Have questions about Walker Honey Farm's products or policies?
- Where do your honeys come from?
- While we do produce quite a few of our own honey varietals here in Central Texas, we also rely on many of our beekeeper friends for other unique varietals. Please click here for descriptions and sources for all of our honey varietals.
- Does honey have an expiration date?
- NO! Honey is the only natural food that doesn't spoil. 3000 year old honey retrieved from Egyptian tombs is still unspoiled and ready for human consumption! However, if exposed to air and moisture honey may collect yeast and begin to ferment.
- Why is my honey crystallizing (‘granulating’ or ‘sugaring’)?
- Honey crystallizes in the beehive. Our honey crystallizes more rapidly because we minimally strain it and do not subject it to high levels of processing and filtration. Large industrial honey packers heat honey to a very high temperature to pasteurize it and then extract all of the naturally occurring pollen and other nutrients leaving only fructose and glucose--the original sugar molecules of honey. This excessive processing causes honey to unnaturally remain liquid for many months or even years. As such, processed honey is best understood as a product derived from pure honey much like fat free milk is a by-product derived from whole milk.
- Is my honey still good if it starts to crystallize?
- Yes! This is a natural process of honey in the hive. Crystallized honey can be enjoyed as a spread or warmed slowly until it returns to a liquid.
- What do I do if my honey crystallizes?
- If you prefer your honey to be in the liquid state you may warm it slowly by filling a crockpot with water and setting it on low for a few hours. This will gently warm it and with a few shakes of the jar to make sure it all returns to solution you'll be good to go. (Only do this if your honey is in a glass container.)
- Why does your label warn against feeding honey to children under the age of one?
- Honey--as well as Apples, Bananas, Pears, Carrots, etc.--may expose children to infant botulism (not the same as adult botulism). There is no recorded incident of a child over the age of 5 months having been thought to contract infant botulism from honey. We err on the side of safety and use one year as the safe period for infants to avoid honey. (It's lawyer language!)
- Is your honey raw?
- Yes! All Walker honey is unprocessed and raw. Straight from the hive to the jar . . . with just a little warming and straining!
- Why does your label not say ‘Raw Honey’?
- Our honey is absolutely raw by definition. Our honey is never pasteurized and never filtered. We just think the USDA definition of raw is a little too inclusive. It should restrict heat and define what "filtering" means. We would rather tell you how we handle it than have a poorly defined word speak for us. We invite you to come to our monthly “Bee to Bottle” tour and see for yourself how we treat your honey.
- Is your honey “cooked”?
- NO! We warm our honey only enough to strain the beeswax from it. We do this at low temperatures that do not harm the naturally occurring enzymes, yeasts, phytonutrients, or pollen.
- Do you filter honey?
- We strain our honey at 50 microns--about cheesecloth consistency--to remove any pieces of wax that fell into solution during the extracting process. We do not take anything out that nature put in the honey!
- Why is your honey different from other grocery store honeys?
- Grocery store honey is processed at high temperatures--pasteurized!--and filtered as low as 5 microns. No pollen survives this process. All yeast and enzymes are destroyed and removed. This is done so that honey can be warehoused, shipped, and shelved for long periods of time without crystallizing. You can taste the difference between honey like ours that has all of the pollen still packed in it and the stripped skeleton of honey in the mass-produced jars.
- Do you attend any Farmer's Markets?
- We currently do not attend any farmer's markets. We do, however, host our own Artisan Market twice a year on Memorial Day and again on the second Saturday in October. For more information on our semi-annual Artisan Market please visit our site here.
- Where can I purchase your honey and other honey products?
- We sell and distribute honey throughout Central and South Texas. We do not post a list of retail sites where you can buy Walker honey. We encourage you to get to know your local beekeeper. Ask questions. Buy locally, when you can.
- Can I sample the different types of honey you offer?
- Yes! Here in our Farm Store we offer samples for every honey we sell. We usually have ten or more distinct honey varietals.
- I have bees on my property, do you take bees?
- We appreciate you offering bees to us. There is definitely a shortage of honey bees and native bees and pollinators. However, it is not cost effective for us to remove bees and stock our hives with them. If the bees are not bothering you or your animals, then we hope you will leave them in their natural state. If they are a nuisance or a danger then we encourage you to seek a bee removal specialist. To read more about Texas bee removal and who to contact visit our Texas Bee Removal page.
