Is $15/10 oz "organic" honey snake oil?

  I’ll bet I pay pretty close to that for my own five to ten gallons of 
honey each year by the time all is said and done.  But I get to decide for 
myself whether my honey is worth its weight in gold and the answer 
is “almost but not quite.”  The enjoyment I get from replacing dead outs 
makes up the difference.  It’s a bit like going fishing.  By the time you 
buy the boat the tackle, the license and the gas, that fish probably costs 
you fifty bucks a pound.
 
  I agree that the label “Organic” does not by itself make the honey 
better.  I also think that to a large extent it is the people who pay those 
high prices that create a mystic about organic for themselves.  More power 
to them.  I don’t think they would agree that they are being ripped off.
 
  Around here (Pacific NW) a lot of people who use organic growing methods 
are forgoing the hassle and expense of getting certified.    They sell 
mostly locally to restaurants and at local markets, and count on 
establishing personal relationships with their customers.  They are also 
discouraged by the fact that big box stores are getting on the organic 
bandwagon, putting downward pressure on prices. Many of them also feel that 
these big businesses are making the organic designation less meaningful by 
their influence on the standard.  

  Organic farmers, beekeepers and customers are not just concerned with the 
end product as has been pointed out several times on this and other 
threads.  So even if the quality of the product was the same, they would 
still choose a product for the way it is produced.  Many of them go to 
great lengths to learn the whole story of how their food got their table.  
I respect that.  I don’t necessarily do it though. 

Steve Noble

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