Raw Honey vs. The Squeezy Bear: A Beekeeper’s Guide to the Real Stuff

I’ve spent a huge part of my life with my hands in beehives. There’s a certain feel to a full frame of honey, heavy and warm right out of the hive, and a smell on a summer morning—a mix of beeswax, nectar, and damp earth—that you just never forget. When most people think of honey, they picture that perfectly clear, golden liquid in a plastic bear. But honestly, that’s just a tiny, polished fraction of the real story.

For those of us who work with bees, honey is a living thing. It changes with the seasons, the weather, and whatever flowers the bees decided to visit that week. This isn’t going to be a list of wild health claims. Instead, think of this as a practical look at what honey actually is, from someone who harvests it. I want to cut through the noise and give you the honest info you need to choose, use, and truly appreciate this stuff.

What’s Actually Going On Inside the Hive?

To get honey, you have to start with the bees. It all begins when a bee sips nectar from a flower. That nectar is basically sugar water. The bee stores it in a special “honey stomach,” where an enzyme immediately gets to work, breaking down the complex sugars into simpler ones: glucose and fructose.

Back at the hive, she passes the nectar to another bee, who continues the process. Then comes the magic. The bees spread the nectar throughout the honeycomb and start fanning it with their wings, creating a hive-wide ventilation system to evaporate the water. This step is absolutely critical. Nectar can be up to 80% water, which would just ferment and spoil. The bees work tirelessly to get that water content down below 18%. This super-low moisture level is a huge reason why honey basically lasts forever—most bacteria just can’t survive in that environment.

But they add another secret ingredient: an enzyme called glucose oxidase. In the hive, it doesn’t do much. But when the honey is diluted a bit—say, when you put it on a small cut—the enzyme activates and produces tiny, steady amounts of hydrogen peroxide. Yep, the same stuff in the brown bottle from the pharmacy. It’s a natural antimicrobial, which explains why honey has been a go-to for minor scrapes for ages.

So, a finished jar of real honey is a complex mix of fructose, glucose, a little water, and a whole bunch of trace elements like minerals, vitamins, pollen, and propolis particles. Those little extras are what give each honey its unique color, flavor, and character.

Raw vs. Processed: The Great Divide

You see the term “raw honey” everywhere, but what does it actually mean? From my perspective, raw honey is honey as it exists in the hive—just strained and bottled. No heat, no fine-filtering.

When I harvest, I slice the wax caps off the honeycomb and spin the frames in a centrifuge. The honey flies out and pools at the bottom. It then goes through a simple strainer to catch big bits of wax or the occasional bee leg (it happens!), but all the good microscopic stuff like pollen stays in. That’s it. The honey is cloudy, full of character, and will absolutely crystallize over time.

By the way, I once had a customer bring back a jar, worried that it had “gone bad” because it was solid. It had just crystallized! I explained that this is a natural sign of authentic, raw honey. It’s the glucose separating from the water. It’s not spoiled; it’s proof that it hasn’t been messed with.

Help! My Honey Turned Solid (And How to Fix It)

If your raw honey turns solid, don’t panic! It’s easy to turn it back into a liquid without damaging it.

A quick tip: Do NOT put it in the microwave. You’ll just cook it, destroying the delicate enzymes and subtle flavors you paid extra for. Instead, do this:

• Find a bowl and fill it with warm water. Think ‘very warm tap water’, not boiling. Around 105°F (or 40°C) is perfect.
• Place your sealed jar of honey in the bowl. Make sure the water level is below the lid.
• Now, just be patient. It might take 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the size of the jar. Give it a gentle stir every so often until it’s smooth again.

On the other hand, most honey on supermarket shelves is pasteurized and ultra-filtered. They heat it up to around 161°F (72°C) to kill any yeast cells and melt the glucose crystals. This keeps it looking perfectly clear and liquid on the shelf for a long, long time. Then, it’s often pressure-filtered to remove every single particle, including all the pollen. This creates a very stable, uniform product, but it fundamentally changes it. Processed honey is not bad, it’s just a different thing entirely—more of a sweetener than the complex, living food that comes from the hive.

