The Enchanting Essence of Mead
Mead, often referred to as "the nectar of the gods," has captivated human taste buds for centuries. Derived from fermenting honey with water and yeast, mead offers a unique and delightful experience to those who indulge in its flavorsome charms. This ancient beverage is renowned for its rich and diverse range of taste profiles, spanning from dry and crisp to sweet and smooth, making it a versatile choice for every palate.
Lithuania's Mead Brewing Heritage
Lithuania boasts a long-standing tradition of mead production, deeply rooted in the country's cultural fabric. The process of making mead in Lithuania is a cherished art form passed down through generations. It involves the harmonious combination of exceptional local honey, pure water, and a touch of magic from specially cultivated yeast strains.
When is Mead Produced?
Mead production is closely tied to the cycles of nature, aligning with the flourishing of bees and the abundance of floral blooms. The optimal time to produce mead is during the summer months when bees diligently collect nectar from fragrant meadows, infusing the honey with the essence of the Lithuanian landscape. This ensures that the resulting mead is imbued with the purity and vitality of the season.
Crafting Mead at Home!
While the ancient art of mead brewing requires experience and patience, making a batch of mead in the comfort of your home is entirely possible. Here's a simple recipe to get you started:
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Honey has anti-inflammatory properties that can help soothe irritated and sensitive skin. Taking a honey bath can be particularly beneficial for those with skin conditions like eczema or psoriasis.
Honey contains natural antibacterial properties, which can help cleanse the skin and prevent bacterial growth, reducing the risk of skin infections.
Honey is loaded with antioxidants, such as flavonoids and phenolic acids, that help protect the skin from oxidative stress and free radicals, thus contributing to a youthful and radiant complexion.
The enzymes present in honey can provide gentle exfoliation, helping to remove dead skin cells and revealing smoother, fresher skin.
Honey has a slightly acidic pH, which helps balance the pH level of your skin, promoting a healthier and more balanced skin barrier.
Depending on the type of honey used, the sweet and pleasant fragrance of honey can create a relaxing and calming ambiance, providing therapeutic benefits for your mind and body.
Unlike many commercial bath products that may contain harsh chemicals, fragrances, or artificial additives, honey is a natural ingredient with no harmful side effects, making it safe for all skin types.
Honey baths are highly customizable. You can mix honey with other natural ingredients like milk, essential oils, or oatmeal to cater to your specific skin needs. Moreover, honey is readily available and cost-effective.
With its multifunctional properties, honey acts as a cleanser, moisturizer, exfoliator, and skin protector all in one, simplifying your bathing routine.
Honey has been used for skincare for centuries, with ancient civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans recognizing its healing properties. This time-tested tradition highlights its efficacy and safety.
To prepare your honey bath, simply add 1 to 2 cups of pure, organic honey to warm bathwater and mix it well. Soak in the bath for about 15-20 minutes to enjoy its full benefits. Remember to do a patch test beforehand, especially if you have any allergies or sensitivities.
I hope you find this information helpful, and I encourage you to indulge in the luxury of a honey bath to experience its wonders firsthand. If you have any further questions or need more details, feel free to ask.
Wishing you a sweet and delightful bath experience!
]]>When it comes to natural remedies, you would be hard-pressed to find a substance as versatile and potent as propolis - a mixture used by honeybees to protect their hives from invaders. Apart from keeping nature intact thanks to their immense pollination efforts, the little miracle workers have figured out how to make a concoction that acts as an incredibly potent anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-cancer, and immune booster.
This has been long known by our ancestors. For thousands of years, ancient cultures used propolis as a staple in their medicinal practices. In the Baltic region, it was regarded as a miraculous medicine. Its effectiveness in treating viral diseases used to be common knowledge, passed down by generations. Amongst other applications, Egyptians used to embalm mummies with this substance, the renowned Greek physician Hippocrates hailed it as a cure for ulcers, and Roman mythology considered it a divinely inspired healing agent. The recent upsurge of natural remedies has brought propolis back into the spotlight, and it is well deserved. After all, it is not just popular in folk medicine. The pharmaceutical industry has been using the substance extensively to aid patients with a wide variety of conditions.
Propolis is a sticky mixture composed of mostly tree resin and sometimes beeswax or pollen. Elder honeybees collect it, mix it with their saliva and then use it as a coating to protect their hives from pathogens, unwanted invaders, and harsh winds. It helps to create a sterile environment to hatch eggs in, keeps out harmful parasites, and seal gaps so that intense weather conditions do not wreck the inside of the hive. When bees pass over the sticky mixture, bacteria get trapped and killed so they do not get the chance to infect the entire colony. If a rodent ever attacks the hive, bees will sting it to death and then embalm the body with propolis to ensure it does not rot.
According to researchers, there are over 300 compounds in propolis. While it contains a plethora of important nutrients, the major health benefits come from its flavonoids. These will effectively block the formations of prostaglandins, which cause fever, pains, and gum disease. They also help increase the production of interferon in white blood cells. This compound is instrumental in cancer treatment, and it greatly raises one’s resistance to infections.
On top of that, propolis contains high levels of serotonin and histamine. The combination of these compounds is known to be very effective in curing allergies. That is achieved by blocking the acids which break into the cells to cause allergic reactions. Overall, the potent anti-fungal and antiviral properties of propolis are known to be excellent in treating cold sores, healing wounds, helping fight various forms of cancer, and overall strengthening the immune system.
For issues such as mouth ulcers and sore throats, it is recommended to suck on a small piece of propolis on a daily basis. Topical ailments like infections, cold or sore throat can be soothed with a propolis spray, by applying it directly to the affected area on the skin. If you are after a general immune boost, then simply add five drops of a propolis extract to your beverage of choice, and drink it several times a day.
At Bee Baltic, we take pride in delivering pure, raw organic honey to our customers around the world. Our organic honey is unpasteurised and unfiltered so it retains all its delicious and healthy nutritional properties. When you combine our raw honey with cinnamon, it can help to boost your weight loss results.
