Thyme Honey
Thyme honey is one of the strongest flavoured New Zealand honeys with an aromatic herbal bouquet. The story of thyme honey goes right back to Ancient Greece where it was highly valued for its health benefits and unique taste.
Thyme is a member of the mint family and the aroma and flavour of Thyme honey is herbal: pungent and distinctive.
Thyme honey has been enjoyed for thousands of years. Wild thyme covers large areas of the dry rocky soils in the Mediterranean region where early civilizations flourished. Both Greece and Malta are especially famous for wild thyme honey. The classical Hymettus Thyme Honey from the slopes of Mount Hymettas in Attica, Greece, was traded widely in the ancient world.
Hippocrates (the Greek Father of Medicine) praised its health-giving benefits. Due to its anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, Thyme honey was, and still is, used:
as a poultice for wounds to prevent infection
to cover burns and scalds
to treat sore throats.
Rich in Anti-Oxidants:
The type of anti-oxidants in Thyme honey are called "defensive anti-oxidants". They can bind oxidants and prevent them turning into free-radicals that cause cell damage. Research has suggested that Thyme honey is one of the highest rating foods for supplying these defensive anti-oxidants.
New Zealand Thyme honey owes its existence to the thyme brought to New Zealand by the gold miners during the Otago gold rush in the late 1800's. Escaped plants from herb gardens established themselves all over Central Otago and became the bees favourite forage plant. The Alexandra Thyme Festival is a celebration of the beauty of the Central Otago landscape in November when the wild thyme blooms and bees gather the delicious thyme nectar.
Our Hive World Thyme honey is a certified raw organic honey produced in the Central Otago region. The distinctive flavour will add a zing to a platter of roast vegetables or as a delicious marinade on your favourite lamb roast. Don't forget the classic addition of Thyme honey to Greek yoghurt for a healthy dessert topped with nuts.
Raw honey is honey as it comes, straight from the hive. It has not been processed or filtered or pasteurized. Raw honey contains enzymes, antioxidants and pollen that micro filtering and pasteurizing removes. Raw honey will crystalize more readily as pollen in the honey promotes crystallization. If your honey does crystalize, put in a bowl of warm water (not hotter than 37 degrees) and the crystals will dissolve again.