Preserving Purity: The Case for Wooden Spoons with Manuka Honey

Using wooden spoons for Manuka honey is often recommended for several reasons:

1. Neutral Flavor: Wooden spoons are less likely to impart any additional flavors to the honey. Manuka honey has a delicate and distinct taste, and using a neutral utensil like a wooden spoon helps preserve its natural flavors without introducing foreign tastes.

2. Chemical Reactions: Manuka honey is acidic, and wooden utensils are less prone to reacting with the acidity of the honey compared to metal spoons. Using metal utensils may cause subtle reactions that could affect the honey's taste over time. Wooden spoons provide a non-reactive alternative.

3. Avoiding Contamination: Wooden spoons are less likely to introduce contaminants or react with the honey, ensuring that the honey remains pure and unaltered. This is particularly important for high-quality Manuka honey, which is valued for its unique properties.

4. Traditional Practice: The use of wooden utensils for honey has historical and cultural significance. It's a practice that has been passed down through generations and is often associated with the traditional and natural processing of honey.

While these reasons make wooden spoons a popular choice for serving and handling Manuka honey, it's crucial to ensure that the wooden utensils are clean and dedicated to honey to avoid cross-contamination with other flavors or substances. If properly maintained, wooden spoons can contribute to a more authentic honey-tasting experience.

What benefits can be obtained from using Mānuka honey during winter?

Mānuka honey is known for its potential health benefits due to its unique antibacterial properties. During the winter months, it may provide some additional benefits for your overall health and well-being.

Here are some of the potential benefits of Mānuka honey for winter:

1. Soothes sore throats: The antibacterial properties in manuka honey can help soothe sore throats that often occur during the winter months due to colds and flu. It can also help to reduce inflammation in the throat.

2. Boosts immunity: Manuka honey contains antioxidants, which can help boost your immune system and protect your body from the harmful effects of free radicals that can be generated during the winter months.

3. Fights colds and flu: The antibacterial properties in manuka honey can help fight off colds and flu viruses, reducing the severity and duration of these illnesses.

4. Provides energy: Manuka honey is a natural source of carbohydrates, which can provide a quick burst of energy when you need it during the cold winter months.

5. Soothes coughs: Manuka honey has a natural cough-suppressing effect, which can help soothe coughs and reduce their frequency.

It's important to note that while manuka honey has potential health benefits, it should not be used as a substitute for medical treatment if you are experiencing serious health issues. Always consult with a healthcare professional if you have any concerns.

A Taste of the Past: Mānuka Honey's History

The word "Mānuka" comes from the Maori language, which is the indigenous language of New Zealand. It is the name given to a small tree or shrub that is native to New Zealand, scientifically known as Leptospermum scoparium. The mānuka plant has cultural and medicinal significance in Maori tradition, and its nectar is used to produce the famous Manuka honey.

Manuka honey has a long and fascinating history that dates back centuries.

• In the late 1700s, Captain James Cook, a British explorer, discovered the Manuka plant and observed the Maori people using it to treat various ailments.

• In the mid-1800s, European settlers in New Zealand began using Manuka leaves to brew tea as an alternative to traditional tea leaves.

• In 1839, Mary Bumby, a Methodist missionary, introduced honey bees to New Zealand, and it's believed that the first Manuka honey was produced near her apiary.

• In the early 1900s, scientists discovered that Manuka honey had unique antibacterial properties that made it effective in treating wounds and infections.

• In the 1980s, researchers at the University of Waikato in New Zealand identified a unique antibacterial compound in Manuka honey that they named "methylglyoxal" (MGO). They found that the higher the MGO content in the honey, the stronger its antibacterial activity.

• In the years since, Manuka honey has become increasingly popular and is now recognized as a powerful natural remedy for a range of health issues, including sore throats, digestive problems, and skin infections.

MGO vs. UMF - How To Choose Manuka Honey

There are two main rating systems to help customers know Manuka honey. UMF™ is one of the most widely used grading systems as it’s an advanced grading system including methylglyoxal and additional testing of authenticity markers of the Manuka Honey. MGO (or MG) only measures methylglyoxal in the Manuka Honey.

