Hector's Honey

05/18/2024

We are excited to be part of this event at the Gravenstein Apple Fair this August. 🐝🌻🍎

Alice Waters, along with culinary rock stars Kyle and Katina Connaughton of Michelin-starred SingleThread, will join the festivities when the annual apple festival returns to Sebastopol in August.

06/01/2021

Did you know we raise our own local cattle and sell premium grass fed beef!? You can find some at our booth at the following Farmers Markets: Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmers Market at the LBC Saturday’s and Wednesdays 8:30am-1:30pm. Sebastopol Farmers Market on Sundays 10am-1:30pm. Occidental Farmers Market Fridays 4pm-dusk. Sonoma Tuesday Night Farmers Market 5pm-dusk.

12/01/2020

~Honey Crystalization ~

Over the years some people who buy our honey have been confused about honey crystallization. I want to share some important insight on this!

Especially during this time of year when the weather is colder outside, honey crystallization will form a lot faster. Have you noticed this about your honey? It will start to get “cloudier”, hard, and have a less liquid consistency. So, why is this happening? This happens because the pure sugar in honey, fructose and glucose are forming crystals and coming out of the solution. Honey is a super-concentrated sugar solution of fructose and glucose, so over time these sugars can come out of solution and form crystals. This is a basic sugar chemistry concept-which is fascinating! The rapid drop in temperature during the winter months will also cause the crystallization to happen at a faster rate.
Now you may ask, but honey I buy at the grocery store does not do this, why? That is because it is actually NOT pure honey. Honey that doesn’t crystalize has been processed, filtered, and mixed with usually processed fructose corn syrup to keep it in a liquid state and prevent sugar crystals from forming. This greatly degrades the quality of honey, and frankly is not good to consume because the processing kills beneficial vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and enzymes found naturally in honey. Consuming high fructose corn syrup can also be detrimental to one's health…
Furthermore, pure unfiltered honey has pollen in its honey solution that further allow for faster crystallization, as the pollen provides a substrate for the crystals to form.

So real honey crystalizes. Real honey should crystalize. Crystallization is a natural process of pure, raw, unprocessed honey. Comercially processed honey “syrup” will not crystalize.

When honey crystallizes it does not change the shelf life of the honey. The honey composition itself does not change, it just changes its physical state. So still the same honey! Furthermore, because honey is a highly concentrated sugar solution and has a low water content it will keep indefinitely. (You may have heard that honey doesn’t expire, that’s true! :D) You can still use the honey when it is in its crystallized state. It will melt in coffee or on a warm piece of toast. Also, if you want the honey to be liquid again you can warm it up and it will go back to its liquid state.


So please, do not ask for a refund when your honey crystalizes. This is supposed to happen. It’s the best part of our honey because it means that it is 100% raw and pure. If you want to buy processed fructose syrup (not good for your health! I would not recommend..! ) in a honey bear at the store, by all means, buy that. But know that when you buy our honey you will be getting the real deal, real pure, raw, unprocessed honey, that is what we sell and that is what we stand for. Thank you!

Thanks for listening! Hope this helps! Ask me questions if you have them!
-Cynthia Alvarez (Hector’s daughter)
[email protected]

04/28/2020

Some of our fresh local bee pollen. Bee pollen is such a gift! High in protein and full of essential vitamins and minerals for your health. Since it is also local and fresh it works great at building an immunity against local allergies. Just take a tsp/day. It is recommended to take it directly, with a spoon full of honey, or mixed in with cold cereal, smoothies, açaí bowls, or yogurt. Also, since it is fresh, it will melt in your mouth! The variety of colors indicate different flowers the bees were pollinating, so the more color variety the more diversity of floral pollen you are getting. This is also why bee pollen color and taste can vary throughout the year. We have some available at ALL our Farmers Markets for anyone that would like to try some 🐝🐝
* We also carry our local bee pollen at Whole Foods and Community Market in Sebastopol and Santa Rosa. Make sure to look for Hector's Honey Local Bee Pollen, should also have a "Go local" sticker on the containers to help identify.

04/14/2020

We hope everyone is finding peace during these difficult circumstances. This is a reminder that yes, we are still open at the Farmers Markets! You can find us on Friday mornings in Sonoma 8am-12:30pm (Arnold field parking lot) , Saturday and Wednesday at the LBC in Santa Rosa 8:30am-1:00pm. The Healdsburg Farmers Market *opening early this year! * from 8:30-12:00pm and Sebastopol on Sunday’s 8:30am-1:30pm. Come support your local farmers and local food supply! We have lots of fresh local honey to offer. Bee well! 🐝

06/17/2019

Proud to be a part of such important work for our world and local community 🐝🌼🐝
Did you know Hector has been keeping bees in Sonoma County for over 35 years? Before that, his dad also kept bees in different areas of Sonoma County. We love what we do.

Happy National Pollinator Week!

Why are pollinators important? The work of pollinators ensures full harvests of crops and contributes to healthy plants everywhere. Did you know that an estimated 1/3 of all foods and beverages is delivered by pollinators? In the U.S., pollination produces nearly $20 billion worth of products annually. Native bees, butterflies, beetles, ants and flies are all valuable crop pollinators.

Farm Bureau Member and Jordan Valley Vineyard Ranch Manager Brent Young said, “Honeybees are a vital piece of the ecosystem,” Young said. “Thirty percent of the plants and trees are pollinated through this process, and up to 95 percent of the plants we eat rely on a pollinator.”

03/28/2019

Honeycomb, natures best treat! We are proud to offer fresh cut local honeycomb at all of our local Farmers Markets.
Honeycomb is completely edible and digestible. You can chew it like gum, spread it on bread, pair it with cheese, fruit, or wine!

Send a message to learn more

12/23/2017

** We have our "WHIPPED HONEY" back again! If you haven't tried this, it is a must, and a local holiday favorite! Smooth, creamy, whipped raw local honey makes a great spread on biscuits, crackers or toast. Our cinnamon whipped honey is divine, and excellent on apples, toast, or straight out of the jar..! This is still our own raw, local, pure honey so all the health benefits are still there (great for colds, cough, allergies, immune system) just with a creamier consistency. Nothing added but pure local honey and cinnamon!

-Tomorrow we will be at the Santa Rosa Farmers Market @ the LBC from 8:30-1:30. Sunday we will be at the Sebastopol FM 10am-2:30.

*Local honey makes a great holiday gift!
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! *

12/16/2017

We will be there tomorrow with lots of local goods and last minute gift ideas. This is also a reminder that it is so important to support and buy local after the deveststion our community has faced. Let’s help our local economy thrive and buy local this holiday season! ❤️🍯🎁💚

11/22/2017

The secret to the best Thanksgiving Meal are fresh ingredients! Come get your last minute shopping at the Farmers Market today. Here until 1:30pm.

11/10/2017

Great article that came out about our bee loss. We are sad but hopeful! Thank you to everyone that has reached out to us, and has supported in any way. We are thankful for the community we are surrounded by, we are Sonoma County Strong!

During the chaotic weeks of the Wine Country wildfires, sixty of Hector Alvarez's beehives went up in smoke.