How to Find the Good Stuff and What to Expect

So, you’re ready to skip the plastic bear. Where do you find real raw honey? Your best bet is a local farmers’ market, a farm stand, or a specialty food shop. When you’re looking at a jar, here’s what to check for:

• Look for key words: “Unfiltered,” “Unpasteurized,” or just plain “Raw.”
• Check the location: If it says where the bees foraged (e.g., “local wildflower” or “orange blossom”), that’s a great sign. The more local, the better!
• Don’t fear the cloud: Crystal clear honey has likely been filtered. Cloudy, opaque, or even completely solid honey is a good thing. It means the good stuff is still in there.

Heads up on the price: You’re not going to find a pound of true raw honey for $5. Expect to pay somewhere between $12 and $25 for a quality 1lb jar, depending on the floral source and your location. You’re paying for the careful harvesting, the unfiltered quality, and the incredible variety of flavors that commercial processing removes.

Oh yeah, the flavors! Light, delicate clover or alfalfa honey is a world away from a dark, rich, almost molasses-like buckwheat honey. Orange blossom honey has faint citrus notes, while wildflower honey is a snapshot of an entire meadow in a single spoonful. It’s an adventure.

A Quick Note on Using Honey on Skin

Before you go slathering it everywhere, a quick disclaimer: For minor scrapes and burns only, not for deep wounds! Always consult a doctor for anything serious. But for a small kitchen cut, here’s a traditional approach: First, clean the area well. Then, apply a small dab of raw honey and cover it with a bandage. The honey helps create a moist, antimicrobial barrier.

So here’s your mission, should you choose to accept it: The next time you’re at a farmers’ market, find a beekeeper. Ask them what their bees have been foraging on. Buy a jar. Taste it, and see if you can pick out the floral notes. It’s a completely different experience.

Inspirational Gallery

The Crystallization Conundrum: Don’t throw out that jar of honey just because it’s turned solid and cloudy! This is a natural process and a sign of high-quality, raw honey. It happens when the glucose separates from the water. To return it to its liquid state, simply place the jar in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water and stir gently until the crystals dissolve. Never microwave it, as the high heat can destroy its delicate enzymes and aromas.

• Drizzle over roasted root vegetables like carrots or parsnips in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
• Whisk into a vinaigrette with olive oil, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar.
• Pair with a sharp, salty cheese like Pecorino Romano or aged cheddar for an incredible contrast.

The secret? Using honey in savory dishes. Its sweetness balances bitterness and acidity, adding unexpected depth to everyday meals.

What does a honey’s color tell you?

A honey’s color is a direct clue to its flavor profile. Generally, lighter, paler honeys like Acacia or Clover are mild and delicately sweet. As the color deepens, so does the flavor. Amber honeys, such as those from wildflower or orange blossom, have more pronounced floral notes. The darkest varieties, like Buckwheat or Manuka honey, offer bold, molasses-like, and sometimes even medicinal flavors. Exploring the color spectrum is a journey for your palate.

There are over 300 unique types of honey in the United States alone, each originating from a different floral source.

This incredible diversity means you’re never just tasting

Wooden Dipper: The classic choice. The grooves are designed to hold a good amount of honey and create an even, slow drizzle, minimizing mess. It’s aesthetically pleasing but can be harder to clean.

Simple Spoon: Perfectly functional for scooping honey into tea or for measuring. However, it can lead to messy drips when trying to drizzle it over foods like yogurt or pancakes.

For pure drizzling elegance, the dipper wins; for all-around utility, you can’t beat a spoon.

A CRITICAL WARNING: Never give honey—raw or processed—to an infant under 12 months of age. Honey can contain spores of a bacteria called Clostridium botulinum, which can cause a rare but serious illness known as infant botulism in babies whose digestive systems aren’t yet mature enough to handle it.

Ready to jump on the

The global market for Manuka honey is projected to reach nearly $1.3 billion by 2028, driven by its unique antibacterial properties.

Unlike other honeys, much of Manuka’s famed antibacterial power comes from a compound called methylglyoxal (MGO). When buying, look for a UMF (Unique Manuka Factor) rating. A UMF of 10+ is considered therapeutic grade. It’s a prime example of how a specific floral source can create a truly distinct and powerful honey.