Karst honey DOP
PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OF PDO (EUROPEAN PROTECTION)
An agricultural product or foodstuff has characteristics which are exclusively or essentially the result of the geographical environment and its natural and human factors. In this way, we protect products in which all production and processing processes take place within a specific geographical area. Such foods include Karst honey, extra virgin olive oil from Slovenian Istria, nano cheese, Piran salt, and Prekmurje ham.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The karst is classified in the sub-Mediterranean area. Due to its proximity to the sea, it has a relatively long vegetation period with an average annual air temperature of 10.6 °C. The largestNo precipitation, especially in October, usually rains in May and June. Winter is dry and windy. The grazing area is characterized by a dry climate with low relative humidity and constant wind. The karst soil is limestone, with a modest red soil known as terra tossa. Due to the arid climate with intense evaporation, meadow and forest habitats are modest. Agriculture offers a wide selection of crops and grass-clover mixtures.
BEE PASTURE
The floral composition of grasses, clover, herbs, forest and shrubs offers a varied bee pasture rich in aromatic substances, which is reflected in the specific, full and lively aroma of honey with an intense color.
In the Karst, the vast majority of the grassland is represented by meadows and pastures, with only 8% better meadows. The domesticated word “gmajna” is used for pasture; it occupies the predominant part of the warm, dry and undulating karst plateau. The grove is barren, stony, the grass is broken, part of the surface is rocky gravel or living rock (grit). The meadows are at the transition of the forest and thickets into the grassy world.
In general, poor types of grasses predominate (about 10 species). Goldfinch, low sedge, upright glassblower, common wolf, autumn elf and others predominate. Legumes are represented by 12 to 14 species. The following species predominate: ovate-leaved cornflower, Mountain clover, true clover, common clover, field clover. The range of herbs is very diverse. Among 36 to 40 species of herbs, the most common are hairy reptile, mountain hairy, Mediterranean starch, meadow sage, long-stemmed thyme, medium plantain, warty milkweed and karst šetraj.
The following typical forest trees and shrubs predominate in the forest, groves, meadows and along the walls of fences: black hornbeam, black pine, chestnut, graden, large-leaved linden, cer, downy oak, karst hornbeam, poplar, maple, lattice, gloss, black thorn , pine, juniper, sage, acacia.
WE FOLLOW TRADITION
The beekeeping tradition in the Karst area is long. Some records of the superintendent Janko Vodopivec, who was a beekeeper in the Karst between 1892 and 1937, have been preserved. The year 1910 was a turning point for the development of advanced beekeeping in the Karst, as beekeepers organized themselves into a society.
The activities of the association had a positive effect on the development of more modern beekeeping in hives with mobile honeycombs, which began to gain ground in the 50s and 60s of the 19th century. Great progress in beekeeping means the Alberti-Žnideršič hive, or AŽ hive for short, which after 1910 spread to the Primorska region. Beekeeping in the Karst experienced a series of upheavals during the First and Second World Wars. Nevertheless, beekeepers have advanced both professionally and technologically, which is today reflected in the high development of beekeeping in the Karst.
SPECIAL FEATURE OF KARST HONEY
The composition of honey vegetation on the Kars differs from bee pastures in other regions due to the special climatic conditions and microclimate. Only in the Karst the medium: reshelika, ruj, karst šetraj (pocket), true sage, long-stemmed thyme; which decisively contributes to the fact that the karst honey has a full and pronounced aroma, that it is more ripe and dry in its content, extremely rich in minerals and minerals.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FLOWER AND FOREST HONEY SPECIES
Honey contains various sugars, water, and in small quantities various, mostly organic acids, proteins, free amino acids, minerals, dyes, aromatic substances, water-soluble vitamins, enzymes, various types of pollen. The proportion of sugars in honey ranges from 80% to 85%. Cellular honey originates from the nectars of insect-flowering plants. These with nectar attract bees to pollinate the furrow of the flowers, and as a reward offer them sweet juice, which is food for bees. Goadni honey originates from the sap of trees on which various insects graze. To protect themselves from natural enemies, they offer a portion of the tree’s sweet juice to bees for food in the form of sugars, and they themselves consume carbohydrates. In symbiosis, a balance is created in nature, which can be used by man with his knowledge.
In honeycomb, honey is usually liquid, then sooner or later crystallizes. Some types of honey crystallize more slowly (after several months), and some crystallize already in the honeycomb. Crystallization is a natural phenomenon that does not affect the quality of honey. Consumers value liquid or crystallized honey differently. During heating up to 40 °C during re-escapewe do, and heating honey at higher temperatures destroys valuable enzymes.
BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF HONEY ENJOYMENT
Honey is the most authentic natural sweetener. It is a food that can be preserved for a century without any additional substances or preservatives, it is a natural crop that bees produce from flower nectar or manna.
In honey, flavonoids are of great importance for health, as they have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and inhibit the formation of blood clots. Antioxidants are removers of harmful free radicals, prevent the oxidation of harmful cholesterol and thus reduce clogging of blood vessels. Minerals and other substances in honey have an effect against fatigue, anemia, pain and muscle cramps, and protect the liver. During pregnancy, they help with the normal development of the fetus and reduce the frequency of vomiting.
TYPES OF KARST HONEY
ACACIA HONEY it is almost colorless to light yellow. It has a delicate fruity scent of acacia flowers and a delicate aroma of vanilla candies and sweet syrup. It crystallizes slowly. It contains more fructose than glucose, so it can also be used by diabetics under medical supervision. It is used as a sweetener and spread and to regulate digestion, stomach and intestinal problems, heartburn and colds.
FLOWER HONEY it is yellow to brown in color, depending on the flowers on which the nectar is collected, also the smell and taste depend on its origin. Crystallization is partial, irregular. It is used as a sweetener, spread and as a natural remedy for allergies (especially hay fever), it also strengthens blood vessels and the heart and helps to deplete the body.
FOREST HONEY it is light to dark brown in color, sometimes with a grayish or greenish tinge. It has a rather intense resin odor, varying according to the type of mana. The taste is sweet, pleasant and varies according to the type of mana. It crystallizes medium quickly, in its entirety. It is used as a sweetener, spread and for inflammation of the respiratory tract, for reduced body resistance and nervous tension.
LIPOV MED it is bright yellow in color with a green reflection and a strong scent of linden flowers. The medium-intense aroma of menthol, linden flowers, herbs or fresh walnuts is very characteristic. It usually crystallizes slowly. It is used for colds, fever, headache, loss of appetite and cough. Because it promotes sweating, it is not recommended for heart patients.
WILD CHERRY HONEY is the color of ripe red cherries with a characteristic luster. It has a distinctly fruity taste with a pleasant aroma of ripe cherries. Due to its higher glucose content, it crystallizes quickly in large crystals, It is excellent during spring, excellent against spring fatigue.
CHESTNUT HONEY it is in several shades of brown with a reddish or greenish reflection, a strong and sharp smell of chestnut flowers and an intense taste that leaves a persistent bitterness on the herbs. It contains more fructose than glucose, so it can also be used by lighter diabetics under medical supervision. It is used in the diet and in anemia, fatigue and malnutrition.
REŠELIKOV MED is brown, in several shades, usually rarely liquid, with a strong pronounced smell of almonds or. bark of the lattice, leaves a bitter aftertaste in the mouth, which is characteristic of it. It crystallizes very quickly in tiny crystals. It contains coumarin derivatives and octadecanoic acid, which is one of the useful forms of saturated fatty acids in coenzyme Q10.
