By taking 1-2 teaspoons of local (within a 60 mile radius) honey each day, we receive a
number of health benefits:
- Raw honey is a healthy, natural way to boost your immune system. The carbohydrates in honey provide us with energy and strength, boosting endurance and reducing muscle fatigue.
- Local honey may help relieve seasonal allergies. Bees use the pollen from local plants, which eventually ends up in your honey!
- For sore throats, honey – due to its natural anti-inflammatory effect – will help heal the wounds more quickly. It also has different phytochemicals (chemicals found in plants and different foods) that kill viruses, bacteria, and fungus.
- Honey soothes tissues and helps retain calcium in the body.
- Honey also contains essential minerals not found in sugar including calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc as well as several different amino acids.
- Honey is an excellent substitute for sugar. Although both sweeteners contain glucose and fructose, the process of manufacturing sugar involves destroying the organic acids, protein, nitrogen elements, enzymes, and vitamins contained in the sugar cane. Whereas honey, a natural sweetener, is only subject to minimal heating.
Buying local reduces the average miles traveled from “field to plate.” Presently, reports show that food travels an average of 1,500 miles from where it is grown to where it is consumed. There are several reasons to cut back on long-distance, large-scale transportation:
Eat local – it’s a safe bet.
Preserving our land
- Large quantities of fossil fuels are consumed as a primary means of transportation.
- Transporting food over long distances generates great quantities of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide, greenhouse gasses which are major contributors to global warming.
- Other byproducts of fossil fuel combustion include sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides, both of which contribute to acid rain, and hydrocarbons, which can react with nitrogen oxides to form smog.
Eat local – it’s a safe bet.
- In order to increase production and size of foods, large factory farms continue to use food preservatives and additives, which genetically alter crops and products derived from these crops. This may result in such pandemics as E. coli.
- Despite consumers’ increasing concern about the quality and cleanliness of their food, it remains difficult to identify the pesticides used and the route taken to grow and transport foods to local markets. Locally grown foods are becoming a more preferred choice due to consumers’ ability to monitor and regulate the entire production of the product and interact with the growers, who are most knowledgeable of the production process.
- According to the Center for a New American Dream, “Small farms tend to be less aggressive than large factory farms about dousing their wares with chemicals.” Small farms are also more likely to grow more variety protecting biodiversity and preserving a wider agricultural gene pool, an important factor in long-term food security. The Bee’s Knees does not use food preservatives or additives of any kind.
Preserving our land
- According to the Council on the Environment of New York City, “Over the past 50 years, close to a million acres of local farmland have been buried under cement and asphalt.” Eating locally encourages the use of local open space – farms, pastures, etc. This allows for responsible land development while preserving our land.
Local economic growth
Taxes
Agricultural growth
Local food just plain tastes better
- On average a farmer only receives 20 cents of each food dollar spent, the rest going for transportation, processing, packaging, refrigeration and marketing. When selling locally, full retail value is received, a dollar for each food dollar spent.
- Local farmers, in turn, are likely to spend their income in the local economy.
- According to a study by the New Economics Foundation in London, a dollar spent locally generates twice as much income for the local economy. When buying from businesses that are not locally owned, money leaves the community at every transaction.
Taxes
- It is also the case that local economic activity generates higher tax revenue for the local community. The taxes can be used to support school systems, local infrastructure, and other local government priorities.
Agricultural growth
- Honey bees play an integral role in the pollination of flowers. While collecting nectar from a flower, the pollen that sticks to the bee’s body is carried over to the next flower the bee lands on. This enables fertilization and sexual reproduction. Pollination is a necessary process in the reproduction of flowering plants.
Local food just plain tastes better
- The Bee’s Knees has been told by countless customers that its honey provides a flavor much tastier and sweeter than non-local honey. The honey is also more viscous and easier to spread on bread, pastries, and other foods topped with honey.
Our Mission
Located in Long Beach, Mississippi, The Bee's Knees is dedicated to harvesting and producing the highest quality of 100% pure honey with an ongoing commitment to environmental awareness. As we grow, our company will continue to innovate new ideas and products while adhering to the company's ethical values and philanthropic beliefs of giving back to the community.
Located in Long Beach, Mississippi, The Bee's Knees is dedicated to harvesting and producing the highest quality of 100% pure honey with an ongoing commitment to environmental awareness. As we grow, our company will continue to innovate new ideas and products while adhering to the company's ethical values and philanthropic beliefs of giving back to the community.
