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Clover Honey: Nutrition, Benefits & Uses

Clover-Honey

How many times have you read a honey’s label while putting it in the shopping cart?

Of course, very few times. In fact, we are accustomed to relying on the brands we trust and not on the purity of the honey.

While there are more than 300 different types of honey produced or sold in the United States, there is one that, if you notice, is the most available honey nationwide.

And that’s called Clover Honey – the one we’re going to discuss in detail today.

Also, we’ll try to answer the commonly asked questions about the differences between clover and other kinds of honey available.

What is Clover honey?

What is Clover honey, and how does it Taste Like

Clover honey is the honey harvested from the bees that have collected nectar from the flowers of clover honey only. Its color is white to light amber, and the taste is sweet, floral, and mild.

Raw honey, like clover raw honey, is always better than the processed honey.

Let’s look at the clover plant to know more about its role in making this honey tasty.

A Brief about Clover Plant & its Popular Types

Clover or Trifolium is a small annual, perennial plant with trifoliate leaves, that’s extensively used as a fodder plant in many countries.

The importance of clover can be understood from the fact that it is one of the most grown pastures, used to feed cattle and other livestock.

Another reason it’s liked by farmers is, it protects the soil from water erosion and wind. It also adds nutrients to your soil, and thus less fertilizer is required.

Fun Fact: Honey and Clover is a popular animated Japanese manga series that depicts the relationship between a few art students who live in the same apartment.

Interestingly, the relationship between clover and honeybees is very close too.

Bees are said to pollinate clover much efficiently, which results in increased yields of the crop, and, on the other hand, bees get their nectars from a source that’s much abundant and easily available.

So, this may be the reason farmers with clover pasture like beekeepers a lot.

Types of Clover

The most popular species of clover include:

  1. White Clover (repens)
White Clover (T. repens)
Image Source Flickr

White clover is a short perennial used in lawn-grass mixtures and has a white head, which is sometimes tinged with pink.

  1. Alsike Clover ( hybridum)
Alsike Clover (T. hybridum)
Image Source Flickr

It’s also called Swedish or Alsatian clover and has rosy-pink flowers.

  1. Red Clover ( pratense)

Red Clover (T. pratense)

Red clover is biennial rather, and have a purple flower

Nutritional Value of Clover Honey

Like other kinds of honey, clover honey mostly consists of natural sugars but has a small number of vitamins and minerals too.

One hundred grams of clover honey contains 286 kilojoules of energy, 80 grams of Carbohydrate, 76-gram sugar, and no protein or fats at all.

Pro-Tip:  Tip#1: Pure honey never expires unless you keep it in the moisture. To prevent that, always close the lid tightly after you open it for use.

Clover Honey Health Benefits

Clover Honey

Clover honey has antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory properties that can help you regulate your blood pressure even.

Its benefits for skin moisturizing and wound-dressing are well-known as well.

Let’s look at each of these benefits in detail.

1. Rich In Antioxidants

Clover and other types of honey are rich in antioxidants – the compounds that kill the damaging free radicals in your body.

Free radicals cause many health issues, such as certain cardiovascular, inflammatory diseases, and cancer even.

2. Regulates Blood Pressure

Regular intake of clover honey can help regulate your blood pressure, says research.

However, if you have diabetes, then taking honey may not be your first choice.

Instead, some bitter teas, like Cerasee tea, may help you get moderate blood pressure.

3. Strongest Antibacterial Among All Kinds of Honey

A research was conducted to know the antioxidant capacities of various commonly consumed honey.

It was concluded that clover honey possessed the strongest antibacterial activity.

4. Cost-Effective Dressing For Diabetic Wounds

Since ancient times, honey has been known for its effectiveness in healing wounds.

In modern days when diabetes is so common, the need to treat the wounds that occur due to diabetes has made us think about cost-effective methods.

And one such way is to treat it with honey.

According to a research journal published, clover honey was proved to be the most cost-effective dressing to treat diabetic foot ulcers.

5. As a Healthy Alternative of Sugar

Clover honey is proved to be a healthy alternative of sugar intake, thanks to the presence of phenolic acid and flavonoids in it.

Among the many benefits associated with flavonoids include reduced risk of cancer, heart disease (according to cardiologists), stroke, and asthma.

Like other antioxidants, flavinoids in clover honey inhibits the growth of free radicals and metallic ions.

6. Reduces Hairfall And Scalp Infections

Honey’s antibacterial and antifungal properties work well in removing dandruff from the hairs as Oolong tea does.

