Honeys Available 2010
Mountain Wildflower Honey*
Desert Wildflower Honey*
Strawberry / Raspberry Honey
Alfalfa Wildflower Honey*
NEW! Snowberry Honey*
Meadowfoam Honey
Orange Blossom Honey
Buckwheat Honey
Carrot Honey
NEW! Date Palm Honey
Sage Willow Honey*
*In addition to our collection of wild desert/mountain honeys of the southwest,
we also offer a wide variety of gourmet raw honeys from other beekeepers of the
west & northwest. The FAQ's Page for Bee Chama Honey!
The worker bees have done their best to answer your questions in detail to avoid any misunderstandings "buzzing" about their amazing hive products.
“Every object, every being,
is a jar full of delight.
FAQ’s
Honey Varieties:
Where do Bee Chama Honeys come from?
Our desert/mountain varieties come from our hives, alternating between seasonal bee yards up and down the Rio Grande river valley and from higher elevations near Chama, NM. We have been migrating into southern NM and AZ as well. We collect and trade for exotic honeys from beekeepers with locations in the North and the West.
Bee Chama Honey is 100% Raw and Unfiltered. How does that different from honey in most markets/stores?
Our honeys come direct from the beekeepers! A minimum of handling and processing is what makes raw, unfiltered honey far superior to the highly processed and pasteurized honey that is commonly found in commercial markets. The high level of filtration used by corporate packing companies removes many of the beneficial products left from the extraction process like small amounts of pollen and wax known as cappings. Pasteurization destroys many of the healthy qualities of honey by degrading the enzymes the bees have added into the natural product.
If a honey is marked OUT OF STOCK will I be able to purchase more in the future?
Likely, YES but there are no guarantees with honey varieties. Beekeepers nation-wide experienced crop failures and a variety of challenges in 2009. We suggest you buy it when you see it. If you want a variety don’t wait until our stock is depleted. If you come to our shows you will generally have a WIDER selection to choose from than what is offered online. Stock will vary from year to year. See list (above) for 2010 crops.
SIZING/JARS
What size jar(s) of Honey/Bee Pollen can I purchase from the website?
All our products are packed in glass jars: ½ pint jars (*3/4lb. honey, 12oz.) and 1 quart jars (*3lb. honey, 48oz.) of honey.
Weight for Pollen in glass jars: ½ pint = *6 ¼ oz. / 1 quart = *1lb. 6 oz.
*All products are hand-packed, NOT machine processed, so allow for slight variations in weight.
These are estimates. Honey jars are usually slightly heavier than projected here.
How do I store my Honey and Bee Pollen?
Honey does NOT need to be refrigerated. It can be stored at room temperature and this will not change after opening the jar. We like to suggest keeping them in a warm sunny window to allow the sun to help keep them liquid.
BEE POLLEN must be kept in the freezer to maintain freshness.
If the lid on my ½ pint jar is “popped”, does that mean it is bad?
NO! We do not vacuum pack our honey. It is RAW and UNPROCESSED,
packed by hand when warm and under 109 degree temperatures. The lids that we use are
manufactured to be heat packed but it is NOT needed with our products to keep them fresh.
HONEY CARE:
Will it contaminate the honey if someone sticks their finger in the jar or” double dips” a spoon in it.
NO! Raw Honey is anti-bacterial, anti-microbial and anti-fungal making it extremely difficult for things to live in it. However, you will want to avoid an excess of WATER contaminating your honey jar. This will eventually set off a fermentation process if let to sit, essentially the beginning stages of making a honey wine.
Why is the HONEY hardening like a sugar on the bottom of the jar?
Raw Honey will eventually turn back into a solid state. This crystallization process turns liquid honey into “crystallized honey” or “sugared honey.” The bees design it that way for storage inside the hive. The sugars in our honey are not inverted the way commercially manufactured honeys have been by heat pasteurization that prevents “honey bear” honeys from becoming solid.
The honey in purchased is completely solid and I want it to be liquid. Can I do that without destroying its properties?
YES! Sometimes we have to ship honeys that have become crystallized, depending on our available stock. This is still GOOD HONEY! If you want to liquefy the honey, boil a small pot of water, then turn off the burner and place the jar in the water. The heat will be absorbed overnight. Repeat if necessary. DO NOT get the honey wet or leave it with the stove on.
Do all honeys crystallize at the same rate?
Honeys vary greatly in color, density, flavor, and in the length of time they remain liquid. 57 degrees is optimal for crystallizing honey. Oak honeydew is usually slower to crystallize than most honeys we offer (very rare honey and not available online).
Can I use the microwave to liquefy the honey faster?
We DO NOT recommend putting raw honey into the microwave. It will destroy the enzymes in a matter of seconds. ALSO, our jar labels are metallic and are not to be put in a microwave oven.
