Ladies and gentlemen, you are in for a treat! For my second review/giveaway with Tropical Traditions, I selected their Certified Organic Canadian Raw Honey. Why? Well, we eat a lot of honey in our household. We enjoy it in oatmeal, fruit & yogurt parfaits, stirfry sauces, tea and simply drizzled on some toast. We love the taste and appreciate that it is a healthier alternative to table sugar. (In fact, did you know that it is included in the list of World's Healthiest Foods at whfoods.org? Read more here, including nutritional details, possible health benefits, how to select & store, how to enjoy, individual concerns and other information!)
Admittedly, up until this point, we've usually just grabbed the convenient, processed type of honey from our local grocery store which may not offer the full range of nutritional and health benefits. However that's about to change now that our taste buds have savoured the raw, certified organic variant offered by Tropical Traditions!
Tropical Traditions honey is produced right here in Canada, sourced from hives in wild, vegetation-rich areas of the country. In accordance with US and Canadian standards for organic certification, these hives are sufficiently isolated from industrial areas, farmer's fields and landfills (based on a bee's natural flying range), and all aspects of the honey production are taken into account in the certification process. The honey has not been subjected to pasteurization or filtering, which means it retains beneficial nutrients and enzymes as well as a smooth, creamy texture. View more details, as well as customer comments, on the Tropical Traditions website.
As a side note, I do have to say I found it rather amusing and ironic that my Canadian honey sample was shipped back up to me here in Ontario from their warehouse in Nevada, but I digress. ;)
Alright, so let's see (and taste) this honey in action!
Here is a comparison of your standard store-bought honey (left) with Tropical Traditions Canadian Raw Honey (right). Notice that the Tropical Traditions honey is much lighter coloured than the store-bought honey.
Admittedly, one minor drawback of this "spreadability" is that the honey doesn't readily drizzle, which you might sometimes want it to do. I did a little research, however, and it appears you can safely soften the honey by heating it at a low temperature on the stove. It is inadvisable to microwave it, however, as this may damage its valuable enzymes.
Now, the big question - how does it taste? Mouth feel-wise, it is decidedly smooth and velvety. Hubby said it's like getting the extra-creamy version of his favourite peanut butter. :) By contract, the store-bought brand feels almost sticky and kind of coats the tongue.
Another big difference is in the flavour. It has an aromatic and subtle floral quality, and is less "sugary" sweet than the store brand.
All in all, this honey definitely invokes a pleasant sensation in the ol' taste buds!
I made myself a parfait consisting of unsweetened yogurt, strawberries, banana and my favourite granola cereal. I added a dollop of Tropical Traditions Canadian Raw Honey and wowee - was it ever amazing! This is going to become a regular breakfast staple, oh yes!!
My favourite way to eat honey is in its natural, uncooked form, however I'm also eager to try out some of the tasty-sounding honey recipes kicking around out there! Tropical Traditions has some on its Coconut Recipes website; just type "honey" in the search box at the top to filter the list appropriately. A large collection of honey recipes can also be found on the National Honey Board's website.
One final point that's important to mention: raw honey should not be given to infants under 1 year of age. This is due to the risk of infant botulism, a rare but serious disease in which the bacteria Clostridium botulinum grows within the baby's gastrointestinal tract. This bacteria is common in nature and can be found in soil and certain foods like honey. The risk is likely lower in a certified organic brand like Tropical Traditions, however it's still better to be safe than sorry!
All in all, Tropical Traditions Canadian Raw Honey is a wonderful product that I wholeheartedly recommend, whether you'd consider yourself a honey connoisseur or are just looking for a more natural and health-conscious sweetening option.
Buy It:
You can purchase Tropical Traditions Canadian Raw Honey (and other great products) directly from the Tropical Traditions website, so buzz on over and grab some! ;) They often have terrific promos & discounts going which you can keep track of by signing up for the Tropical Traditions newsletter.
Win It:
Tropical Traditions has generously offered to give away a 17.6oz. jar of Canadian Raw Honey to one lucky Manager to Mom reader!
To enter, please fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Comments do not count as entries, however feel free to add a comment to remind yourself that you entered!
Disclosure: Tropical Traditions provided me with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose. Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product. I received no financial compensation for writing my review or offering this giveaway. This is my completely honest opinion above and may be different from yours
Thanks for the chance.
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