A study was conducted to know the effects of raw honey in the management of dandruff and seborrheic dermatitis. The patients were asked to gently rub diluted raw honey on their lesions and leave it for 3 hrs.

Quite noticeably, every patient showed a significant improvement, with itching getting relieved and scaling disappearing.

7. Good For Sleeping Disorders

Helping sleeping disorders is another benefit you may get by taking clover honey regularly. A teaspoon of clover honey before going to bed is just what the doctor usually recommends.

Most of the time, it happens that you wake up at midnight because of hunger.

Why?

Because the glycogen our liver stores while having an early dinner gets consumed by our body by the time we call it a night. And this triggers the alarm, saying,

“Hey, I need more energy.”

What honey does is to restock our liver with glycogen, so that no trigger happens at midnight because of glycogen shortage.

Besides, honey also raises the insulin level slightly, which indirectly puts your body to sleep.

8. Honey is A Natural Moisturizer For Dry And Dull Skin

In the cosmetic industry, the use of honey is well known. Its moisturizing nature rejuvenates the skin, remove wrinkles, treats subclinical acne, and regulates pH.

Honey-based cosmetic products include cleansers, sunblocks, lip ointments, beauty creams, tonics, shampoo, conditioners.

An Amazing Fact About Honey

While excavating Egyptian pyramids, archeologists found pots of honey in one of the ancient tombs, believed to be nearly 3000 years old, and shockingly, still edible.

How to Harvest Clover Honey

Honey harvesting is an interesting and exciting thing to do.

It takes about 4-6 months, typically for the honey boxes to be ready, from the time colony of bees was introduced to the hives.

On the day of the harvest, the harvester needs to wear beekeepers protective clothing to prevent bee stinging.

The first thing to do is to put some smoke on the hive box because it calms the bees and stops them from going wild.

Next, remove the individual frames out, shake them well to get the bees off, tuck them inside another box, and cover them with towels fully because it takes a while to transport them from the farm to the extracting point.

Once the frames reach the honey house or extracting point, make sure there are no bees attached to the frames.

Next, use a hot knife to remove the wax off the frame.

Make sure you have a bucket placed down there with a strainer on the top so that any honey that comes off with the wax is automatically filtered.

Once you are done with removing the wax from the frames, place them inside the extractor, which is a spinning drum.

What will happen is that the frames will spin with a speed that will let all the honey come down and collected through a hole.

Watch this mouth-watering process of harvesting honey in the following video.

Pro-Tip:  Tip#2: To use an empty honey jar, clean it with a cleaner brush to remove the honey residue.

Clover Honey vs. Other Types of Honey

Clover Honey isn’t the only type of honey available. There are many other available normally as well.

So, what’s the difference?

Clover vs Wild Flower Honey

Clover vs Wild Flower Honey

What is better: Clover or Wildflower honey?

The main difference lies in the taste of both these kinds. In general, clover honey is milder in taste than a wildflower’s.

This is one of the reasons that at every supermarket, you’ll find clover honey more than wildflowers honey.

The rule of thumb with regards to honey is the lighter the color, the lighter the taste.

It’s pertinent to note here that commercial sellers of these honey add some chemicals to make them taste the same every time you buy.

Otherwise, you’ll confuse it as stale or impure.

Clover Honey vs Raw Honey

What is the difference between raw and clover honey?

First, clover honey can be both raw and regular.

Now, if clover honey is raw, it means it has reached you without undergoing any process.

On the other hand, Regular Clover honey is pasteurized and may contain some added sugar and preservatives too.

So, it’s absurd when someone says, clover vs. regular honey. All because a comparison between Raw Clover honey and Regular Clover honey is what is suitable only.

 

Raw Honey vs Regular Honey

Raw honey is just strained for impurities before it’s bottled, whereas regular honey undergoes variety of processes, like adding additional nutrients or sugar

Clover Honey vs Manuka Honey

Clover Honey vs Manuka Honey

The obvious difference lies in the bees’ access to particular trees for nectar collection,

Clover trees in case of clover honey, and Manuka trees in case of Manuka honey.

The other main difference lies in the benefits.

Manuka honey’s anti-bacterial property is what it differentiates from others, thanks to the presence of Methylglyoxal ingredient in it.

In a nutshell, let’s try to conclude what’s the best type of honey?

It’s a bit subjective question because each honey is full of benefits with the least side-effects. While clover and wildflower honey are much common in the United States, few others are popular worldwide.

