Lemongrass scented Handpoured Himalayan Beeswax Candle

Craft

The tradition of honey production in Nepal dates back a long time. Honey has been regarded as treasure by ‘honey hunters’ since the early centuries. In the Hindu Culture, honey is regarded as one of the five ‘Amrit’ heavenly foods. Together with cowmilk, yoghurt, ghee and sweet syrup (molasses), honey is affered during workship. Honey also plays a role in the Hindu wedding ceremony in which ‘Kassar’ a sweet made out of roasted rice and honey, is offered to the guests. The medicinal qualities of honey are commonly recognised in Nepal. Ayurvedic medicines or often taken together with honey, and in rural Nepal pure honey is being used as a disinfectant a cough medicine and a digestive. In Nepal bees built their nests in different ways. One of the most fascinating kind are the huge combs made by giant bees hanging from mountain cliffs. These combs can measure up to two meters and contain as much as a forty kilo of honey. In many parts of Nepal bees can be found in hollow tree-trunks is the forest. Villagers here keep bees in carved out logs, attached to the walls of the house.

Busy bees

The production of honey has amazed people throughout history. However busy, a honeybee can only produce a teaspoon full of honey inits lifetime. In order to produce one pound of honey bees have to visit some one million flowers. The flying distance of bees producing this quantity is equivalent of rounding the earth three times. In fact, a bee performs an amazing feat of aerodynamics by carrying almost its own weight in nectar around. Bees make honey from the nectar which they obtain from flowers, field crops and tree blossoms. Nectar is sweet liquid which plants produce in order to attract insects for pollination that is the transportation of pollen to other flowers so that they produce seeds. Bees suck the nectar up from the nectaries of the flower and store it in their stomachs where it is mixed with enzymes. Having retured to the hive, the bee passes the ‘honey’ over to other worker bees. A special task force now deposits the fluid into the honeycomb cells. The honey making process is completed when the worker bees start fanning with their wings and the moisture content in the honey is reduced. Once a cell is filled with honey, the bees close it with a capping of beeswax. In this way honey is stored for other seasons, when no nectar is available.

Into the hands of the beekeeper

Once the bees have compledted their jobs the beekeeper will take out the honeycombs. With traditional hives, the combs are cut from the hive and the honeyis squeezed out of the combs. With frame hives, the frames are taken out and the bees are gently removed. The beekeeper removes the wax capping with a khukuri, the traditional Nepali knife, or a special fok. When all the cells are open the beekeeper places the honeycomb in a honey extractor, which is usually operated by hand. When the spinned around, honey flows from the honeycombs. The combs remain intact and are placed back into the hive where the bees polish each cell in preparation for new load. The honey is now strained and left to stand until all air bubbles and small particles of wax float on top. When the wax is removed the honey is ready to be bottled and consumed.

About flowers and flavours

The flavour and aroma of honey is determined by the kind of flowers from which the bees collect nectar. When a bee takes nectar from orange blossom, the honey’s aroma will be like that of oranges. Similarly, when a bee visits a field of different wildflowers, the honey will have a mixture of flower. In Nerpal, a country with a rich flora, honey usually has a mixed flavour. Unifloral honeys, in which one source prevails, are also available like Chiuri (buttertree) honey, mustard honey, rudilo honey and buck wheat honey. Some special Nepalese honeys are come from fruit trees like lychee, citrus, jamun and wild cherry. Another way to distingusih honey is to look at the time of harvest. Different seasons produce different kinds of flowers and therefore different kinds oh honey. Spring honey looks and tastes different from honey produced in autumn. The first is thin and light coloured, while the latter is thick and dark. The beekeeping Shop offers a wide range of honeys. The floral sources and time of harvest are mentioned on the label, which offers buyers the opportunity to find out the different characteristics in colour, taste and texture.

Nepalese Honey, Quality Honey

Honey from The Beekeeping Shop is produced by small farmers in different parts of the country,using traditional technology. Quality wise, the honey easily competes with imported honeys since it meets high international standards. The honey has undergone strict quality control at the laboratory of The Beekeeping Shop. If honey is stored at a cool and dark place it remains fresh for many years. After some time honey will crystallise and become solid. This is a perfectly natural process which happens to the best honeys. Crystallised honey will become fluid again when heated in water of around 40 degree C ( Don’t boil honey, since it will loose part of its nutritious value) .

The Healthy Sweet

Honey is pure and natural product that does not need any additives. It contains different sugars, mainly fructose and glucose, as well as small amounts of vitamiss and proteins. Honey provides instant energy for the body, since the sugars have already been ‘broken down’ by the bees. Honey can be used as a substitute for sugar in almost any kind f drinks or food. Try honey on a slice of bread, in a hot punch or in (herbal) tea. Honey is an effective household-medicine. Used in hot milk honey helps to cure an upset stomach or sleeping problems. Honey works as a disinfectant when put on a bandage on(open) wounds.