sort of dehydrating or dehumidifying process. (though it’d have to be reasonably quick or it’d start to ferment. )
Yes you can get raw honey, even in our supemarkets they sell unpasturised honey. But it’s not vegan.Obviously!! People sell lucama and mesquite which are billed as “superfoods” I have never used them but I believe that they are sweet.
So does this mean that the “raw” agave by madhava i bought isnt raw? I also bought a beautful honey called apitherapy farm style raw honey, its definitely raw( not vegan) its never been heated or filtered….i found a piece of blossom in it and i think a bee wing! my husband wont touch it! teehee more for me… Dates are the best sweetener i think especially for shakes where you can grind up the whole thing, ill try the soaking thing for a syrup… spirited mama thanks for the soaking /dehydrating time saving tip it has helped alot!
I eat raw honey. Honey is available locally and tastes great. To the people who won’t eat honey: Is it an animals rights or a health thing for you?
Alissa Cohen sells a”truly raw agave” on her site. She states that most of the raw agaves on the market today are heated.
Yacon syrup can be bought raw and it is sweet like molasses. It also has anti-fungal properties.
Nagev – I don’t normally eat honey – for bee rights reasons :). But with all the trouble the bees are having lately, if buying some honey will support a strong healthy bee population I would buy some. I guess I am on the fence but normally I avoid it.
Apart from wanting bees to live freely, which like Queen Fluff I am umming and erring about right now, I don’t eat honey coz ir makes my throat and tongue burn.
Info on “raw” agave nectar here on Purely Raw
fresh dates are the best.. and not expensive when buying from the date people – 15lb for 41.50 – which is an organic family business owned by raw people.. the honey dates are moist and you can add them to anything. this is really the best as dates are not dried fruit where you can never be sure at what temp. they dried it at. dates usually dry on the tree..
you can also dry your own fruit and make sweetener out of them – take bananas and slice them onto a screen and put on your roof. same with apples, grapes, papaya,figs,blueberries,pears.. then use them as sweetener. you can soak them in a little water and blend the whole thing to make sugar-free jam.
there is really no reason to throw away a lot of money on packaging, processing,transporting of exotic sweeteners or stealing food from insects when it is so easy to use dates or fruits which are everywhere depending on the season.
sweet
I’m going to try mesquite pods this year since we have a forest of mesquite trees where I’m moving in Texas. Has anyone harvested and ground them before? I’m also going to try prickly pears. Wal-Mart sells nopales (cactus pods) for a lot of money. I can get tons of them! I’ve never eaten any of these things.
This is all very helpful! I always thought raw honey was very healthy~ I never thought about it not fitting in with being vegan. I LOVE dates, but they are SO expensive here~ I’ll definitely check out “the date people”. I guess in substitute for agave in recipes I can thin out a date paste? I see agave a lot in recipes I love. And even though it states ‘raw’ on the bottle, I’m guessing it’s not?
prickly pears are marvelous! in season i eat one bucket a day.. almost season! now i wait while eating their leaves in smoothies and also eating the young white seeds like bulgur. i love them so much i think i’m going to change my name to ‘prick’.
ofek, you kill me…prick? hahahaha;) we can get prickly pears here in socal easily, are they sweet? guess im not as adventurous as i thought! I think the local folks pickle or fry them here. wasnt sure what to do with them…love the fruit jam idea. and made your apricot pie out of plumcots just yesterday! I shocked the seller at the farmers market when i asked to buy his unsellable , bruised ones. he made me a good deal and i promised to make him a pie as well.
raw mama: i think the local wholesaler down the street has dates, illl check there andd get back to you here with a price…..
I guess I should have clarified (though others did for me…Thanks!) I meant that honey can be raw, just not vegan. I also agree about the poor bees, I think about it often and wonder if buying raw honey would help.
Omshanti, I am glad the soaking and dehydrating is working for you!
Ofek, you are a riot! I live in Arizona and have been wondering how I can capitalize on the abundance of fresh, free cacti in the area. Any recipes, tips, help, etc. would be greatly appreciated!
ok, so i couldnt stand it, all that talk about prickly pear and ofek so rapsodic he was going to change his name…so i tried one today, it was sweetish and juicey like a bland apple that was chock full of seeds like a guava… i ate those too, now my question is: like spiritd mama, recipes? it was tastey but i think ill stick to apples or pears(less seeds) unless there is a killer way to fix them.
raw mama, the wholesaler near me had dates but with shipping im not sure how the savings would be .In case you are interested the website is www.organicfruitsandnuts.com
Put them, prickly pears, in a smoothie. Or blend them and strain out the seeds and make fruit leathers. I think They’d be good as a syrup for Vice Cream or Flax Jacks, mixed with raw agave.
ok seriously now – while there are some recipes for prickly pears – nothing compares to eating them as is – when in season and picked fresh – they are as good as fresh figs. no need to chew on the seeds.. just swallow them – you chew on the fruit gently as it melts in your mouth and fills it with the most heavenly flavor. ok now i’m drooling even thinking about it.
now i’m going to tell you how to pick the one kind that turns yellow and then orange and then organgish-red.. they are abundant all over california. i’ve also seen the deep purple kind but those are ripe at the end of fall in california.
so again – yellow-organge kind – i find the texture and flavor best when there is still a hint of green (picture here – i.e. pick them when they most colorful! green-yellow-orange.. this is when the seeds are still soft and the flavor is very sweet. how to pick? come with a bucket and a pair of tongs. fill the bucket and at home empty into an empty sink and givem them a rinse with the tap water so some of thorns come off but more important – that they don’t fly all over the place. if you want to reach the far ones, connect a long tin-can at the end of a long stick and use this to break them off into the bucket. and if you’re really want an orgasmic experience… slow down.. take a breath or 2.. make sure you can hear the birds.. and then slowly with your bear hands pick it without touching the thorny “eyes”.. if a thorn sticks – just blow on it. no doubt with some practice the latter is the most rewarding as it is nonmediated.
how to peel? with a pair of tongs cut the edges off – then make a slit lengthwise and open it a little with the knife – then reach with fingers and pull out the yellow-orange flesh! tastes even better when chilled!
here’s a picture of a peeled purple one and orange ones in the backdrop
omshanti~ thanks for the site, I’m checking out shipping now!
That IS a good site. I’m going to place an order soon.
ofek I think you mean tongs??? not tongues!
Spiritedmama, when you make the date syrup, how long does it last when stored in the fridge? And is it good to use as a replacement for agave nectar/maple syrup?