Manuka honey is considered one such honey that’s full of health benefits which no other honey has.

Clover Honey Side-Effects

Although honey is a perfect gift of nature that has enormous benefits, yet chances are, it may not be fit for a bunch of people.

  • Nausea, dizziness, or fainting
  • Excessive perspiration
  • Weight Gain
  • Dangerous for diabetics
  • It will make you gain weight. So, if you’re already struggling to lose a few pounds, honey may not be a good choice for you
  • It’s not only bad but dangerous for people with diabetes
  • There have been reports of allergic reactions, especially in people who are allergic to bees or pollen.

How to Detect Fake Clover Honey?

Most of the time, you end up buying something that looks like honey and even tastes so but isn’t real honey.

So, how can you recognize that the honey you bought is natural and not merely a sugar syrup? The following points explain.

1. Check Ingredients

The first thing to do is to check the ingredients on the label. The real one will bear the phrase ‘pure honey,’ while the other will say corn syrup or so.

2. Price Factor

Check the price. Pure honey isn’t cheap to buy as compared to the one with added ingredients.

3. Check the Dripping

Turn the honey container upside down and see how it drips. Another way is to dip a stick in it and lift it. If the honey stuck to this stick drips sooner, it’s not real.

4. Water Test

Pour some honey into the water, having an average temperature of 21° C. Fake honey will dissolve quicker, while real honey will settle down layer by layer.

Another water test is to add 1-2 tablespoons of honey in a small jar full of water, tighten the lid and shake it well. If it’s pure, the foam won’t have watery bubbles in it and will not disappear quickly.

If your supposed-honey passes all the tests above, congrats your honey is real.

And the only way to recognize if it’s clover honey is to see its color. It ranges from white to light amber color. Therefore, if the color your honey falls in between this range, the chances are, it is clover honey.

Did You Know: Our honeybees must visit over two million flower blossoms and fly over 55,000 miles to make just one pound of honey – the amount in one jar of Bloom Honey!

How can Clover Honey be a part of your meals?

  • As a regular sweetener in tea, coffee, etc. instead of sugar to avoid excessive calories
  • It’s used in baking-Just a half or maximum of 2/3rdquantity of sugar you use in your recipe.
  • Consumed in breakfasts, like drizzling few drops of clover honey on granola
  • Salad can be dressed with clover honey along with mustard
  • Can be mixed with yogurt to get a delicious taste
  • It can be spread on the toast in replacement of the jam or marmalade
  • Pouring clover honey over popcorns can make it extra delicious, tastier than the ones you have in the cinema
  • Can be used along with soy and chili sauce to make the stir fry items even more delicious.

Also, Check: Things You Need In a Kitchenette

Conclusion

Being widely harvested throughout the US, clover honey is the most popular and healthier honey.

What is clover honey good for?

Studies indicate that clover honey has antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral properties, which help in regulating blood pressure, good for skin health, and is the perfect sugar substitute.

What does clover honey taste like?

Unlike Wildflower honey, which is a bit strong, clover honey is lighter in color and milder in taste – an ideal part of your breakfast as well as just before going to bed.

So, if you’re the one of those who love clover honey, let us know what’s your opinion about this honey, in the comments section below.

14 Comments

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  1. Very good article, I love to put a teaspoon of honey in my coffee every morning to cut down on added sugar. My very favorite honey is orange blossom honey but sometimes hard to find.

  2. I never use clover honey before I will try it now it seem like it is a good product. Thank you for the information.

  3. The video was so interesting and informative I was almost transfixed. First time I saw how honey is processed. What I don’t understand completely is the wax – where does it come from and what use is it ?

    Thank you so much for such pleasure !

    • Thanks for your comments, Theresa. This is how honey reaches from the beehives right onto the shelves of the groceries. However, wax formation is simple yet complicated process, which we will try to cover in our next blogs. We appreciate your keen interest in knowing more about it.

  4. I am familiar with and love clover honey. I don’t know for sure but don’t think I’ve ever had wildflower honey. I would be very interested in learning about regional honey and it’s benefits.

  5. Good morning, I found a jar of Clover Honey during a recent move. Unsure how long ago it was bought. We opened it and tastes sweet. My question is, Is it safe to use?

    • Thanks for asking, Colleen. As far as honey is concerned, it never expires if properly sealed, letting no
      moisture entering it. The only sign of getting expired is when it tastes terribly bad and looks cloudy. As
      the honey in your case looks good and tastes perfect, there seems nothing wrong with it.

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