Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I see a product on your website that I would like to purchase, but my local store doesn't carry it. Can I buy from you?
A: Unfortunately, we no longer sell products from our farm. If you see a product that you like, speak to the manager at your local store to see if they will carry that product, or if they can special order the item for you.
Q: I found your honey at a festival and it had a great flavor. Now I'm out and my grocery store doesn't carry your honey. Will you come to my town to sell?
A: We do our best to pursue new sales opportunities, but we need your help in identifying where our product is desired. Simply put, if you want your local store to carry our products, ask your local store manager to do so. A customer's request carries with it recommendation for the quality of our products, and leads to more definite results.
Q: I see other brands that list their product as "Raw Honey". Would you consider your honey to be "raw"?
A: Our liquid honey is screen-wire filtered to remove large items such as wax capping. It is then lightly heated to 100°F, the same temperature as the inside of the hive. This allows the liquid honey to move through our bottling machine. If you are interested in truly unfiltered, unheated and unprocessed honey, we recommend trying our comb honey, which is cut out of the frame in which it was built and then boxed for sale.
Q: I read that the best honey to eat is local honey. What exactly is meant by "local"?
A: Local Honey is generally defined as honey which was produced from hives within a 60 to 80 mile radius. The reason for emphasis on local honey is two-part. One, you know where your food is produced, and the standards guiding that production. Two, if you are eating local honey to help with your allergies, it is best that the honey contains pollen spores from the plants that cause your allergic reaction.
Q: So I can eat local honey to help my allergies?
A: Many of our customers swear by our honey's ability to ease their allergies. To best explain how local honey can have this effect, please read the article posted by Discovery Health on this topic at the following link: Local Honey for Allergies
Q: My honey looks grainy and I think it has gone bad. Is this possible?
A: Honey is the one food that will not spoil. The grainy texture you observe is natural crystallization. This happens for a variety of reasons, none of which make it inedible. It can be re-liquefied by setting your bottle in a pan of warm water, or microwaving (with the lid removed) in 10 to 15 second intervals until the desired texture is reached.
Q: How am I supposed to store my creamed honey? Isn't it just like honey butter and should be refrigerated?
A: A common misconception is that our creamed honey contains butter or cream. It does not. Creamed honey is nothing more than liquid honey that has undergone a controlled crystallization, by being whipped with a finely structured crystallized honey. This is why our creamed honey has such a smooth texture, and is able to stay in solid form at room temperature. If you store it too cold it will become too hard to spread, and if stored too warm it will return to its original liquid form.
Q: My honey has something white on top when I opened my jar. Is it safe to eat?
A: The white substance on top of the honey is simply a foam, resulting from air bubbles created during our bottling process, and it is harmless. You can skim this off the top of your honey if you find its appearance unappetizing, but it does not mean that your honey has spoiled.
Q: How many hives do you have and where are your beehives located? What kind of honey do your bees make?
A: Currently, we maintain approximately 350 hives of bees, spread over Logan, McLean and Woodford counties. The majority of our bees are set on timber locations, so our honey is a mostly clover and wildflower variety. A honey bee can fly three miles to gather nectar, which makes any blooming flower in its path fair game. Rather than trying to separate varieties of honey, we blend all of our honey so that our customers receive a consistent flavor throughout the year.
Q: What uses are there for the Wildflower Pollen that you sell?
A: Pollen is an excellent natural source of protein, which makes it a staple for vegan and vegetarian diets, as well as for athletes. It is rich in vitamins and anti-oxidants and has been used for many purposes, from weight-loss to lessening the side-effects of chemotherapy treatment. It is also a naturopathic medical practice to eat pollen, as it is believed help your body build a resistance to airborne pollen allergens. We have many customers who use our pollen for this purpose, but as with exposure to any allergen, there is a chance for a severe reaction, so please consult your physician before beginning treatment. You can read more about the beneficial properties of bee pollen at: http://www.bee-pollen-health.com
Q: I purchased your hand cream and sometimes it gets a little watery. Should I throw it away?
A: Our hand cream is home made in small batches, containing only sweet almond oil, water and beeswax (and scented oil, in some cases). There are no preservatives added, so some separation is natural. The water can simply be blotted out, and the remaining hand cream used as normal.
