About Us

is a social enterprise providing long-term market linkages between rural producers and urban consumers searching for pure, fairly-traded, organic certified agriculture and forest produce. Built on the foundation that human and economic security is achieved, UTMT partners and supports rural farmers, producer networks and communities across India, working in organic certified and non-chemical managed agriculture and forest produce based on sustainable farming and fair trade practices.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Questions we are often asked about Honey

Why do small crystals sometimes form in clear honey?
Around 80% of honey's composition is natural sugars, transformed by the bees from nectar. These natural sugars, which are mainly fructose and glucose, remain liquid at room temperature, but at colder temperatures, the glucose separates from the rest of the sugars and forms small crystals. These are harmless. If you want these crystals to dissolve, simply stand the honey jar in your airing cupboard or a basin of warm water for a little time and - hey presto - they'll disappear!
Should I be worried if my clear honey goes cloudy?
No. Any cloudiness in clear honey comes from molecules of air trapped in the thick, golden honey. The flavour is not affected at all. To help these disperse, simply put the jar in your airing cupboard or a basin of warm water for a little time. Is that clear?
Why does set honey sometimes go hard?
If you store honey at very low temperatures, it 'frosts'. Frosting is harmless and happens when the natural crystals begin to bond together to form a lattice network - the colder the temperature, the stronger the network, the harder the honey. To soften a frosted honey, it just needs a gentle warming in somewhere like the airing cupboard for a day or so.
Why does set honey sometimes go runny?
Usually, heat is the culprit. Honey exposed to direct sunlight or strong heat softens and melts. To make this honey set again, it needs a spell in the fridge for a few hours, after which it'll be perfectly happy - and perfectly delicious - at room temperature.
Why is honey not suitable for infants under 12 months?
Honey is a completely natural food, harvested from some of the world's most beautiful, remote spots. The fact is that an infant's digestive tract isn't quite ready to process some of the naturally-occurring constituents in honey, and this inability could potentially cause constipation followed by general weakness which would, of course, stop baby feeding properly.