White honey: properties and production technology
Sweet, tasty, fragrant, healing product - this is what they say about honey. On the shelves of stores you can see all kinds of jars of this useful amber-colored product. It is quite rare to find white honey. It has an excellent taste, and its benefits often exceed those of ordinary honey. It is worth figuring out from which plants such a healing product is obtained, whether it is possible to prepare such a delicacy on your own.
What do they get from?
White honey can be seen, most likely, at special fairs. It is worth figuring out what white honey is made of and what this healing product is called. This honey is obtained when bees collect nectar from certain plants. These include raspberries, linden, acacia, sweet clover, fireweed, alfalfa, sainfoin and other honey plants. Interestingly, the flowers of honey plants can be not only white, but also have a lilac, purple or lilac color. Their color will absolutely not affect the color of the finished product.
It is worth noting that the color of the product after pumping will not initially be white, it becomes so after a while. Pouring out of the honey extractor, honey has a golden color with a greenish tint. After sugaring the product, it changes color and looks almost white. Candied honey often has a grayish, yellowish or other tint. The consistency of the product is more like butter.
White honey is especially appreciated for the fact that after crystallization its beneficial properties even increase. Unfortunately, in natural conditions it is not found so often, because it requires certain honey crops. Often, in order to get white honey, beekeepers have to travel far from home to fields sown with agricultural crops such as rapeseed, sweet clover and sainfoin. It is difficult to obtain a completely white product, since other honey plants often grow near the fields, which can affect the shade of the finished product. In nature, large areas of honey plants are less common.
Varieties
There are a large number of varieties of this sweet and healthy product. It comes in a variety of colors ranging from white, clear, amber, and even dark brown. Honey of such an unusual color is less popular, but very tasty and healthy. It is worth clarifying that it is not only one species. The creamy white product is obtained from various honey plants. Varieties may vary in their taste, smell and properties, but they are all predominantly white. Varieties that are produced by bees from sweet clover or rapeseed are considered more familiar, but it is quite difficult to find sweetness from fireweed, raspberry, angelica or linden.
It is worth considering in more detail the popular varieties of white honey.
Crimson
This variety can be found quite rarely, despite the fact that raspberries grow in almost every garden. The product has a delicate taste and bright aroma, which smells like raspberry flowers. After pumping, the product has a transparent color with amber notes, shortly after crystallization, the color of the product becomes creamy.Raspberry sweetness is recommended for the prevention of viral diseases. Thanks to such a valuable product, you can strengthen the immune system, cure a cold.
Lime
This variety is obtained during the flowering of linden. After pumping, honey has a transparent color with an amber tint. When it crystallizes, it becomes dense with large and small crystals. Healing linden honey is an excellent remedy for preventing viral diseases. A fragrant drink with the addition of a spoonful of honey can relieve the symptoms of a cold. Due to its diaphoretic action, it should be used during the flu or SARS to combat fever and infection.
Donnikovy
Sweet clover is an excellent honey plant. From it, a sweetness with vanilla aroma is obtained with a pleasant sweet aftertaste. Sweet clover honey is considered especially useful, as it contains a huge amount of trace elements. This product is well stored, while it does not crystallize immediately. Gradually it becomes more viscous and changes color to white.
rapeseed
To obtain such a useful sweetness, rapeseed is used. During the pumping of honey from this fodder crop, a peculiar smell is present, but it soon disappears. The taste of rapeseed honey is more sugary than that of sweet clover. Rapeseed honey is not recommended to be stored for a long time, as it turns sour during long-term storage. It should be included in your diet for people who have problems with the heart and blood vessels to remove toxic substances from the body.
from alfalfa
The colorful flowers of alfalfa attract bees. The sweetness obtained from alfalfa has a very pleasant and rather unusual taste, as well as a delicate aroma. After some time after pumping, it becomes similar in consistency to a soft white oil.A product derived from alfalfa helps relieve pain and inflammation associated with gastrointestinal conditions and also acts as an immune booster.
Cotton
This honey, after pumping, is more like a delicate cream or oil. Its taste is a little sugary, but in moderation. The product contains a large amount of oil and glucose, due to which it becomes fat. Only after its complete crystallization can one appreciate the taste of this product. This cotton sweetness is used to treat colds. This product is often used for cosmetic procedures.
acacia
During the flowering period of white acacia, its aroma is heard at a great distance, and it is he who attracts bees. After pumping out honey from acacia, it remains liquid for a long time, almost until spring. Acacia sweet has a transparent color, initially the product is quite liquid, more similar in color to water. Due to the large amount of fructose, it may not crystallize for a long time. Acacia honey is recommended for patients with diabetes, it is included in the diet for diseases of the nervous system.
A sweet product should be used by women to normalize hormonal balance. Acacia sweetness can be given to children, as this product does not cause allergies.
From sainfoin
Honey obtained from sainfoin has a very rich taste and pleasant aroma. Some time after pumping, the color of the product changes. The crystallization process is slow, gradually it becomes thick and changes color to creamy white. Sainfoin honey is used to strengthen the immune system, increase efficiency, it has a beneficial effect in inflammatory diseases, and has an antimicrobial effect.
fireweed
Fireweed or Ivan tea is a medicinal plant that has been used to treat many diseases since ancient times. In Russia, fireweed leaves and flowers were used as a drink, and many diseases were treated with honey. Ivan tea is especially useful for men, as it increases potency, fireweed honey should also be included in your diet for women. This product contains a huge amount of vitamins, it contains ascorbic acid, tannins, antioxidants. Fireweed honey is used as a general tonic, and is also used in cosmetology.