Whether it's for everyday use and health benefits, or as a special gift, there is a perfect jar of Bee Baltic raw honey for everyone!
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Though it’s most often considered to be a homeopathic remedy or “folk medicine” by the ancient Batlic tribes, Egyptians and the Chinese, bee bread is believed to have many health benefits, including:
Regulating the Digestive Tract
Bee bread has the unique ability to help restore intestinal flora and to detoxify the liver and lungs. Because of this, bee bread is an excellent way to help combat the negative side effects and damage caused by the use of alcohol and tobacco products. Additionally, the acidic PH of bee bread is easy for the body to utilize, ultimately aiding in its digestion.
Boosting the Immune System
Bee bread is an excellent source of essential vitamins, to include: vitamins A, B, C, E, and K. Bee bread also has enzymes and minerals such as magnesium, calcium, iron, selenium, sodium, zinc, potassium and phosphorus that are known to help keep your immune system strong and healthy. The combination of these vitamins and minerals provides a natural way to boost your immune system.
Promotes Growth in Children
Bee bread is composed of nearly 25% vegetable protein. These proteins coupled with the numerous vitamins and minerals mentioned above, prove to be a superfood for youngsters. This powerful combination can help children bridge the gaps in their nutrition. Additionally, bee bread helps the body to better absorb minerals such as iron, which aids in a child’s (and adults) muscle growth!
Improve Liver Function
The liver is used to break down and remove toxins from our blood. Maintaining healthy liver function is important to maintaining a long and healthy lifestyle. Animal studies have found that bee bread supports liver health and even may enhance lover detoxifying abilities.
Due to its high amounts of phytohormones, bee’s bread is known to be a natural aphrodisiac. Similar to the effects of consuming raw oysters, bee bread can naturally help increase the human libidio. Additionally, studies have shown that bee bread can help stave elevate the symptoms associated with menopause (i.e. hot sweats, chills, mood swings, etc). In one scientific study, 71% of women reported their Menopausal symptoms had improved while eating bee bread.
Bee bread is packed with antioxidants such as flavonoids, carotenoids, and glutathione. These awesome properties help fight free radicals which are known to play a role in chronic inflammation due to the damage it causes on our cells. Used as a preventative measure, bee bread can work wonders to help protect your health against unwanted chronic illnesses.
Just like you would any other food! Bee bread can be consumed by simply eating it on its own by the spoonful, if you’d like. But this sweet and somewhat floral tasting treat can also be topped on a salad, mixed in your morning yogurt, blended in a smoothie, or added to your favorite tea. The possibilities for eating bee bread are endless, but it really comes down to personal preference.
Generally, bee bread is safe for human consumption. However, you should avoid giving bee bread to children who are younger than 1 years of age, or to any individual with a known allergy to bee products.
Due to the colder environment and climate in places like the United Kingdom, bee bread is very rare. However, in Lithuania, we are fortunate to have vast amounts of unspoiled nature which produces excess amounts of bee bread, allowing us to share it with you!
At Bee Baltic, we harvest our bee bread with the bee’s best interest in mind. We never take too much and always leave plenty for the bees. Our bee bread is made from a 70% pollen and 30% honey mix, which ferments over the whole season in the beehive to produce a bee superfood filled with immune boosting nutrients.
Raw honey is the product that beekeepers harvest straight from the hive. Unpasteurized, unfiltered, unheated, and untouched by external ingredients, honey in this form keeps the majority of its antioxidants and nutrients, providing your body with all of the health benefits that come from nature’s finest!
Used in the past as medication, and highly spoken of in ancient text, raw honeys like those found in our Bee Baltic Honey Selection Bundle are known for their organic nutritional properties. According to a study from 2018, “Honey contains about 180 types of different compounds, including water, sugars, free amino acids, proteins, enzymes, essential minerals, vitamins, and various phytochemicals.” Additionally, the phytonutrients found in honey originally acted as a protective agent for plants. When bees take these nutrients from plants and change it to honey, those same protective benefits combined with the other antioxidants and their compounds work together to keep your body healthy, proactively. Whether you eat it by the spoonful or use it to sweeten your favorite beverage and foods, raw honey is not only tasty, but it’s generally just good for you.
Raw honey not only tastes delicious in your morning cup of tea or coffee, but it can also:
As delicious and nutritious as raw honey is, it does contain natural bacteria that may pose risks for infants under 12 months of age. Always consult your primary care physician before giving raw honey to children under the age of 12 months.
At Bee Baltic, we take pride in delivering pure, raw organic honey to our customers around the world. Our raw honey is unpasteurized and unfiltered so it retains all its delicious and healthy nutritional properties, providing you with all of the amazing benefits listed above. Whether it's for everyday use and health benefits, or as a special gift, there is a perfect jar of Bee Baltic raw honey for everyone!
Both honey and cinnamon are delicious superfoods with many proven health benefits. Adding honey and cinnamon is an increasingly popular way to naturally boost your metabolism to help increase weight loss.
Throughout history honey has been used as a popular health food and for medicinal purposes. Honey is both antiviral and antimicrobial (it can destroy harmful bacteria). Numerous studies have indicated that honey can help treat burns and wounds when it’s spread on the skin.
Honey contains healthy compounds, called phenolic and flavonoids acids, which include anti-inflammatory and antioxidants. However, it’s important to note that not all honey is created equal. Evidence suggests raw honey has more health benefits than regular honey, as it holds more ingredients from the beehive.
Flavorful and aromatic, cinnamon has been used throughout history dating back to the Ancient Egyptians, and by the time of the Romans, cinnamon was more expensive than silver. Research shows cinnamon is antiparasitic and antimicrobial. It is full of antioxidants and has been shown to lower cholesterol, blood pressure, and triglycerides levels.
While cinnamon and honey may both have a range of positive effects on your health, few studies have shown how they can support weight loss, including:
One of the easiest ways to add cinnamon and honey to your daily nutritional routine is by adding it to your daily cup of tea. For those who don’t drink tea, you can also add cinnamon and honey to a warm glass of water. With as little as a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of cinnamon, you can boost your weight loss. In addition to all of their individual health benefits, the metabolising properties of these two ingredients will help you gain energy throughout the day.
