Is Honey Vegan???

[Fire and Ice]

Perhaps the confusion is arising from country of origin. Tupelo honey, for example, is my favorite and is becoming increasingly hard to find because of the destruction of the habitat of tupelo trees. Expensive, specialty honeys are sometimes mixed with generic honey from many different countries - Brazil, Mexico, Argentina come to mind - to reduce the cost. Still all honey, but not all the same origin.

I have not seen any honey that wasn't 100% honey, but it wouldn't surprise me... only solution is to read the label carefully.

That's interesting because at several craft shows I go to, we have local bee keepers who sell the honey they harvest throughout the year. As most of these bee keepers have more than 100 hives, I gues it would be 100% real honey. Maybe the stuff in the store is not but I would imagine a bee keepers honey is.

Fire, who doesn't like the taste of honey so never buys it.

[CareBear]

I BUY lots of honey cause I really want to like it.

I HAVE lots of honey cause I really don't like it.

I used to grade honey for the USDA but it came straight from the bee keepers (it needed to be graded in order to set the price) and that was obviously the real deal.

I have seen fake maple syrup though...

[topofmurrayhill]

I BUY lots of honey cause I really want to like it.

I HAVE lots of honey cause I really don't like it.

Heh, I never cared for it much either. Then I was introduced to Greek yogurt with honey. Mmmm, I love that. Don't know if this is true everywhere, but in NYC you can find Greek yogurt in any supermarket. Usually a brand called Fage (pronounced FAH-yeh]. There's something about the texture and aroma of honey that's "too much" for me, but the flavor and mouthfeel of Greek yogurt balances it out perfectly.

[CareBear]

I'll look for it! But central NJ is far from ethnically diverse... Makes me miss my time in the Bronx (well, kinda)

[topofmurrayhill]

Even for NYC it's surprising how ubiquitous the product is. It just never caught my eye until I was introduced to it -- not by a vegan honey in this case, but rather an omnivorous hottie.

I'm not sure what part of the country is covered by distribution, but NJ sounds promising. I bet it will put a dent in your honey collection if you find it. Try the combo for breakfast!

This is the company. http://www.fageusa.com/products.html

[kidsngarden]

yes, the clover and blossom stuff is all about where the bees are. Unlike my crazy information about the beeswax, this I know because I get my honey from a local farm that has maple and blackberry honey. I've only gotten the maple and it smells and tastes much stronger than clover honey.

Bethany

[Stella1952]

I love honey. Don't eat much of it since I moved away from FL. Used to live near Cal's Tupelo Honey operation - man, that was so fine! Can't have baklava without honey and there's nothing like homemade baklava... sigh.

And MEAD - OMG now THERE's a BREW!!

Did I say vegan schmegan? If it's good enough for bees to regurgitate, it's good enough for me.

[JacquiO]

Aren't there many kinds of honey though? I know at the grocery store I've seen different kinds like orange blossom and also clover honey for example. I know that stuff is not really honey and I've never tasted them but I wonder if it has some of the same qualities as real honey and could be used in soaps etc...and they would be vegan.

Melany

Actually what you take for different flavored honey - clover, orange blossom, blueberry, wild flower - is actually the type of flowers or blossoms where the bees gather the nectar. It is real honey, honey.

Orange Blossom honey is from hives kept by orange groves. Blueberry near blueberry fields. Clover is the most common up where I live because it grows wild everywhere.

Either way if the honey is flavored by the nectar of certain plants or an added ingredient it's still an animal by-product and therefore definitely not vegan.

[voodoo]

As a part time mead maker and a soaper, this naturally got my attention. According to the beekeeper that we get our honey from, the way that Jacqui described the various types of flavoured honeys is correct.

Also, from what I know of veganism and the vegans I know and the studying I've done on the subject, honey (for some vegans) is off limits because there's no way for you to ask the permission of the bees to gather their honey. As far as they see it, you're stealing food from the bees. I'm not sure if they factor in that the beekeeper does take the honey, but he replaces it with something that is equal or greater to the sustenance that the honey would have given the bees, but that's another matter.

Bring on the mead! LOL!

[tamsoycandles]

Huh, I need to investigate more on the beeswax thing because I have always heard it killed the bees to get it...

Bethany

Actually, beekeepers help sustain the bee populations.

[kidsngarden]

Yep, I figured that out now, thanks!

[crazycacti]

Can also find something like this at Trader Jo's

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Heh, I never cared for it much either. Then I was introduced to Greek yogurt with honey. Mmmm, I love that. Don't know if this is true everywhere, but in NYC you can find Greek yogurt in any supermarket. Usually a brand called Fage (pronounced FAH-yeh]. There's something about the texture and aroma of honey that's "too much" for me, but the flavor and mouthfeel of Greek yogurt balances it out perfectly.