All honeys from Amsterdam that we sell are so-called 'raw' honey. Raw honey is immediately extracted from the cells of the honeycombs of a beehive. The honey is still liquid.

This honey is not yet directly edible. The raw honey usually contains pollen, propolis, but also dead bees, legs, wings, lumps of beeswax and other impurities. Fortunately, you will not find these unwanted ingredients in our honey. These are filtered out before the honey is bottled. It is still safe to eat.

Compared to supermarket honey, raw honey is cloudier or more opaque. Supermarket honey is generally pasteurized. The honey becomes clearer and this also removes the health benefits that honey has.

Both raw and supermarket honey is safe for humans to eat. However, honey can contain small amounts of bacteria known as 'Clostridium Botulinum'. This bacterium can cause botulism, a rare form of food poisoning.

Eating honey is safe for most people over 12 months of age. However, babies under 12 months should not eat honey. A baby's digestive tract is not yet developed enough to fight off the bacteria.

Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding can also safely eat honey (source: Voedingcentrum)

In very rare cases, with severe pollen allergies, it is better to avoid raw honey.

First step in the production process is to remove the honeycombs from the hives firsts. The honey is still in the cells of these combs. This honey is still liquid. To get all the honey out, the honey is put in a centrifuge and then spun. This way all the honey that is in the honeycombs is thrown out.

No heat is used for this process, unlike most honeys from the supermarket. Due to the quantity and speed, the honeycombs for supermarket honey are heated.

Honey should never be warmer than 45 degrees Celsius. In this way, all the health benefits, such as vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes are preserved.

In addition to the well-known relief that honey can provide for a sore throat, there are many other health benefits of raw honey.

We never really think about it, but the nutritional value of raw honey is impressive. Raw honey contains 22 kinds of amino acids, 27 kinds of minerals and 5000 kinds of enzymes. Minerals include iron, zinc, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and selenium. Vitamins found in honey include vitamin B6, thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, and niacin. Specific components from this raw honey may provide health benefits.

An important ingredient of raw honey is bee pollen. A 2015 overview study (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5549483/) shows that bee pollen:

• have antioxidant properties;
• have anti-inflammatory effects;
• have antibacterial and antifungal action;
• have analgesic properties.

People from Amsterdam with pollen allergies can also benefit from consuming Amsterdam honey during the hay fever season. Research shows that early exposure of the body to small amounts of pollen reduces allergy symptoms.

Raw honey contains propolis in addition to bee pollen. Propolis is a sticky substance that bees use to seal cracks and holes in the hive and to line the walls. Not only does this glue-like substance help the bees, but some scientists believe it is also healthy for humans.

A 2021 review study (source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7823938/) reports that bee propolis, found in raw honey, may have:

• anti-inflammatory effects;
• anti-cancer and antidiabetic effects;
• antifungal effects

All in all, a piece of impressive liquid gold! All for sale in The Smallest House in Amsterdam.

Some people have no problem with it, others abhor it... sugared honey. Unfortunately, raw honey will always crystallize in due course. No reason to throw away these sugary honeys. Honing has a really, really long shelf life. Mainly the little amount of water (< 18%) disallow bacteria and fungi to multiply.

What is causing crystallised honey? Honey contains two main types of natural sugars, fructose and glucose. Fructose generally remains dissolved in the water present in honey. Glucose tends to separate from the water.

Small crystals of glucose are formed, especially if there is proportionally more water in the honey. For example by opening the lid of the honey jar. Fluctuations in room temperature can also make sugaring faster.

It is advisable to always store the honing in a dark place with a stable room temperature. A kitchen cupboard, for example.

Once your honey has been crystallised, you can easily make it liquid again. If you are not in a hurry, it is best to put the honing on the heating. Honey will have its original shape back within a few days.

You want to speed up the process? Then use the au-bain-marie method. You use 2 pans, one slightly smaller than the other. Fill the largest pan with water, just enough so that the small pan floats. Place the honey jar in the small pan. Make sure the water doesn't get too hot and start boiling. This will make the honey too warm and some of the good qualities of honey will disappear. The honey may also become slightly more bitter.

No, unfortunately it is not possible to produce honey from this region organically due to the geographical location of Amsterdam and the urban area.

The certification for organic honey is quite strict. For example, the nectar that the bees use for honey must not have been sprayed with pesticides. Also, the bees should not actually be in an urban area. This makes it impossible to get organic certification for honey from Amsterdam.

Does this mean that Amsterdam honey is less in taste and quality? No definitely not. Most of the nectar that the bees collect in Amsterdam comes from the lime tree. A tree that is not treated by pesticides.