Yes! Raw honeycomb is, in fact, edible.
And it happens to be one of our favorite ways to eat honey.
We get this question a lot– is raw honeycomb edible and safe to eat? So, in this post, we dive deep into the ins and outs of honeycomb, how to harvest it, eat it, and additional ways to utilize it.
So let’s get started.
What Is Honeycomb?
Honeycomb is a hexagonal structure made up of beeswax sheets that are covered with thin wax filaments. Honey is stored in each hexagonal hole, then capped with more beeswax to preserve the honey. Honeycomb is also used by the queen bee to lay her eggs.
In some cases, it’s used to help protect the colony from predators.
Humans can reproduce honeycomb by melting beeswax and pouring it into molds. It is also commercially available at most beekeeping suppliers.
Honeycomb Nutrition Information
Honeycomb consists of raw honey and beeswax. Aside from some trace of vitamin A, beeswax has very little nutritional value. However, beeswax serves as roughage for our system.
Interestingly, as honey is full of nutritious enzymes, vitamins, bee pollen, and antioxidants, the honey trapped in a pure honeycomb offers as much value.
Pure honey is known to contain very little water. As such, honey trapped in beeswax has less water than exposed honey. The dilution reduces the nutritional capacity of the honey. That’s why the unexposed honey in the honeycombs is known to be the most nutritious.
In addition, the chemical makeup of beeswax varies greatly. Mainly, it contains 6% of fatty acids, 15% hydrocarbons, and 71% esters, among other components.
Naturally, honeycomb is highly elastic and becomes brittle when exposed to cold. It also features a low melting point compared to other beeswax, making it ideal for crafters’ use.
Click here to learn about honey nutritional facts or bee pollen nutrition and health facts.
How To Harvest Raw Honeycomb?
Honeycomb is the beekeeper’s reward for feeding bees throughout the year. Whether or not you have ever harvested honey before, harvesting raw honeycomb is a process.
- Find a good spot to keep your hive: You can place your hive virtually anywhere as long as there is no risk of it being disturbed by either animals or humans.
- Provide plenty of fresh water and food for your bees: Freshwater is essential for both you and your bees. There are many ways to provide fresh water for them, including placing a container near the entrance of their home with holes in it or drilling small holes in the walls of the hive to let water seep through.
Food is an essential part of the process since they need the energy to make honey. Providing your bees with sugar syrup gives them this required energy, but they can also eat whatever nectar they find near their home.
Bees are opportunistic eaters who love sweet substances like flowers and fruit trees/bushes, so they constantly get food from nearby, whether natural food sources or artificial sources like sugar.
This gives you raw, unheated, or unfiltered, unprocessed wildflower honey. It is different from regular honey with a sweetener. That is because it has not been heated or filtered to the point of removing all of its naturally-occurring enzymes and nutrients.
You can enjoy the benefits of raw honey by harvesting the honeycomb. All you need is a good knife, some container to keep the honeycomb, and a beekeeper suit. When you hand-cut your natural honeycomb, you know exactly where it came from and what the bees were eating.
You also get to enjoy a spoonful of your delicious honey, fresh, chewy, and raw.
How To Eat Raw Honeycomb?
Eat It Raw
Crack the honeycomb open, break it into pieces with your hands, or carve off pieces with a knife. We think the best way to enjoy it is to let it melt gently in your mouth.
You can eat raw honeycomb straight from the hive or cut it into bite-sized squares for later.
The wax is digestible, so chew it well and swallow it as you would anything else.
This delightful treat might be challenging to eat, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself craving all things honeycomb!
And if you don’t have access to your beehive, you’re in luck! Pass The Honey, an online retailer, is selling snack-size honeycomb here.
Eat Honeycomb With Toast
Honeycomb tastes excellent when applied to warm bread. The best way is to spread the honeycomb when the bread is still hot.
Spread a few honeycomb chunks on the bread using a fork or knife.
It is advisable to eat your honeycomb toast while hot.
Add Honeycomb to Salads
You can also use honeycombs as toppings on salads and sandwiches. While honeycombs are tasteless, they enrich salads with honey flavor.
Also, you can use honeycomb on your sandwiches alongside other cheese and fruit toppings.
Topping on Ice Cream
You can use small pieces of honeycombs as a mixture with ice cream or drizzle on top. Honeycomb is perfect for giving the vanilla and ice cream extra flavor and texture.
Do not refreeze ice cream after adding honeycomb. This causes crystallization, making the honey hard.
Eat Honeycomb With Cheese, Crackers & Charcuterie
Honeycomb has become a popular addition to cheese and charcuterie boards.
Cover the cracker with cheese and then top it with honeycombs. There is no preference for cheese type to use– cheddar and brie cheese can make winders.
Suppose your honeycomb is sweet, the better. That is because it helps reduce the saltiness associated with cheese, making your food savory.
Enjoy Honeycombs With Pancakes, Oatmeal, and Waffles
This choice is another great way of eating your honeycombs. An oatmeal breakfast would not be delicious enough without honeycombs.
Waffles and pancakes are also great ways to incorporate honeycomb into your breakfast.
Eat Honeycomb With Pizza
Honeycomb is a unique addition to artisan pizza. You may have seen pizza parlors add hot honey to their pizza pies, well why not try a thin slice of raw honeycomb as well?
Honeycomb pairs well with salami, balsamic vinegar, chili oil, prosciutto, and basil.
Make Beeswax Deodorant
Heat the beeswax gently together with the coconut oil until thoroughly mixed. Then stir the concoction in baking soda or essential oils.
If you’re using deodorant containers, be sure to hasten as the mixture may begin to harden.
Additional Ways To Use Honeycomb
Honeycomb is more than just a delicious snack. It’s also great for your skin, hair, and other health benefits.
Honeycomb is a natural energy source because it has sugar, protein, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. It can also come in handy in place of sugar in recipes to reduce the number of calories without sacrificing taste.
It’s also good for acne! Mix honey with water and dab on your face with a cotton ball before bed each night to improve skin health.
Honeycomb is a fantastic hair conditioner as it seals moisture into hair strands by creating a protective seal around them. Use it as an exfoliator by mixing it with olive oil, body oil, or essential oils for soft, smooth skin.
Pro Tip: Skin and hair care products can be made easily by turning raw honey into creamed honey, which has a better consistency for hair and skincare products. Click here to find out how to make creamed honey at home.
