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Honey?

Hi everyone :)

Last night we went to Juliano's restaurant and I noticed that a few items on the menu had honey. I know that he uses raw honey, but I figure that honey isn't vegan. What do you all think?

Comments

  • I personally use honey and love it. I think a lot of people won't use it or consider it vegan because of the way bees are harmed in the process of obtaining the honey. It easily can be compared to the hormones to induce more milk from a cow, or killing a chicken, etc. However, I make sure that the honey and bee pollen that I eat is extremely local and doesn't harm the bees afterwards. Not to mention, local honey and bee pollen does amazing things for you allergies. Check a local health food store instead of somewhere like Whole Foods. I work at one and we sooo many good options for both honey and pollen.

  • "local honey and bee pollen does amazing things for you allergies" i can attest to that.. i used to get allergies every since i moved to Austin Texas. then i started eating local honey, i have not suffered allergies since.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    I use raw honey too. No, it is not vegan, but not all raw foodist are vegan.

    I also vouch for the allergy information, and the antiseptic properties too, if using *raw* honey. Yep, the stuff at the grocery store is pasteurized, and becomes nothing better than regular sugar, IMHO.

  • daniefondaniefon Raw Newbie

    I am letting a friend keep his bee hives on my property, so I have been watching him tend them and asking lots of questions. FIrst of all, he handles them with care because they are valuable to him. I watch him gently brush them from his arms if they get on him. He rarely wears protection, because he doesn't need it. I asked how taking their honey affected them, and he told me that as long as you don't take too much, it isn't harmful to them. He said this is especially true in warmer climates with shorter winters because they don't need as much to get through the winter. In some ways the bees are better off than wild bees. He picks locations that are advantageous to the bees. He built their hives so that predators cannot get into them and has them elevated and over water to keep the fire ants out. He has told me that it doesn't have to be cleaned and it drops into some sort of receptacle, I haven't seen that part yet. Honey has natural antiseptic properties, so nothing really has to be done to it.. Commercial honey is heated to pasteurize it and is often a blend of several different types.

  • macanoogiemacanoogie Raw Newbie

    I saw raw honey at Food Lion and it looked old to me - almost like it was solidifying and a bit grainy. Is that a normal state for raw honey? I didn't think so but it's my only introduction to raw honey so I wanted to ask. Shouldn't it be smooth and runny like processed honey?

  • I'm still not sure as to why that happens, but its completely natural. There are about 5 or 6 different brands of raw honey where I work and they eventually harden and become opaque, and so did the one i have at home. It's definitely normal and its not bad whatsoever according to our owner. And I trust that he knows exactly what he's talking about.

  • pixxpixx Raw Master

    Yeah, they will crystallize; it is natural. Heating keeps that from happening. Some types, such as Tupelo, are less likely. I'm not crazy about the ones that get granular; *feels* like regular sugar is in it, and I don't care for that texture. I have found one that is as creamy as icing. Tropical Traditions sells it; it's Canadian honey. I have seen others from that area that appear to be similar, but have not tried them as of yet. (One is called White Gold- again, I have not tried it yet to say that it is actually creamy like the one from Tropical Traditions- it just appears so.)

    As for the thought that it is not "local" for allergy issues: I have been using the TT one, and one from Hawaii. I am in VA. I have not had allergy issues this year. I always have in the past, each spring.

    The plus is that the solid does not drip! I never was a fan of honey until trying the solid raw stuff. The flavor of regular commercial honey is way too cloying, to me.

  • Farmers markets are great places to find local raw honey where the bees are not harmed.

  • Thanks so much you guys!

    I may buy some raw honey from the farmers market next week, depending on how much money I have left over from my must-have purchases. I've been using agave lately, but I do miss the taste of good honey :)

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    Wow! This is the most calm honey thread I've ever seen!

    I'm not a vegan because I adore honey and know many beekeepers who tend to their bees with such loving care and don't take what they know the bees need. I only buy local and raw honey so to be sure I don't support the massive honey companies that replace the bees food with high fructose corn syrup which I think is a travesty.

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    Yeah, not all raw foodists are vegan. Unfortunately, some places label items with honey as "vegan," and this is incorrect, but you just can't trust people at their word; if you want to eat vegan and/or honey-free, you just have to ask.

  • troublesjustabubbletroublesjustabubble Raw Newbie

    I didn't know honey was labeled vegan sometimes!

    When I first went raw I didn't know honey wasn't vegan but that was because I never thought about it. Pretty scandalous they label it that way.

  • When I got my first jar of raw honey, I just couldn't believe how wonderful it tastes!! It is so different from processed honey. I could smell and taste the flowers that the bees pollinate. Wow!! Yes, thick like cake icing and white-ish in color is how it is supposed to look.

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    Yeah, I don't necessarily think anyone's trying to be deceptive; they're just ignorant on what "vegan" means, but if they don't know what it means, they shouldn't use the word!

    Just like some supposedly 100% "raw" places use maple sugar, nutritional yeast, etc.

  • Superfood:

    I noticed that a lot of cheesy recipes call for nutritional yeast. Curious, I did some research and found that it's grown on minteral-enriched molasses and pasturized. I know that it has a lot of B vitamins and is supposedly good for you. For some reason, I'm a little skeptical.

  • SuasoriaSuasoria Raw Newbie

    Juliano uses honey in many dishes/desserts. He calls it "love honey" because they claim it's sourced as nonviolently as possible. They will make most things without honey if you ask. (I don't use honey because I consider it stealing from bees.)

    Daniefon - good point about warmer winter weather, which is related to the local vegetation. There has to be pollen/flowers around. Winters can be warm, but if there aren't many blooming plants, they will still need their honey as a food source.

  • about the nutritional yeast, i believe it really is cooked, however they do it. But like the name says, its very nutritious, and vegans and raw vegans definitely need those b vitamins, especially b12.

  • superfood2superfood2 Raw Newbie

    B12 is best absorbed and taken sublingually by omnivores AND vegans.

  • honeyrunfarmhoneyrunfarm Raw Newbie
    edited November 2022

    That''s a really nice post. Daily usage of pure local honey can make good impacts on your health. Honeyrun Farm is providing the best ever pure raw honey; never pasteurized or high pressure filtered.

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