- Do you sell bees?
- We do! Click here to see the seasonal bee purchase information.
- Do you sell beekeeping equipment?
- Yes, we have limited beekeeping supplies at Walker Honey Farm Store such as veils, gloves, smokers, hive tools, bee helmets, etc. We also sell some new and used bee boxes, frames, foundation, etc. at our production facility. For bee equipment contact info@walkerhoneyfarm.com.
- Do you have tours?
- Yes, join us on the first Saturday of each month at 10am for our Bee to Bottle Tour. Click here for more information on pricing and reservations.
- The cork of my muth jar is stuck. How do I remove the cork?
- Corks are pushed in by hand, some are harder to remove than others. If you are struggling to get it out you can try using a butter knife or toothpick in between the jar and the cork to pry it up. You can also use a corkscrew to get the cork out but using this method will make the cork unusable afterwards.
- Why does my quart label say "46 oz" if a quart is 32 ounces?
- Our honey is sold by weight, rather than by volume.
- Approximate honey-weights of our containers are:
- Gallon: 12 lb (192 oz)
- Quart: 3 lb (46 oz)
- Pint: 1.5 lb (24 oz)
- 1/2 Pint: .75 lb (12 oz)
- What is Mead?
- Mead is the alcoholic beverage made from fermenting honey. It is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages known to man, with pottery vessels from 7000 BC containing residues of honey fermentation. Often associated with 'Olde' English tales and Viking legends, it is the ancient drink of the gods. But we're not Vikings; we're Beekeepers, and we make mead because we're passionate about the varietal honeys we produce at Walker Honey Farm, and we want those quality honeys to shine through in every sip. From Bee to Bottle. Just like any wine, mead can be dry or sweet, or combined with fruits or spices. The possibilities are endless!
- Does it age well?
- Yes it does! We’ve been making mead here at Dancing Bee since 2011 and we still haven’t encountered a mead that went bad! The older the mead, the smoother and more developed its flavors become.
- Do you make grape wine?
- Yes we do! We have a selection of traditional Reds and Whites, and we even combine honey and grape winemaking.
- Do you do tastings?
- Our wine bar, located inside the Walker Honey Farm Store, is open for tastings 7 days a week until 5:30pm.
- Where can I buy your mead?
- In our store, online (Texas customers only), and at select Central Texas Spec's, Total Wine, Twin Liquors, and H-E-B locations. This list is growing all the time, so do check back!
- Do you have a club?
- Yes! Check out the details in our store or at Walker Honey Farm Clubs.
- Do you have tours?
- Yes, join us on the first Saturday of each month as we take guests on our “Bee-to-Bottle” Farm Tour. Click here for more information on pricing and reservations.
- Why won't the website take my credit card?
- The billing address and zip code do not match the card.
- The zip code matches but the street address does not match the card.
- The street address matches but zip code does not match the card.
- The street address and zip code are not available (left the field blank).
- The CVC does not match the card or left the field blank.
- The card has expired.
- The card may have some kind of hold on it.
- We do not accept American Express.
- If you are still having trouble, please call our store staff at 254.983.2899 (BUZZ).
- Can you ship to a P.O. Box?
- We ship all orders via UPS ground. Packages addressed to a P.O. Box may be delayed, will not be covered by any UPS Service Guarantee, and will require an address correction charge. Additionally, Army Post Office (APO) and Fleet Post Office (FPO) addresses are not accepted.
- Why are you unable to ship glass quarts of honey?
- Due to a high percentage of broken jars in shipments, we have decided to discontinue shipping any of our products in glass quarts. We will be adding more plastic options to our website for shipping.
- Do you ship any products in glass containers?
- We do currently ship limited products in glass containers, and always with the customer's understanding of the associated perils.
- Are you able to ship to Alaska or Hawaii?
- Yes! At this time, Walker Honey Farm can ship to the states of Alaska and Hawaii, however there are not any discounted shipping options available.
- Why is Flat Rate or Free Shipping not available for my order?
- At this time we are unable to offer any discounted on orders shipped outside of the contiguous US, regardless of order total.
- Why can’t you ship mead out of Texas?
- Shipping our mead out of Texas would require label compliance, fees and taxes to be paid to each individual state with each state we ship to. Unfortunately alcohol laws are not conducive to interstate trade.
- View all of our Shipping & Refund Policies: Here