At Bee Baltic, we take pride in delivering pure, raw organic honey to our customers around the world. Our organic honey is unpasteurised and unfiltered so it retains all its delicious and healthy nutritional properties. When you combine our raw honey with cinnamon, it can help to boost your weight loss results.
Whether it's for everyday use and health benefits, or as a special gift, there is a perfect jar of Bee Baltic raw honey for everyone!
Honey is one of the easiest foods to store in your home, even after you open it. Simply keep it in a cool location away from direct sunlight in a tightly sealed container. It’s always recommended that you use the container the honey arrived in, as that was sealed properly for transportation from the hive to your home. However, any glass jar with a lid or food-safe plastic container will work.
If you can’t find a lid for your open container of honey, you can even use 100% beeswax wraps to seal the top of your container to keep your honey fresh. Beeswax wraps are great for packing school lunches, storing food, and wrapping produce and leftovers.
There is no need to refrigerate your honey. It’s far easier to handle your honey if you don’t cool it in the refrigerator. Although it won’t hurt your honey, cold temperatures can cause your honey to solidify. When your honey solidifies, it makes it difficult to use. For example, it’s hard to spread cold honey.
Whether you’ve opened it or not, normal room temperature is ideal for storing honey. Both heat and moisture are detrimental to honey. If your home tends to get warm, find the coolest space in your pantry to store the honey.
When honey is exposed to excessive sunlight or high temperatures, it can darken in color and lose its aroma and fresh flavor. Be sure to keep your honey away from the stove, sunlight, or any heat producing appliance. The best location to store honey is in the kitchen pantry at a temperature ranging between 10 and 21 degrees Celsius (50 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit).
Even if you store your honey perfectly, it may begin to crystalis. This is perfectly normal. Crystalised honey hasn’t gone bad or deteriorated in quality. Crystallisation is actually a sign of pure raw honey. If you notice crystallisation, you can let your honey sit in it’s sealed container in the natural sunlight or dip the container into hot water for a few minutes. This will help to warm the crystals into their natural liquid state.
Just be sure you don’t leave it in the sun or warm water for too long. When honey becomes too warm or hot it begins to pasteurize, which can kill the nutrients locked inside. In fact, when honey reaches temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius it starts to lose it’s natural healing properties.
At Bee Baltic, we take pride in delivering pure, raw organic honey to our customers around the world. Our organic honey is unpasteurized and unfiltered so it retains all its delicious healthy nutritional properties. Whether it's for everyday use or as a special gift, there is a perfect jar of Bee Baltic raw honey for everyone!
Let’s take a look at the differences between bee bread and bee pollen and how you can benefit from each of these bee superfoods.
Bee pollen grains are a mixture of flower pollen, nectar, enzymes, honey and bee secretions tightly packed together by worker bees. The nutritional density of bee pollen varies greatly from pollen grain to pollen grain based solely on where the pollen grains came from and how they were harvested.
Bee bread is a fermented mixture of plant pollen, honey and bee saliva that worker bees use as a source of protein for larvae, and for young bees. Bee bread is rich in vitamins, minerals, amino acids, antibiotics, enzymes, and many other essential elements for the body.
Both bee bread and pollen can range in color, based on the flower source.
The only way you can source bee bread is directly from the honeycomb! That’s right, bee bread is a unique product that can’t be reproduced in a lab. In fact, making bee bread is a pretty complex process.
First, the worker bees collect pollen and mix it with a small amount of honey and saliva. Next they pack the mixture into the honeycomb and seal it with a drop of honey. While in the honeycomb, this mixture undergoes a natural chemical change to reach a fermentation stage which turns the pollen mixture into protein rich bee bread.
Bee bread is a natural source for many essential vitamins, including vitamins A, B, C, E, and K. It’s also a great source for enzymes and minerals, including magnesium, calcium, iron, selenium, sodium, zinc, potassium and phosphorus. Bee bread also contains lactic acids and essential amino acids which allows it to be stored at room temperature.
Other benefits of bee bread include:
It’s safe to consume both bee bread and bee pollen. However, it’s important to consume bee bread in moderation, as it is an essential food for young bees and the general survival of bees. To experience the maximum benefits of bee bread, we recommend 1 tsp/day. We also recommend supplementing your bee bread intake with 10mg of raw pollen per day.
Unless you have a honeycomb in your backyard, you’ll need to purchase your bee pollen or bee bread from a reputable source. Due to the environment and climate, bee bread is very rare, especially in the UK. However, in Lithuania, we are fortunate to have vast amounts of unspoiled nature which provides excess amounts of bee bread.
At Bee Baltic, recognize how rare and unique this bee super and we only harvest the excess bee bread. We never take too much and always leave plenty for the bees. Our bee bread is made from a 70% pollen and 30% honey mix which ferments over the whole season in the beehive to produce a bee superfood that helps to regenerate energy and builds a stronger immune system. All of our organic honey, bee bread, and raw pollen is unpasteurized and unfiltered so retains all it’s delicious healthy nutritional properties.
The extent of beekeeping culture can be seen in the Lithuanian language too. Did you know that Lithuanian language is considered to be the oldest surviving Indo-European language? And that human-beings have a relation with honey bees for past 9,000 years? Therefore there is a lot of relation and significance to this. Let’s look into main cultural elements.
The term bee colony is widely used across the world as this British colonial culture. While in Lithuania people refer to as bee family. Moreover Lithuanian’s prefer to call their Queen Bee as the Mother Bee. This makes sense as she is the one to lay eggs and to raise many generations of bees.
And let’s not forget the beekeepers too. There is a beautiful Lithuanian word “Bičiulis“, it is a separate word from the term “beekeeper”, which means a bee friend. This word comes from the times when your local beekeeper was climbing up the tree to get that beautiful local honey for you. used to refer to someone you got a swarm of bees from or someone who is sharing his experience of bees. However these days people widely use this word simply to call their very good friends.
