Mandi's New Zealand Postcode Honey

16/08/2023

An interesting article

Honey For Weight Loss: When consumed with the right combinations, amount and time, honey can work magically to help you shed those extra kilos.

23/07/2023

13/07/2023

Did you know?

Honey contains all the essential nutrients needed to sustain life! One beehive can produce up to 50kg of honey each year.

This liquid gold has always been highly sought after—from the Egyptians to the Romans to modern day!

What’s the easiest way to know if the honey you’re putting on your table is real? Support your local beekeeper through buying their honey!

12/07/2023

As a father and now a grandfather I feel it is my responsibility to educate the young ones on "The Secret Of Life" when they are old enough to understand and comprehend.

I used to say to my children when they were young: —When you are old enough I will tell you the secret of life. One day when my oldest was about 13, she anxiously asked me what was the secret of life. I replied that I was going to tell her, but that she should not reveal it to her younger brothers.

—The secret of life is this: The bee does not give honey. "What do you mean ?" Asked my daughter. —As you hear it, my girl: The bee does not give honey, you have to harvest it, then extract it. You have to get up early in the morning, go to the bee yards, put on a suit in the hot summer sun and fire up your smoker, open up the hives of grumpy bees, brave the stings as you remove bees from the frames of honey that you harvest, that in itself is a long day, then you may spend a long night in the Honey House, uncapping the honey comb, placing them in the extractor and spinning the honey from the frames into buckets. Those heavy buckets must then be stored away until you find another day to be able to jar the honey and label it.
That is the secret of life, the bee does not give honey. You harvest the honey or you don't get honey.

There is this generation that thinks that bees GIVE honey. That things are automatic and free: their mentality is that if "I wish, I ask..... I obtain."
"They have been accustomed to getting whatever they want the easy way...But no, life is not a matter of wishing, asking and obtaining. The things that one receives are the effort of what one does. Happiness is the result of effort. Lack of effort creates frustration."
So, share with your children and grandchildren from a young age the secret of life, so they don't grow up with the mentality that the government, their parents, or their cute little faces is going to give them everything they need in life.
Remember
"Bees don't give Honey; you have to work for it."

Robbie MacInnes, Beekeeper and International Beekeeping Mentor 2023

12/07/2023

Honey comes in many different colors and each can have a very distinct flavor based on what the girls are foraging and what "postcode" they're in.

Spring honey is usually a very light color with a delicate taste.

Summer honey is usually a Clover type and used for baking, mead making, and flavoring your drinks.

Autumn or Fall honey is dark and robust flavored.

10/07/2023

What is Crystallisation in honey

Crystallisation is a natural process of Raw Honey, transforming from its liquid state into crystals over time. In-fact, its often been a mis-informed myth among honey consumers that crystallisation is a sign of poor quality or adulterated Honey, the truth is completely opposite.

100% Raw Natural Honey should crystallise over time, and transform faster at lower temperatures. Crystallisation does not have any effect on the quality or the taste of the honey, it will only effect external properties such as the colour and texture.

The honey can become granulated in texture, and may become harder to remove from the container. Again, this is a completely natural process, and in-fact Honey that has been pasteurised, adulterated, or over processed is less likely to crystallise. Many Honeys found in 'easy-squeeze' bottles will have been processed or blended with sugar syrups to stay in liquid form.

It's easy to re-liquify crystallised honey, simply apply a gentle heat, running warm water over the container for 20-30 seconds, or putting the container in a small bowl of warm water for a few minutes will restore our Honey to its liquid state. Stirring may be required.

Again if you are seeking the full health benefits of 100% Raw Natural Honey we advise not to heat the Honey over 37°C.

10/07/2023

The first international shipment of New Zealand Honey in 1913. The caption of the photo reads:- "Mr. C.A. Jacobsen, President of the National Federated Beekeepers Association, and part of the first shipment of honey. Each case contains 100 lbs. Mr Jacobsen has conducted the negotiations with the firm Montgomery & Co for the federation."

And it's Canterbury Honey.

10/07/2023

Getting honey from the hive to the table is a sticky business!

It may be more simplified if you’re only harvesting from one or two hives, but across the board—and especially for commercial beekeepers—it’s no easy task.

We’re sure you’re familiar with that sinking feeling of going out to check your honey supers, only to find that they’re empty. You’ve probably experienced the frustration of having the uncapper jam, the extractor give out, or maybe the gut-wrenching tragedy of an entire pallet’s worth of honey ooze out onto the floor! And if that wasn’t trying enough, there comes a moment in each honey bottling session where that pristine jar just isn’t lined up well with the bottling tank, resulting in honey spilling in all the wrong places.

It’s another classic example of “nothing worth having comes easy.”

When you consider all the effort it takes to get it, it’s no wonder we get so excited about honey prices, supporting local honey producers and beekeepers, and keeping our bees healthy!