In terms of measuring methylglyoxal, the UMF and MGO rating systems can be roughly converted using the UMF – MGO chart below:

UMF Rating and MGO Rating

What are different grades of mānuka honey for?

Low grades ( UMF 5 and UMF 10) are Table Grade mānuka honey. These honeys are good for people who are looking for a natural sweetener that supports a healthy lifestyle.

Mid grades (UMF 10 to UMF 15) are called Therapeutic Grade. Manuka honey with a UMF rating 10+ or higher is considered therapeutically active.

Any honeys from UMF15 to UMF20 are Antibacterial Grade and useful for skin therapy. UMF20 to UMF25 is a Superior Antibacterial Grade, for very bad wounds. 

Sustainably awesome Mānuka Facts!!

1. The Mānuka bush (Leptospermum scoparium), native to New Zealand, and its nectar contains dihydroxyacetone (DHA) which bees convert to methylglyoxal – or MGO for short – a compound with antibacterial and antimicrobial properties and only found in mānuka honey.

2. This is where it gets a bit special: When stored, the DHA content goes down, while the MGO content goes up (though, not forever!).

3. Before scientists understood that MGO was the ‘secret’ ingredient in Manuka honey, the antibacterial and antimicrobial properties were referred to as NPA, or non-peroxide activity (to differentiate it from the ‘peroxide’ activity they could detect, which is a series of anti-bacterial properties found in all honeys) and UMF, or Unique Manuka Factor.

4. Manuka flowers blossom in the (New Zealand) summer and only for 6 to 8 weeks.

5. As much as 80% of honey sold as Manuka is essentially fake. New Zealand produced 1,700 tonnes in 2014, but somehow 10,000 tonnes were sold…

6. The New Zealand government is taking its honey seriously to prevent people passing regular honey off as Manuka (and charging more!) and to ensure the quality. So now, any product labelled as Manuka honey exported from New Zealand must have passed the MPI 5 tests.

7. This is where it gets a bit CSI: samples of honey are tested for four active ingredients, including levels of MGO, as well as undergoing DNA testing to prove the Manuka you buy is authentic.

8. The New Zealand government now certifies all Manuka honeys according to the amount of MGO they contain (as parts per million). UMF ratings range from 5 to 15 typically, MGO from 100-550ppm. Both MGO and UMF are trademarked. Formerly, Manuka honeys labelled as TA (Total Activity) or Active were graded according to a mix of NPA and peroxide activity.

9. Not all regions produce Manuka bushes that contain DHA – another reason why testing is really important.

10. Of course, we can’t stop bees collecting nectar from wherever they like. This is why there are two types of Manuka honey.

Monofloral (ie, one flower) applies to honey that has a very high level of Manuka in its DNA

Multifloral (ie, many flowers) is still mainly made up from nectar collected from the Manuka bush, but the bees have foraged from a greater number of flowers.

11. There is no such thing as a Manuka bee – in fact, the bees aren’t even native to New Zealand. Hives are populated by your bog-standard European honey bee, brought over in 1839 as native bees were not suitable for honey production.

12. There are three types of bee: The Queen, who runs the show and is everyone’s mum; Workers – an all-female crew that build and protect the hive and does all the foraging (these are the bees you see); and Drones, male bees whose purpose is to mate with the Queen and are kicked out of the hive in winter when the colony goes into survival mode.

13. Bees will fly up to 7 kilometres from their colonies, so hives are placed in areas where Manuka bushes are abundant.

14. Static electricity can help with pollination; bees can take on a natural positive charge as they fly about, while plants often have a negative charge. When they meet, pollen can be attracted and ‘stick’ to the bee.

15. The average beehive is a snuggly place – the temperature inside is around 35-40 degrees Celsius.

16. Don’t worry, you’re not stealing food… healthy, ‘kept’ bees can produce two to three times more honey than they need if they’re given enough storage space.

17. The average worker bee lives for around six weeks and, in that time, will fly around 366 miles

18. In its lifetime, a honey bee can produce around a 12th of a teaspoon of honey.

19. Archaeologists examining an Ancient Egyptian tomb found a cache of 3,000 year-old-honey. And it was still edible!

20. New Zealand’s Kakariki parakeets have been seen chewing on Manuka leaves then applying the mush to their feathers – apparently to get rid of parasites.