Furthermore, mythology and mysticism adds a big cultural value to beekeeping. In the old days when the Baltics were still pagan, there were Gods and Goddesses associated to bees. Baltic folk used to sacrifice their pure honey to Bubilas the God of bees and honey. And young ladies would pray to Austeja the Goddess of bees who would care for married and pregnant woman and would bless with fertility.
From the old days beekeepers were held as the wise men. Can even be compared to the Elders or Shamans. Imagine days when there was no internet or Youtube to google “raw honey benefits” or “fun facts about bees”. At those times people saw beekeepers as fearless and mystical individuals who would open up the bee hive full of stinging insects and would bring sweet honey unharmed. They were the ones who would find the best natural remedy to heal. Bee products such as raw honey, beeswax or propolis has many antibacterial, antimicrobial and anti-oxidant properties. Raw honey was used firstly used for its medicinal properties. In addition sweets and sugar were impossible to obtain at those times, so pure honey was a relief for many.
As for the bees themselves, they have been considered sacred since ancient times, so there are many sayings associated with them:
Till this day there are several customs that true bee lovers of Lithuania still do. As we already covered, old beekeepers are very well respected in the community. And due to their connection with the honey bees there are some very important tasks to do for others whenever an old beekeeper passes away. People to this day go around the apiary, says a prayer and knocks each hive to let the little pollinator friends know that there keeper has passed away.
But on the more brighter side there is also some happier beekeeping customs. There is a saying that all the animals start to speak during the Winter solstice. Thus beekeepers go check on their hives if their bees are full on Baltic honey storage and if they are wintering well. This is done by giving a sharp and precise knock on the side wall of a hive. If the bees buzz sharply and loud, then the colony is well, but if the buzz is prolonged or not even then it is worth giving extra food to last the winter.
Even today Lithuanian beekeepers are living by these customs and some even try to foresee the future. For example they say “if the bees are swarming a lot this season, then next season there will be a lot of honey”. This is precisely true fact. You may wonder why? This is because after swarming the bee colony remains with a new and young Queen bee. Young Queens tend to outperform the older ones in the amount of laid eggs resulting in stronger colonies and better yield of pure honey.
And there is more to it. There is even people who still follow the old mysticism of foreseeing the future. People who dreamt a hive of bees may result in big profits and luck while people who dreamt a swarm escaping from the hive may result in losses and hardship. Here are some more thoughts on this, but keep in mind that this have never been scientifically proven and it only depends on how much you believe in it.
Therefore the times have changed, but beekeepers are still to this day fully respecting the bees in Lithuania. It is not ethical to squish bees during your inspection, because as we covered previously they are sacred and each may carry a soul. Beekeepers are said to be good, trustworthy and honest people. Over the time the bees trained each one to be like that. Bees have extremely sensitive senses and they can feel each ones emotions. Thus ourselves we never swear near the hives and we always leave all the stress behind when doing a hive inspection.
For all of the above reasons, here at Bee Baltic, we always make sure that each little pollinator friend is cared with great respect. We follow ethical and sustainable beekeeping practices and we only use natural and ecological treatments for bees. Baltic beekeeping traditions run deep in our roots. Whenever we go to the hives, first thing we give a few puffs to the entrance of the hive to say hello. Only then the top is opened up and we continue with our hive inspection. We keep our bees in clean and secluded environment, far from the main cities, surrounded by massive fields of wildflowers and forests. When harvesting liquid gold liquid we always take only the excess of honey and we leave the rest for the bees themselves. Honey supports immune system and has a lot of antibacterial properties. Therefore plain sugar can never be a food substitute for the honey bees.
Once we take into consideration how much efforts the bees give to bring us a spoonful of honey, the least thing we want to do is to ruin the quality of natural honey. Hence we only provide you to shop unprocessed, unpasteurised, raw honey. Raw honey retains all of its natural healing properties and over time crystallises. This is a sign of pure honey. We believe in pure and organic honey practices and even thou we trust that we can be your local beekeeper. Our motto is “happy bees = happy world”!
]]>Propolis is a fresh, pleasantly strong-smelling and biologically active product that can retain its healing properties for up to 10 years. It has distinctive, bitter and pungent tasting. Its colour ranges from yellowish to dark brown, grey or sometime even greenish. The older the propolis, the darker the colour. Bees collect propolis from sticky buds, shoots of trees (poplars, pines, birches, etc.). It is also well known as bee glue because bees use it as a building material to glue cracks in the hive, to cap honey and even use it to embalm perishable foreign bodies that cannot be removed from the hive. Due to the same preservative properties, being air and moisture tight product, it prevents the spoilage of other bee products like bee bread, pollen, royal jelly and raw honey.
Natural bee propolis is solid at a room temperature while heated to 30-40°C becomes sticky like glue, and melts only at 80-104°C. It can only loose its natural healing properties when melted. Moreover it dissolves well in strong alcohol infusing the alcohol with antibacterial, anti-fungal and healing properties.
The spectrum of propolis benefits is impressively wide. It fights fungi, viruses, has anti-inflammatory, bio-active and antioxidant properties. In medieval times it has been well known for its local anaesthetic function. The benefits of propolis have been known for a long time. Since ancient times, people knew that propolis eliminates bad breath, reduces or completely suppresses pain or swelling and helps heal wounds. In folk medicine, it was mainly used as an external medicine. It used to be warmed to softness, spread in a thin layer, and placed on a wart, scab or wound. It was even used to tackle tuberculosis.
In later times people realised that bee glue can be made into propolis tincture by dissolving in a strong alcohol. This way people started to treat internal health problems too. The antibacterial properties of propolis extract disinfect internally and starts a healing process. Therefore it is very good to treat stomach ulcers, tonsillitis or dental gums.