Taiga
A large number of medicinal and medicinal plants grow in the taiga, such as Ivan-tea, raspberries, sweet clover, mint, and sage. All the beneficial properties of honey plants pass into honey. To get the maximum benefit, this product is used after it has fully crystallized.
Bashkir
Honey from Bashkiria is rightfully considered the most useful, as it is collected in forests with a huge number of medicinal plants. This product has a small amount of water, so it has a dense texture. The color of the product is yellowish. White Bashkir honey is known all over the world for its healing properties.
We should talk about such a thing as whipped honey. Honey turns white after its complete crystallization. But you can get a white color if you beat ordinary honey. After whipping ordinary honey, it is saturated with oxygen and changes color. This whipped product will retain all its taste and useful properties, while it becomes more tender, and its consistency becomes creamy.
Often white honey with royal jelly is sold on the market. When choosing this product, you need to understand that by adding royal jelly and whipping the product, its oxidation occurs and the milk begins to lose its healing properties. In addition, it is important to know how to store royal jelly in order to preserve the maximum of useful substances. It is stored in the refrigerator in a dark glass jar.
Benefit
Honey is not in vain considered a very tasty delicacy, the beneficial properties of which are known to many.
White honey has such medicinal properties as:
- used for weakened immunity;
- used for problems with the organs of the bronchopulmonary system;
- treats the throat, with its help you can get rid of perspiration;
- it is worth including it in the diet of people with diseases of the heart and blood vessels;
- with eye diseases, for example, conjunctivitis;
- this product relieves anxiety, treats disorders of the nervous system;
- used in case of loss of strength, decreased performance;
- should be included in the diet of people suffering from skin diseases;
- used in diabetes.
White honey has bactericidal properties, so it should be included in the diet of people who have undergone injuries or surgeries. It is important to know that the beneficial properties will be lost if honey is heated or added to hot water or tea. It is recommended to take it on an empty stomach with warm water.
For those who suffer from nervous disorders and neuroses, it is better to use a spoonful of honey at night. Honey tea will help with colds in adults and children, and for small children, its dose should be reduced.
Harm
Despite the huge benefits that this sweet white product can bring, it should be used with caution in children. If desired, you can gradually give white honey to children aged one and a half years, but not more than 1 tbsp.spoon a day. Adults who do not have contraindications can use it up to 110 grams per day.
The intake of bee products should be divided into the following three doses, using one tablespoon each:
- in the morning on an empty stomach;
- at lunchtime, before meals;
- in the evening, shortly before bedtime.
It is not recommended to use white honey for people who are intolerant to any bee products. Even in healthy people, its use in large quantities can cause a reaction in the form of a rash, itching. Due to the large amount of fructose, it is worth limiting its use to people suffering from diabetes.
How to do?
A very tasty treat for children and adults can be prepared at home.
For self-preparation of sweets at home, it is recommended to take the following ingredients:
- 2 tbsp. tablespoons of candied honey;
- 9 st. spoons of fresh liquid May honey.
The mass is placed in a mixer and beat for several minutes until the color of the product changes. Whipping time depends on the power of the mixer. As soon as the mass becomes creamy and changes color to creamy white, the mixer is turned off. The mass is poured into a clean glass container and put in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. After that, the cream is stored at room temperature. Such a healthy delicacy is eaten with pleasure by kids and adults. The taste of a delicate cream is similar to condensed milk with honey.
Very tasty, although quite high-calorie honey-butter cream is obtained. For its preparation, it is necessary to choose high-quality products, especially butter, the fat content of which should not be lower than 82.5%.
You need to mix the following ingredients:
- 200 g butter;
- 100 g of white or other honey;
- 100 g chopped walnuts, which can be replaced with pine nuts.
Butter must be whipped with a mixer, then add honey and continue to beat for a few more minutes. Whipped dessert should be whipped until airy, the cream should be homogeneous. The nuts are added last. Such honey-butter cream is best stored in a cold place. In the refrigerator, the cream turns out to be hard, but if you leave it in the room, it becomes soft and can be easily spread on bread, added to pancakes or pancakes. This oil can replace impregnation for biscuits, it can be added to porridge or rice dishes. This dish is quite high in calories, so it is better not to eat it more than 1-2 times a week, especially for people with high cholesterol levels.
How to choose and store?
To get the most benefit from bee products for the body, it is important when buying honey to be able to distinguish a fake. When choosing honey, it is important to make sure that it has a dense consistency, there should be no air bubbles in it. Do not confuse air bubbles with foam, which can form on some varieties of the product. The foam should disappear over time. According to beekeepers, the presence of foam indicates the immaturity of honey. A counterfeit product may have a continuous foamy mass.
It is worth buying honey from trusted sellers, it would be useful to look at the quality certificate of the goods. To protect yourself from a fake, it is better to purchase beekeeping products from a familiar beekeeper. So that healing honey does not lose its properties for as long as possible, it should be stored in a cool place at a temperature of +5–+18 degrees. If the room temperature is above +40 degrees or below -35 degrees, then the properties of the product are lost. It can be considered an ordinary delicacy, and not a healing product.
In a place where white honey is stored, it is important to maintain a humidity of 60%. If the humidity in the room is higher, this may lead to acidification of the product. Avoid direct sunlight on the product so that its structure does not change. It is better to store honey in glass jars, plastic containers are suitable only for temporary storage or transportation. Banks can be closed with plastic or metal lids.
If you store a healing product, adhering to optimal conditions, then it will not lose its beneficial properties for up to two years. With improper storage, honey often stratifies, acquires an inappropriate taste and smell, and loses a lot of healing properties. In the room where bee products are stored, there should be no unpleasant odors.
About the benefits and harms of white honey, see the following video.