Greek Organic Vanilla Fir Raw Honey - 500g/Active 18.5

What makes Vanilla Fir special?

• It has a much lower level of sugars than other honeys, being particularly low in glucose meaning it usually never crystallises.
• Vanilla Fir only comes from the region of Mount Mainalo in the Peleponnese in Greece, no where else in the world.
• It isn't produced every year. often there is little or none available.
  
• This honey is exceptionally low in moisture - just over 14% (we had our batch analysed).
  
• It is the only Greek honey with Protected Designation of Origin - this is the only place in the world you will find this honey.

This is a honey that I thought we would never find - it is very rare and very highly valued and stock is normally snapped up in advance.  

The Black Fir tree that grows on Mount Mainalo in the Peleponnese in Greece. I have had the honey analysed (and that's all good, no heating and it has all the key characteristics of a Vanilla Fir). This honey has been granted Protected Designation of Origin, because of its uniqueness and rarity. It comes from no where else in the world apart from the area around Mount Mainalo. 

Flavour:  Vanilla fir is a thick, earthy, creamy honeydew honey which has a flavour with hints of vanilla and caramel. 

Colour: When runny, the colour of this honey is quite light, with shades of pearl or caramel. 

Where it comes from: This honey only comes from the fir forests of Mount Mainalo in the Peloponnese region of Arcadia, This is where the rare Black Fir tree grows.

What does "Active" mean in the product title? We send some of our honeys to a lab for a "Total Activity test". This test measures the total antimicrobial activity of a honey. This is done by testing a solution of a honey on a lab plate against the Staph Aureus bacteria. the honey is graded according to the amount of bacteria that the honey solution kills. Generally, the range that we see will be between 10 and 25 plus. This type of test is similar to the test used to grade Manuka Honey. The main antibacterial activity is caused by a bee enzyme that creates hydrogen peroxide in the honey. Please bear in mind that the Activity Level is at its highest when we test it and will decrease over time. This will happen faster if the honey is exposed to light and heat. Storing the honey in a dark cool place will help to slow down the rate at which the Activity Level decreases.

More on honeydew honey: Fir tree honey is known as a honeydew, because it is from the sap and resin of the tree not from flower nectar. Honeydews are high in oligosaccharides, which are known for their prebiotic qualities- aiding digestion.

About the beekeeper: It was brought to us by Asterios who has a network of Artisan beekeepers that he works with. One such beekeeper is Vasilis. 

How Raw Honey is different from Processed Honey - Raw honey generally means the honey has not been processed, it has come from the hive to the jar with minimal interference. Most supermarket honey is highly processed to make it look more attractive, usually it has been largely drained of pollen, heated and blended. Raw honey tends to vary from batch to batch, this is because it is not processed in a factory, filtered or heated to look homogeneous. Raw honey changes with the season and climate, the soil, what the bees feed on, and the nature of the colonies.

Please know that raw honey does crystalise and this is a natural process that occurs mainly due to the natural glucose in raw honey. For more information on why honey sets visit this article and for a more scientific explanation go to wikipedia.

About Us - Here at The Raw Honey Shop we take honey very seriously and we believe honey should be RAW, unpasteurised and 100% natural. Since 2008 we've been introducing our customers to a whole new world of pure all natural unpasteurised raw honey. With a product catalogue consisting of over 30 different raw and organic honeys we have a variety to suit all tastes.

Thank you for visiting our shop and we look forward to introducing you to a world of raw, pure and truly wonderful natural honey, the way the bees would want it!

*Product photo is representative of this product. Honey colour and texture may vary depending on the season and level of crystalization. Please check the product title and description for accurate contents.*