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Emily in Malta | In Search of Local Honey
Emily in Malta | In Search of Local Honey
When we first arrived in Malta, one of the first items I went in search of was local honey. Using local honey in any new location that we plan to live is important in introducing our bodies to the pollens from around our new local area.
This is a sure fire way to help our bodies to begin to build its immunity. It was one of our first excursions we had planned so we jumped on the ferry and took the ride over to Gozo. I found a man selling his local honey in front of The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta’ Pinu. I bought a single jar and used it daily until it was gone. My only regret was not buying more.
When the opportunity came up for me to return to Gozo and meet local bee keeper Joseph DeBrincat, I couldn’t wait to bring back a much bigger jar of honey! He was as lovely as they come and I am so grateful for his willingness to show us around and teach us more about the way of the bees and the local flowers and trees that they use. Joseph keeps his hives in an area that has eucalyptus trees surrounding. This is incredibly important because in the month of August especially, the eucalyptus are the only trees still able to be used to pollinate. The leaves remain green year-round, but they only flourish in August.
August in Malta and Gozo is the dry season and the other plants and wild flowers that the bees use to pollinate from are not in season. The eucalyptus trees are controversial to the people of Malta because they serve a wonderful purpose to some and are considered less than desirable by others. For a bee keeper, the eucalyptus tree is vital. But it does cause harm to the soil when the leaves fall due to chemicals that are released. They also consume a large amount of water which can deplete the soil. For the bees and for the honey, the eucalyptus trees are exquisitely important. The eucalyptus trees were planted around the 1980s as they are not indigenous to Malta. They are also not allowed to be planted any further, so what is there in the fields is all that remains of what Gozo will get to keep.
Emily and bee keeper Joseph DeBrincat
Bees are precious to our environment and so many terrible practices are happening around bee hives. We need every bee and bee hive that we can possibly can get. Bees are paramount to keeping a healthy ecosystem. And honey is truly liquid gold. It is a gift from God. Honey is the one substance that no one has ever been able to identify every single ingredient in it. No one can make synthetic honey. It is only for our bees to make for us and we need them desperately. Honey is the most natural food known to man and we need to all be part of the solution in keeping the bees thriving and the honey flowing. The best thing we can do at home is plant wild flowers wherever we can. The bees need wild flowers in order to thrive. Wild flowers are heavily encouraged for everyone who has a garden to plant. We all need to work together to give our bees the pollen they need to strengthen our immunity and theirs.
Bees are fascinating little creatures and we see many more of them in Malta than I have for several years back in the states. There is a reason for that. There are chemicals known loosely as NeoNates (neonicotinoids) that are in homegrown garden chemicals in the US that have a total ban throughout Malta {1}. For this reason, the bees are still alive and thriving over here. There are 3 neonicotinoids to be exact that have a total ban throughout Malta and most of the EU as well.
Emily and bee keeper Joseph DeBrincat
gozo honey
Gozo is known for producing the top-quality honey. There is less pollution in Gozo and there are more flowers. They have better nectar and better pollen because of the abundance of wild flowers and the eucalyptus trees, clover trees, carob trees, thistle, prickly pear cactus flowers and many more wild flowers and trees for the bees. Bees travel up to two miles from their hive. That means that in Gozo the bees can cover a lot of territory in those two miles and pull pollen from all over creating a mixed flora honey. Like baking a cake, the mixture from all the different flowers makes the best honey combinations and flavours.
When a bee finds flowers to pollinate, they go back to their hives and do something called the waggle dance. There is actually a dance floor that is located close to the entrance of the hive where a honey bee will come and dance their jig to share with the other honey bees and worker bees about where the flowers are located. This waggle dance that they do is incredibly intricate and fascinating. The bee that is telling the information of the nectar through the waggle dance will indicate which direction the flowers are located by the angle of her own waggle. This tells where the nectar is in relation to the direction of the sun. The bee won’t even be finished with her dance before the crew flies out to maximise the potential of getting to that nectar. They work together in such a way that we as humans could learn so many things from.
Because there are now honey businesses that are guilty of adding in extra sugar to the jars or other preservatives, there are very important things to look for when you are on the hunt for the most authentic local honey. The most important words to look for on any jar of honey are PURE LOCAL HONEY or NATURAL LOCAL HONEY. Always look to purchase honey from the bee keepers and farms if you are able to find them. If you are at the store, make sure you are buying jars that have those words pure and local. If those jars do have any additional ingredients added to the honey, it will be listed in small print at the bottom of the jar. Always look for the fine print and choose a jar that doesn’t have any.