Nowadays, it is also possible to get Propolis Spray bottles with water-based propolis extract. As natural propolis is not easily soluble in water, special equipment is used to extract all the healing minerals and enzymes into water. Once extracted it is mixed with raw honey to make propolis throat spray children friendly too. Raw honey also helps to stimulate the blood flow and to absorb all the antibacterial properties faster. This way propolis benefits those who can't tolerate alcohol and children too. In addition propolis spray is perfect for day to day use to protect ourselves from any viral diseases.
Propolis has an activating effect on the immune system, regulates the production of antibodies, participates in blood circulation processes. Therefore it is perfect to be used on a regular basis as an immunity booster. Especially during the colder months of autumn and winter when we are more prone to viruses.
Moreover bee propolis is recommended for the people who are more prone to frequent respiratory issues, cold and flu. This is also very good natural remedy to be used after surgeries to stimulate healing and body regeneration.
Propolis tincture can be used to treat fungal skin diseases, abscesses, long-lasting wounds, as well as trophic leg ulcers. While propolis cream can heal eczema, dermatitis, psoriasis, burns and frostbite. However to make the cream, first you have to make the extract with a strong alcohol. This will make propolis liquid which can later be used on its own or in making various skin creams.
Put all the bits of raw propolis into an empty jar and pour all of the strong alcohol spirit (it would be best to have as strong as 70%). Close the jar and place it in a warm and dark location. Best temperature to keep the mixture would be at around 30°C. We found that a cupboard above the oven or stove is one of the better locations due to the constant heat. The mixture should be kept for 3 weeks. Once in a while shake the jar to stir the contents.
After 3 weeks, place the cheese cloth on the jar opening and pour all the contents into an empty jar. The cheese cloth will filter the mixture and will lead to a clear propolis liquid. You can now can use propolis tincture as an antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral and bio-active agent full with antioxidants.
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If you know nothing about Manuka honey, take it easy as you will find everything about it right now. This sweetener comes from New Zealand, where manuka plants grow. These small trees are a real treasure trove of nectar collected by bees. So, how is Manuka honey made? The answer is simple – just like other bee products.
There is nothing extraordinary about the way Manuka yummies are produced. Then what makes them so costly? They are natural antibiotics and incredibly delicious. However, you may say that other bee products are known for the same properties. And you are right.
The only thing that differs the sweetener from New Zealand from ordinary raw honey is that the former is brimming with methylglyoxal. This compound is responsible for potent bacteria-killing properties. But that, ladies and gentlemen, is what marketers call a unique selling point.
Manuka honey will be your best choice only if you don’t mind a hefty price tag. For those who aren’t going to pay through the nose for a tasty cure-all, raw linden honey and raw wildflower honey will be great alternatives.
Even though lime honey (as it’s called in the UK) isn’t touted as much as the one from New Zealand, it is still delicious and has a plethora of health benefits. As there are about 30 species of lime trees, this product is always available online and at brick-and-mortar stores. Thus, you don’t have to get to the other side of the globe to find where to buy linden honey.
If you are allergic to linden pollen, linden honey is not recommended to you. Others will find it a perfect fit because it’s an excellent source of antioxidants and vitamins. That means it can be used to treat cold and flu, as well.
One tablespoon of honey in the morning will work wonders for your stomach. If you want to get rid of indigestion, it’s time to do some shopping for natural linden sweeteners.
When you are suffering from acne, rash, blisters or other dermatitis symptoms, lime honey will be the best to add to your face mask. Make this cosmetic procedure a habit, and your skin will be smooth and vigorous in the blink of an eye.
All types of honey and linden, in particular, have stimulating properties. Its sugar and nutrient profile will ensure an improved mood and lots of energy. Couple linden honey with an 8-hour sleep, and you will be a healthier version of yourself.
As you can see, Manuka and linden honey varieties aren’t that different. They both can please your taste buds and improve your health. However, Manuka honey will cost you 5-10 times more than the lime one.
Raw lime honey is just what the doctor ordered to avoid going to great expense. Can’t wait to feast on it? Stop looking for where to buy linden honey and grab some at Bee Baltic!
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What makes bee pollen a superfood is that it contains tons of vitamins and antioxidants. That means it is synonymous with outstanding therapeutic value for almost all people, except those with allergies and expecting women. And yes – it is slightly sweet, earthy, catering to everyone’s taste buds.
Unlike beeswax, bee pollen is typically used as granules intended to be added to food or smoothies. They are best taken in the morning so that you provide your body with much-needed nutrients for the whole day ahead. On the other hand if you expect a long night then it is perfectly fine to take it in the evening too. Bee pollen has natural energy boosting capabilities, therefore it is a perfect, healthy alternative to “Red Bull”.
But what vitamins are in bee pollen? To better understand how essential this supplement is in terms of nutritional value, below shows some of the substances it is loaded with:
Packed with all of them, these granules nourish your body, keeping you young-looking and putting ageing on hold. That said, the benefits of eating bee pollen go far beyond beauty enhancement. Those who are looking for something to improve their health may use it too:
When cholesterol levels are high, you’re at significant risk of having heart disease. Don’t let this slide and better add bee pollen to your diet. It is scientifically backed that they can normalise cholesterol levels.
Boosting the detoxifying function of the liver is one of the major bee pollen uses. It may minimise the effects of toxic substances on the liver and help it stand up to them.
As it contains many antioxidants, bee pollen may help ward off free radicals. It’s crucial to balance them because they can lead to severe conditions, like heart disease or even cancer.
Similar to honey, pollen carries remarkable antibacterial properties. Make it a habit to eat granules with your morning porridge, and your immune system will thank you.
Appetite stimulation and how well nutrients are absorbed in the body are among bee pollen benefits, too. This supplement boosts your metabolism, helping you shed unwanted pounds.
With many health benefits of bee pollen supplements and their toothsome taste, you can now take care of yourself in a most delightful way. If you can’t wait to try them, Bee Baltic is at your service. Our bee pollen comes right from the hive to preserve its organic properties and taste.
