Monday Feature: Sweet Pure Honey

SWEET PURE HONEY

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

I'm quite excited about this weeks growing green feature as it talks about one of my favorite foods...honey.

Sweet Pure Honey is a home business on fire, growing rapidly as people discover their amazing honey, face and body products, candles, and even clothing!

Sweet Pure Honey is located in the prairie community of Porcupine Plain, however Stella now produces the face and body products in Medicine Hat. Owners/beekeepers/artisans Stella Sehn and Sheldon Hill "handpack their natural honey and handmake their lip balms and candles. They have enough bees to occupy 400 hives", which as you can imagine, keeps them quite busy, nevermind making their other products.

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

You may be wondering what is so great about Sweet Pure Honey's honey. What makes it different from any other honey? As someone who has consumed vast amounts of honey over the years, in all forms, let me tell you, never before have I tasted anything so silky, smooth, rich, and exotically delicate. "Sweet Pure Honey is the unprocessed, concentrated nectar of flowers". Never before have you tasted anything of such perfection.

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

Sweet Pure Honey puts their honey through a unique process that I have never seen or heard of anywhere before. The raw honey is extracted and poured into jars by hand. It's then frozen where it naturally sets up to a beautiful, white, spreadable honey butter. The honey "is harvested and packed fresh for their customers", so you can be sure of only the best and freshest in every jar you buy. I had some tonight on a rice cake and it was all I could do to stop myself from digging into the jar with a spoon and eating it plain.

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

You can get their honey in three flavors. The original, white honey butter, a cinnamon honey butter and a cocoa honey butter. I've sampled all of them and they are fantastic and a must try. I guarantee you will love and become addicted to this extraordinary honey.

On top of this honey being so delicious, Sweet Pure Honey supports the Fair Trade Movement and ensures their farmers "are all paid fair value for their crops". So many times we only think of Fair Trade as being connected to those working in a third world country, and I am just as guilty of this. But rest assured, Sweet Pure Honey has thought of our local farmers' wellbeing and supports them accordingly.

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

In addition to making honey, Sweet Pure Honey also uses the beeswax to make heavenly scented candles.

The raw beeswax is collected right from the hive and "is unfilltered and not refined. It contains pollen, traces of honey, and propolis" and has all it's natural properies intact. I don't know about you, but I love burning beeswax candles. The aroma is near intoxicating. To reveal a little secret, I find it hard to resist just sitting and sniffing beeswax candles. It's a little weird, I know, but we all have our vice right?

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

Now let's talk about Sweet Pure Honey's Face and Body line. They take two natural ingredients that we all love, coconut oil and beeswax, and gently blend them together to make the most amazing lip balms and body balms. I use the tinted lip balm everyday, which is also filled with natural MICA minerals to create a nice sheer color. My lips have never felt so moist!

I also swear by the body balm. My little baby girl had some dry, red cheeks forming due to teething, and I used the body balm on her cheeks. By that night all the redness was gone and by the next day her cheeks were back to their smooth, moist and perfect self with no sign of dryness. Plus she then had a faint fragrance of honey that wafted around her all day, which I didn't mind in the least.

 

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

Sweet Pure Honey also makes lovely organic perfume sticks which use coconut oil and beeswax along with tantalizing essential oils to create a fragrance you'll be sure to love.

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

And they have soap too! Made with creamy coconut oil, glycerin and essential oils, a bath turns into something special and your skin feels oh so lovely.



photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

Sweet Pure Honey is growing and it's exciting to see something local gaining vast popularity. I encourage you to check out Sweet Pure Honey's website www.sweetpurehoney.ca for their history, full detail on all their products, price list and how to order. You can also find Stella at the Medicine Hat Farmers Market selling her products alongside the most amazing honey you will ever eat.

Now all I need is some fresh, warm bread made with gluten intolerant friendly wheat and smather it, yes smather, with some delicious, white honey butter.

photograph by Giselle Nerlien*

Stella and Sheldon and their 3 beautiful children



Now for something fun and FREE! That's right! I have some Face and Body products from Sweet Pure Honey that I'm giving away for free. Simply follow the instructions below to have your name entered into a draw for some awesome products to try out! (This is for Medicine Hat residents only as I'm unable to mail these products).

1. Answer the following question via email to growing.green27@gmail.com

 -There is a new facial cream that has effects on your skin similar to that of botox. What is the secret ingredient that causes this effect? hint - the answer has to do with those responsible for today's feature.

2. Comment below and tell me your favorite food, recipe or thing you like to eat with honey or use with honey. I always like to try out something new :) (everyone can do this, no matter where you live!!!)

next week's feature hint: A wide expanse of woodland located in Rohan

*Note: All photographs were taken by Sweet Pure Honey's photographer and consulting partner Giselle Nerlien. If you are interested in her work please email her at photoartbygiselle@ymail.com or check out more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gisellenerlien/

Happy Eating!!!