There’s often some humor to be found in the ups and downs of the process, and beekeepers definitely know a thing or two about laughing through the hard times.

Support your local beekeeper today and take home some of the season’s jars of honey!

02/07/2023

At Mandi's New Zealand Postcode Honey which is part of Mandi's Bee's, based in Ashburton, we do not chase monoculture honey by uplifting our hives and transporting them all over the place. So you won't find Manuka Honey, Clover Honey or any other single source honey. We don't adulterate our honey in any way, through the use of heat or high pressure filtration systems. We believe in simplicity and why would you try to alter what Mother Nature and the bees have already perfected.

What you will find at Mandi's New Zealand Post Code Honey is the sweet taste of Ashburton District, in the form of Raw, Multifloral Honey, separated into 11 different Honeys from 10 of Ashburton Districts 15 different postcodes. Each is absolutely unique to their individual Postcode in colour, texture and flavour due to the many nectar sources available to the bees within each postcode and each is guaranteed 100% Local to its own postcode. Not National, not regional, not even Township, but backyard which your property, gardens, lawns or even the weeds may well have contributed too.

Our sustainably produced honey from our organically managed beehives comes in glass jars, no plastic here, and is available in 600 grams for just $15.00 and if you return your previous jar in good condition we will give you a dollar off on your current purchase

Please check out the photos of the individual postcodes for a description of each of this past seasons Honeys to assist you with making your selection

Give us a call on 0204 133 8723 to arrange pick up or delivery

28/06/2023

Why Does Honey Crystallize

There’s just something about crystallized honey that tends to make people nervous. It’s the polar opposite of the runny, translucent honey found in a plastic bear on grocery store shelves. Instead, it’s solidified enough that you need to scrape it out of the jar with a heavy spoon; its texture is grainy and almost chewy. But this kind of honey is completely normal. In fact, I’ll argue that it’s even more delicious. It’s just a matter of understanding how exactly crystallization happened and then knowing what to do with it.

Crystallized Honey and Why It Happens
Honey is made up of about 70 percent sugar and less than 20 percent water. Crystallization is dependent on the ratio of the two principal sugars found inside: fructose and glucose. With far more sugar than the water can dissolve, honey is in a constant flux of states. When the glucose molecules separate from the water, they begin to form a crystal. Once one crystal has formed, crystals will continue to build on each other and grow. So the more glucose in the honey, the more it tends to crystallize. Crystallized honey is actually a sign that honey hasn’t been diluted or adulterated in any way. A few additional factors that cause honey to crystallize include the presence of pollen and cooler temperatures.

Crystals and Honey, Pearls and Oysters
The crystals can also build on any natural particles that are found in honey, specifically pollen. “I think of pollen like the grain of sand in an oyster, the nucleus on which the pearl grows. In a similar way, pollen forms the nucleus for crystallization, with the quantity and size of the pollen grains playing a critical role in the honey’s texture,” says Zeke Freeman, founder of Bee Raw.

“Crystallization of honey is a gift of nature,” Freeman says. It’s a sign that the honey you’re enjoying hasn’t been altered through pasteurization or filtering — it’s raw and natural. The process actually even helps preserve the quality and flavor of the honey.

Natural honeys crystallize differently depending on their composition. Some crystallize uniformly through the jar, while others will only partially crystallize, retaining a liquid portion at the top of the jar. The crystals can be big and gritty or fine and sandy. And even if you bought a jar that was completely liquid to begin with, some form of crystallization will happen over time.

Embrace the Crystals
While you can re-liquify crystallized honey, I think it’s something that should be embraced. Sure, it’s too thick to be drizzled over your yogurt, but it’s incredible spread over toast, English muffins, bagels, and biscuits. The crystals add crunch and texture that keep things interesting. It’s also great used in a glaze for meat. Or stir a bit into your tea or coffee — the solid spoonful will melt away and dissolve in seconds. Soon, you’ll realize that crystallized honey isn’t something to be feared, but rather something to be devoured.

Do you enjoy crystallized honey? What’s your favorite way to use it?

28/06/2023

Want to know the difference between raw honey, brought direct from the beekeeper and regular store-brought honey? It's all about the processing!

Raw honey comes straight from the honeycomb. Beekeepers will usually just sieve the honey to remove small bits of debris, such as beeswax bits, etc. They do not pasteurise (heat) the honey or filter out pollen particles. Raw honey appears cloudy because of these debris which are mainly pollen particles, etc. It will naturally crystalise in cooler temperatures, appearing like creamed honey or in some cases becoming grainy but can be returned to a runny state by sitting the jar in warm water and/or stirring.

Store brought, processed honey, is clear and smooth, mechanically processed and micro-filtered, pasteurisation or heat treatment clarifies the honey’s appearance. It also destroyss much of the natural goodness and good microbes found in raw honey.