]]>Not all infections can be treated with antibiotics. Statistics say that a sore throat is among the most significant contributors to inappropriate antibiotic prescribing all over the world. That can be a threat to watch out for as your body can eventually lose its ability to resist germs if attacked by powerful drugs for no discernible reason. However, you can treat your cold in a different, antibiotic-free way. Remember, one of the best natural sore throat remedies is honey, and it can turn your treatment process into the sweetest experience.
You know about honey, right? Not only is it sweet, sticky, liquid gold in a glass jar, but also it is a one-of-a-kind source of health benefits. Many years ago, honey was mostly used to prevent wounds from getting infected. Today it is considered to be a super powerful bacteria-killing weapon. Apart from glucose and fructose, this healing substance contains a plethora of vitamins, minerals and immune proteins. This makes it recommended to use honey for a sore throat and other flu symptoms.
Lemon is another go-to remedy. It is loved by both patients and doctors thanks to its high level of vitamin C that is known to be the best immune system enhancer. So, combine honey with lemon for a sore throat, and see how all your inflammation-related symptoms disappear.
Before making an appointment with your doctor, take a closer look at positives that can be brought by alternative cold treatment methods. When regularly consuming tea, honey and lemon for your sore throat, you can expect:
Honey is one of the oldest and most natural sweeteners on Earth. Since ancient times, it has been used as both food and medication. The snag about it is that it now comes in an abundance of varieties, making it more complicated to choose the right one for your sore throat.
If you’re considering pasteurised or raw honey, you should realise that not both offer a range of therapeutic benefits, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. However, the former is filtered, pasteurised and heated after being harvested, whilst the latter is pure in its form, meaning that it’s straight from the hive and its nutritional value is unchanged. With that in mind, you better go for raw honey for a sore throat rather than the processed variety.
You can try raw bee pollen or raw forest honey from Bee Baltic. They are deemed to be excellent natural cures for the flu and other infections. Especially when you take them consistently.
]]>Honey almost entirely consists of natural sugars. There is only 20% of water in this product. This means that there are not nearly enough water molecules to hold all the glucose and fructose, which leads to eventual separation of these components. And this is exactly how you get crystallised honey. To make sure the product stays liquid as long as possible, store it at room temperature in a glass jar with a tightly closed lid. Never put honey in the fridge! It will speed up the crystallisation process.
Most store-bought honey varieties are heavily processed. Manufacturers use pasteurisation to kill the bacteria and yeast as well as to slow down crystallisation, making the product more appealing to the customers. Raw honey is unprocessed, and this is why it crystallises much faster. However, it also means that all the nutrients and enzymes in it are still intact, making it a healthier choice. If you skip out on the amazing benefits of raw honey just because you don’t fancy its texture, we can tell you how to make it runny again in a few easy steps!
To bring honey back to its original consistency, you need to heat it up. It is crucial to maintain the right temperature – going too high would mean to scorch the product and destroy the precious vitamins and enzymes. The heating method is also important. If you look up how to decrystallise honey in Google, you may find some pretty bad advice like using a microwave oven. In this case, the heat will distribute unevenly, which means that some areas will stay crystallised while others will simply boil. What is more, if you store the product in a plastic container, using a microwave oven will melt it, releasing harmful toxins and particles.
So how to decrystallise raw honey the right way? Don’t worry, it is super easy. All you need is a pot of hot water and a bowl large enough to accommodate your honey jar. The key is not to let the water boil, which happens at 100°C. Try to keep the temperature up to 45°C to preserve enzymes and antioxidants. If you have accidentally overheated and boiled the water, let it sit for a few minutes. Once it cools off enough, slowly add it into the bowl, filling the space around the jar with crystallised honey. Make sure you leave the lid on and don’t pour water on top of it. Decrystallising honey takes time. Be patient and carefully add more hot water as the liquid in the bowl starts to cool down.
Though it is preferable to keep honey in a glass jar, many retailers sell it in plastic containers. If you have one of those honey bears on your hands, the steps will be similar but this time keep the water temperature lower than 38°C to prevent plastic from deforming. Give your bear a good soak and once the honey is liquid enough, transfer it to a glass jar. Now you know how to decrystallise honey. We hope that this knowledge will help you save a ton of money by increasing the shelf-life of your favourite product, making your life that much sweeter.
]]>The definition of raw honey is the following – a sweet, light-gold/amber/dark brown food substance produced by honeybees that is pure, unpasteurized, unheated, and unprocessed. In fact, it would have been called just regular honey if it wasn’t for the dominance of processed foods on the market. Raw honey is honey in its initial form – straight from the beehive, just as nature meant it to be. The only way true raw honey is “processed” is by light filtration to eliminate impurities. Other than that, it is untouched, which allows preserving all the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes.
The honey that we see flooding the supermarkets is pasteurized. It is clear, has a smooth texture, even colour, and is never crystallized. Why pasteurize honey? To kill the yeast cells and bacteria that raw honey may contain, improve their appearance and shelf-life to increase the sales. However, there is one significant downside to pasteurization – it destroys the nutrients in honey, stripping it of all the benefits and leaving you with, well, plain glucose syrup! Some manufacturers even add refined sugar to the honey to enhance the taste. So while you are helping yourself to a spoonful of what you think is a natural sugar alternative, you are actually loading up on the very thing you try so hard to avoid!
Though commercial honey prevails on the market, some retailers do offer healthier alternatives. To make sure you are buying raw honey, look at the label. It should say “100% raw” or “unpasteurized”. Words like “organic” and “pure” do not indicate that the honey was unheated. If the label passed the test, look at the product more closely. Raw honey is cloudier and creamier than the regular one. It may also be crystallized or set, which some people perceive as an indication that honey has gone bad. However, it is not so. You can easily reverse the crystallization at home by putting the jar of honey into hot water. The high temperature will melt the crystals and make the product liquid again. However, be careful not to overheat the honey as it destroys all the healthy nutrients.
