Our Super Raw, Unfiltered Honey is USDA certified organic, non-GMO, and gathered from the wild fields of Brazil. Honey is a remarkable food that results from a collaboration between plants and insects, namely honey bees and flowers. The bees diligently collect the nectar from flowers and then mix it with their own saliva and other substances to form golden honey. Bees in the hive then use the power of their own wings to cool the solution, which removes any excess moisture, and transforms it to sticky, delicious syrup inside these waxy honeycombs.

There are 300 different types of honey in the United States alone

Each type of honey in the United States derives its unique flavor from the blossoms that the bees visited. “Single varietal” honeys are from bees that only gather nectar from one type of flower. Therefore, bee-keepers must strategically arrange hives next to the type of flower they want—in order to produce a specific type of honey—and monitor the bees’ activity carefully. Some of these flowers and plants include:

Clover – This is the most common form of honey, an extra light amber with a light flavor.

Alfalfa – Honey from this flower will be the lightest amber of all honeys, and is considered an all-purpose honey.

Avocado – The honey from the flowers of avocado plants is darker, with a “buttery” flavor. It’s most commonly used in sauces and salad dressings.

Buckwheat – This honey is dark brown and strongly flavorful. It lends itself to baked goods and barbecue sauce.

Eucalyptus – Eucalyptus honey will taste different depending on the variety of eucalyptus tree from which it derives. It also makes for a lovely flavor in baking, sauces and salad dressings.

Orange Blossom – Orange blossom honey is often mixed with nectar from other nearby citrus flowers, such as lemon and lime, because of how citrus are grown, but you can also find it in its pure state. It has an especially fragrant, delicate flavor that makes it wonderful for use as both table honey and in baking.

Raw honey is nutritious

You’ll find many kinds of honey on the shelf, but what matters most for nutritional purposes is not whether you select buckwheat or clover honey, but whether or not it’s pasteurized.

Pasteurization is the process of heating honey to a temperature that it kills off any bad bacteria, but in the process you can also lose its dense nutrients and antioxidants. The truth is, conventional honeys that have been heavily processed are not much different than refined sugar.

Thrive Market Honey is nutrient rich

Every time you put a spoonful of honey into your tea, you’re taking a small dose of nutrients. Raw honey contains numerous vitamins and minerals including: Vitamin B6, niacin, riboflavin and pantothenic acid, thiamine, as well as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium and zinc.

Recover with honey, naturally

The naturally occurring sugars in honey, namely fructose and glucose, are the perfect carbohydrates to replenish your muscles after an intense workout. For a metabolism-boosting tonic recipe with honey, try this one:

Ingredients

2 teaspoons raw honey

Juice of 1 lemon

3 cups water

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Mix together the honey, lemon juice, cayenne, and cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar in a large bowl until the honey is dissolved. Add in the water. Store the remains in a large bottle or pitcher and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Soothe yourself with Thrive Market honey in cold and flu season

Did your mom used to make you lemon tea with honey when you had a cough as a child? That’s because honey has natural antibacterial properties due to an ingredient the bees produce called “propolis,” and can help soothe inflamation that come with colds and flus.

Honey can help your skin, too

You can do more with honey besides eat it. For thousands of years humans have applied honey directly to the skin for its healing and moisturizing properties. Honey is known as a “humectant”—it attracts moisture to your skin and then seals it in, without increasing oil production.

Warm yourself with this winter recipe

This is a wonderfully nutritious and tasty recipe by Thrive Market: Honey Turmeric Pumpkin Latte. See how it will help keep you warm and satiated on a cool winter eve:

Ingredients for the latte

1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey

1 teaspoon coconut oil

2 to 3 tablespoons Organic Pumpkin Puree

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Small pinch of ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 ½ cups full-fat coconut milk

Instructions

Pour coconut oil and pumpkin puree into a small saucepan. Boil over medium heat and stir in cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and turmeric. Stir in vanilla and raw honey, followed by the coconut milk. Warm to your taste. Whether you just drizzle honey over your breakfast oatmeal, or use it as a salmon glaze, you can’t go wrong with one of the most natural sweeteners on the shelf.

Thrive Market, Organic Raw Unstrained Honey