Now that you know the definition of raw honey, you must be wondering where to purchase it. Raw honey is not hard to find. It is widely available at farmers’ markets, supermarkets, and grocery stores all over the world. And you will have no problem finding it using our “How to know if honey is raw?” guide. If you want to save time – shop online! On BeeBaltic.com you will find 100% raw, unheated, and unpasteurised honey harvested organically and ethically from the untouched meadows and forests of Lithuania. Our products are tested in certified European laboratories to ensure that the honey we provide to our customers is free from harmful bacteria, antibiotics, and pesticides. Click here to check out our selection of raw honey. Within our catalogue, you will find traditional forest and wildflower varieties as well as the Baltic alternative to famous Manuka honey! For more information about our products, don’t hesitate to contact us at any time!
]]>You may wonder, is honey good for you? Yes, especially buckwheat honey which carries whole variety of micro-elements and vitamins. It loads a dose of antioxidants. Antioxidants are created from active flavonoids and other phenolic compounds within the honey. These biological superheroes help with blood pressure and overall blood system. And let's not forget that, honey has antibacterial properties which aid in detoxification and fight against bad bacteria in your liver.
Let's not forget that buckwheat honey has the highest amount of iron content out of all types of honey. People with active lifestyles rank it highly within superfoods. It regenerate body after a workout and replenishes strength after an active day. In addition vegetarians and vegans may use it as food supplement for iron.
From the very old days, lemon and honey have been used as a natural healing remedy in most cultures. Of course, some cultures didn’t have the magical citrus fruit growing on trees, but honey was available even some 40 million years ago when the first honey bees appeared on the planet Earth. Thus Baltic people used quince fruit instead of lemon.
Moreover, imagine, there were no pharmacies or doctors round the corner a thousand years ago, but they had the Elders who prescribed one or the other healing remedy through a spiritual ceremony. There are plenty of songs and stories about the superpowers of raw honey in the old Lithuanian / Baltic culture.
Some of you might not be very familiar with the term “Raw Honey”. Let’s meet and greet raw honey first.
Raw honey is honey that has not been processed or pasteurised in any way. It is cold extracted straight from the hive. Most importantly it is free from antibiotics and has not been infused with any additional flavourings or sweeteners.
Commercially available honey is usually heavily processed, pasteurised and heated to make it more appealing for the customer. Commercially bought honey may also be blended with other low-quality honey or mixed with refined sugars. These processes destroy all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes that the honey contains. Pasteurisation also reduces honey’s nutritional value, benefits and quality.
Natural honey is obtained through sustainable and ethical beekeeping practices which use natural and ecological remedies for treating bees. This way it is ensured that the honey is real and preserves all of its natural beneficial qualities. Therefore, raw honey is something that our ancestors might have been prescribed by an Elder a thousand years ago.
Also known by its scientific name Citrus Limon, lemon is truly a godlike fruit. It is native to northeast India, where the subtropical climate creates the perfect ecosystem for the citric fruit to flourish. Lemons are fortified with Vitamin C and citric acid. Both of these elements boost the immune system and helps to fight off the bacteria within your body. Due to citric acid, lemons are also widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceutical and even as detergent.
Did you know that lemon juice is also powered with electrolytes? And these good friends in conjunction with electrodes may even power a battery with the electric current! Therefore electrolytes can also power our bodies after dehydration or excessive exercises.
Honey and lemon combination keeps our bodies free from toxins and infectious bacteria. During our day to day lives a lot of toxins may enter our bodies through the chemicals, pesticides or even food surrounded by us. Thus the antibacterial properties of honey and the detoxifying properties from citric acid aids our bodies to remove all the unwanted toxins.
Many people may wonder – is honey fattening? Conversely, this combination aids in increasing the metabolism levels and speeding up the weight loss process through hydration.
Having a lemon and honey combination every morning is one of the most beneficial remedies in tackling acne and other skin issues. Lemon has oil-controlling properties, hence removing the excess oils from the skin. Also citric acid works as an exfoliating agent. It promotes the reduction of dead skin cells and accumulated debris that clog skin glands.
Honey has antibacterial properties which aid in detoxification and fight against bad bacteria in your liver. And the micro-elements within honey help to boost the clear and glowing skin effects through internal consumption.
The anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial qualities of honey make it one of the most appreciated natural healing remedies for the immune system. Drinking regularly a glass of honey, water and lemon which is fortified with vitamin C will keep all the illnesses, diseases and allergies at bay.
Honey has always been used in the Baltic culture to treat cough and sore throat symptoms. This remedy can also be seen very popular in Ayurveda. The anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties aid in fighting against infectious bacteria within your body. Honey also keeps the respiratory tract hydrated.
While honey fights off the excess mucus, lemon helps to thin the congestion of
mucus within our body and bring relief in our airways.
The electrolytes of lemon and micro-elements within raw honey power up our bodies after excessive dehydration periods. This combination can help after the body had issues like diarrhoea, vomiting, intoxication or starvation. Even after having too much alcohol or sports exercises, the glucose and fructose in honey may boost your recovery.
Doctors often prescribe diuretics to heal edema and hypertension caused by excess amounts of fluids in the body. However honey and lemon can act as a natural healing remedy to remove the excess fluids by promoting the production of urine. This effect also goes hand in hand with detoxification as the body can lose unwanted toxins. By healing edema or hypertension, we can remove the extra strain from the heart and normalise the blood pressure.
Hard to believe, but honey and lemon can be the best alternative to shampoo! Actually even better, because it all comes from natural sources. Using honey for hair, naturally moisturises the scalp and leaves your hair smooth. While lemon prevents dandruff and hair loss!
Both honey and lemons have a lot in common. And it is not just the healing effects of this divinity, but cultural similarities too. Both India and Lithuania share the fact that their languages evolved from the oldest language in the world – the Sanskrit. Therefore here is a recipe of how to unite the golden gem of the Baltics and the ultimate energiser of India:
We recommend rinsing your mouth with plain water after drinking this elixir to neutralise the citric acid from eroding teeth enamel.
To achieve the best results for fighting against infections, illnesses or cold, drink it warm. However, you can drink it chilled for those hydrating moments. Leaf of fresh mint can perfectly accompany lemon and honey drink
We strongly advise using honey containing Linden floral nectar for this recipe, because due to its floral activity, Linden holds natural tonic properties. It helps to raise energy levels as well as to improve mood. Additionally, Linden blossoms provide antibacterial properties which help to fight various infections and makes it perfect with cold symptoms such as fever, sore throat and cough. To top it off, it provides calming and soothing effects to the stomach, maintains healthy liver and is capable of detoxifying the body of toxins. A true nature’s blessing.
Stay healthy!
]]>Some say that it could be within days of being born, some will argue that it is when the bee enters the foraging stage of its life. As with all questions with beekeepers you should expect many, many answers! This is my view taken from a number of sources, I’m not saying it's correct however suggesting on the balance of probability that this is more than likely to be the case. As you may know, the lifespan of a Honey Bee worker is 5-7 weeks and the first few weeks are spent in the hive, the last few as a forager. This timeline can’t be exact as there are many factors involved, such as consumption of pollen and the abundance of protein etc. but I would suggest that the first orientation flights are taken when the bee becomes a forager. Why do I think this, if you are making splits and moving nurse bees, these bees tend to return to the original hive? This could indicate that nurse bees are house bees and do not do orientation flights until they become forager bees.
Honeybees, perform exploratory orientation flights before they start foraging in order to become familiar with the terrain. There appears to be to types of orientation flights short and long-range orientation flights. Short-range flights are likely to be related to learning the specific features of the hive's immediate surroundings and can be seen more often under unfavourable weather conditions. Short-range orientation flights take bees no further than 30 m away from the hive and lack any clear direction The duration of long-range orientation flights declined from the first to the fourth flight because bees spent less time inspecting the immediate surroundings of the hive. During consecutive orientation flights bees explore new areas of the terrain, foraging flights performed after orientation flights cover greater distances and may involve a sector of the terrain not explored before. Exploration may be mixed with foraging flights after the initial orientation flights, sometimes leading to extremely long and elaborate flights* Navigation of bees is believed to be simple, employing isolated sensory-motor routines that are learned. For example, bees learn the directions and distances of their travels between hive and food sources by path integration, they use the sun to apply these memories and use landmarks to calibrate distances. Bees can retrieve flight directions from landmarks when the sun is not available.
On cloudy days, honey bees are known to navigate to familiar food sources and orientate their dances accurately. This capacity could be based on a magnetic compass sense, an ability to perceive the sun or patterns of polarized light through the clouds, or on the bees' memory of the diurnal course of the sun with respect to local landmarks. Experiments pitting these alternatives against one another demonstrate that the navigational backup system of bees is based on memory.**
References:
*Sciencedirect
**sciencemag
]]>We are very thankful for the seminar and discussion about the current beekeeping trends and practices in Lithuania, as well as managing diseases and improving the health of the honeybees.
Currently, there are 163,906 registered bee colonies in Lithuania from which 75% of 8,490 beekeepers are small scale. Moreover, for the past 10 years, there has been a steady upward sloping trend in the number of bees. We are very happy that more and more people start to care for the lives of bees and begin to keep healthy hives in their back gardens across Lithuania.
]]>Some people buy honey directly from the beekeeper, some buy from specialized stores and some from a regular supermarkets. There is a risk of buying fake honey when doing your grocery shopping at your local commercial supermarket store. Why? Because it may be heavily processed, pasteurised and heated to make it more appealing for the customer. These processes destroy all the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and enzymes that the honey contains. Pasteurisation also reduces honey's nutritional value, benefits and quality.
Real honey is in the most natural form possible: unprocessed, unpasteurised and maintains all of its healthy properties. It arrives from bees and nature. The bees collect nectar from different wildflowers and blossoms. Then the bees carry this nectar to the hives and stores into cells of the beeswax which they have prepared before. Once the nectar is stored in the cells of the honeycomb, the cells are capped with beeswax. Then the bees, use their wings to fan the water content from the nectar. As a result, over around two weeks period, nectar matures and becomes honey.
The beekeeper then harvests the honey by uncapping each cell full of honey and uses honey extractor to spin out all the cells. Afterwards, the honey runs through a double strainer to lightly filter out any beeswax or other solids. Minimal filtration maintains the particles of bee pollen but removes the heavy solids. Once all the steps are complete honey is jarred and the empty combs are returned to the beehives.
You may wonder why your nature's golden liquid has become a solid block of honey. This is due to the fact that glucose separates from the water in the honey and crystals starts to form.
Crystallisation is a natural process of honey and can be used to prove the good qualities of honey. However in case the honey sets, but you prefer the runny form of it. Use the following guide from SpicieFoodie.
Scientific studies consider bee pollen as a most nutritional superfood from nature. Bees collect pollen from flower blossom by mixing with the nectar and carrying these pollen balls on their legs. Bee pollen contains 250 types of nutrients, including vitamins and flavonoids required for the human body to strive. It consists mainly of protein which is free from amino acids. Therefore, minimal filtration helps to retain the micro pollen particles in the honey. While the commercial honey due to all the processing can have zero pollen inside of store-bought honey.
Therefore, beware of what is available in big commercial supermarkets. Read the labels or even get in touch with the honey supplier to ask about their beekeeping and packaging practices. Always read relevant articles about recognising raw food. We hope that our blog will help you out on this by providing a guide on how to recognise if honey is real and raw.
Ourselves we strive to present our customers with ethically sourced raw honey. We selected small scale Lithuanian beekeepers who promote sustainable and responsible beekeeping practices. Bee Baltic beekeepers follow traditional beekeeping methods. Our bees are cared for with natural healing remedies which are free from antibiotics.
Bee Baltic honey is all tested in the certified laboratories to meet the highest standards. Our honey is not pasteurised thus retaining all of its nutritional properties.
We deeply care for the bees and their existence. We hope that together we can support the life of our little pollinator friends.
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