Altai natural honey is valued in the domestic and foreign markets as well as the Bashkir one. The fame of these varieties is almost the same due to the unique healing properties.
The content of the article
- 1 Altai features
- 1.1 What honey is valued for
- 1.2 Falsification
- 2 Main grades
- 3 Honey base: where and what kind of honey is produced
- 3.1 Steppes
- 3.2 Instrument areas
- 3.3 Subtaiga regions
- 3.4 Non-nesting zone
- 3.5 Foothills
- 3.6 Mountain forests
- 4 Main characteristics of honey
- 4.1 Medicinal properties
Altai features
Beekeeping is traditional for the Altai Territory. By the beginning of 2010, this region was in first place in the production of honey in Siberia, and in seventh in Russia. And by 2015 he entered the top three Russian leaders.
The edge has great potential. There are both large specialized beekeeping farms and many private apiaries, as well as farms focused on the production of bee products.
Apiaries are found in all regions, but thirty of them are the most favorable in terms of climate. But at the same time, placement in the West Siberian southeast is fraught with weather surprises for beekeepers such as cold weather and rain (lack of taiga and mountains) or droughts in the steppe regions.
Climatic conditions are generally moderate with the transition to continental. In summer, the average temperature indicators are from +26 to +28, there is rarely a heat up to 40 degrees. In winter, thermometer columns drop to -20 … -24. Severe frosts down to -50 are rather an abnormal phenomenon.
What honey is valued for
The main value for apiaries are relict and endemic types of herbs, which give honey special healing characteristics. Here grows: elecampane tall, oregano, St. John’s wort, Ural licorice, Maryin root (also known as dodging peony), maral root (known as safflower raponticum), golden root (the second name is pink radiola), red root (also called forgotten penny) , and other rare plants.
Rare pollen and nectar enter polyfloral honey varieties, enriching them with microelements.
On agricultural lands, fruit and berry crops, rapeseed, sunflower, flax are grown, which are also a source of bribe for bees. Monofloral varieties can be obtained from rapeseed and sunflower.
Falsification
In total, about 8 thousand tons of honey is produced in the region (according to the statistics of 2015), but there are a lot of counterfeit products on the Russian markets. Often, under the guise of a quality product, varieties are sold that arrived in transit from China, Tajik and Kazakh apiaries.
Partially honey produced by Altai apiaries is openly bought by Chinese distributors. Subsequently, there is no longer any confidence in such “Altai honey”, since China massively exports its own bee product, actively capturing the not yet developed markets. On the face of the exploitation of the more famous and popular Altai brand for commercial purposes.
Dealers offer deliberately low prices to local producers, although the demand for Altai varieties is traditionally high. It is extremely difficult to withstand competition in such conditions.
Main grades
Polyfloral varieties of honey from this region can be divided according to the place where honey plants grow:
- on the field, obtained from agricultural and horticultural lands;
- on meadows, developed from the nectar of various wild plants (forbs);
- for taiga or forest;
- and mountain.
The most appreciated by potential consumers are taiga and mountain varieties obtained from mountain herbs, snow, angelica (angelica).
Honey base: where and what kind of honey is produced
In order not to be misled by unscrupulous sellers, it is necessary to focus on the peculiarities of the region’s melliferous base. It is clearly divided into regions and natural areas.
Steppes
Steppe regions: Rodinsky, Klyuchevskoy, Kulundinsky, Tabunsky, Znamensky, Burlinsky, Slavgorodsky. Wild-growing melliferous grasses are scarce here.
Droughts provoke a lack of bribe from the end of the first decade of June to the beginning of July. In spring, there is very little flowering vegetation. The situation changes for the better in May, when the inflorescences of steppe acacias, medicinal dandelions, and Siberian snakeheads bloom.
The main types of bribes are received from agricultural fields.
It:
- sunflower;
- buckwheat;
- forage: alfalfa, sainfoin.
Of the wild plants, sweet clover is notable, providing summer honey harvest.
Instrument areas
In Tyumentsevsky, Pavlovsky, Shelabolnkhinsky, Rebrikhinsky, Zavyalovsky, Mamontovsky districts, honey plants prevail, growing on the edges of pine forests, abandoned, uncomfortable lands: ravines, shores of reservoirs, wastelands.
The main collection is received here in the middle of summer. Honey contains nectar from sweet clover, burdock, rape, sow thistle, bruise, Siberian snakehead, tartar, white clover.
In spring, bee colonies collect nectar from dandelions, willows, and yellow acacias. Most of it goes to the development of the families themselves.
Subtaiga regions
This region includes forest-steppe and taiga. Beekeeping is developed in Soltonsky, Togulsky, Zalesovsky, Tselinny, Troitsky, Yeltsovsky, Kytmanovsky, Kosikhinsky, Biysky, Pervomaisky, Talmensky, Zalesovsky districts.
The main collection of nectar is in the summer. It is provided by thickets of dream, hogweed, angelica, fireweed (ivan-tea), forest raspberries.
There is practically no honey from yellow acacias, since the blossoming of trees occurs during the period of rains and cooling, accompanied by northerly winds.
Non-nesting zone
The non-taiga zone of the above areas is occupied by aspen and birch forests. Pine thickets are rare here. Forest plantations are poor in melliferous vegetation. It is mainly concentrated along water bodies, along ravines and ravines.
Nectar collection occurs in the middle of summer, it is quite long.
Bees bring nectar from bushes of red and black currant, buckthorn, bird cherry. The most honey-producing herbs are strawberries, sweet clover, sage, sainfoin, snakehead, and clover (white and red). This herbaceous vegetation grows mainly along field paths and along garden, field boundaries.
Foothills
The foothills are a zone of forest areas and forest-steppe. The following districts are located here: Bystro-Istoksky, Kuryinsky, Krasnogorsky, Zmeinogorsky, Tretyakovsky, Ust-Kalmansky, Beloglazovsky, Krasnoshchekovsky, Petropavlovsky, Ust-Pristansky, Sovetsky, Smolensky.
In wooded areas, the collection lasts from the first days of July to the end of this month. The nectar is brought from different varieties of sow thistle, angelica, dream, fireweed (willow-tea), forest raspberry bushes, as well as serpukha, sage.
In the forest-steppe area, bribes fall on the period from the first or second decade of July to the end of the first decade of August. The main sources of honey: meadow geranium, tartar, bruise, cornflower, thistle, oregano, white clover, sweet clover.
Mountain forests
Three districts are located in this zone – Soloneshensky, Altai and Charyshsky.
The main honey harvest here is late summer – from the first or second decade of July to the second decade of August.
Valuable melliferous herbs: river gravilat, sow thistle, serpukha, sweet clover, peas, meadow rank, sainfoin, sage, tartar, clover, fireweed, oregano, bruise, angelica – all these plants provide the collection of the very “mountain herbs” that are in great demand for market. Shrub summer melliferous plants of the mountainous zone are blackberries, currants, raspberries, Tatar honeysuckle, Siberian barberry.
In the spring, it is quite possible to get honey from dandelions, coltsfoot, willow, kandyk, meadowsweet, wolf bast, anemone, lungwort, medicinal corydalis, strawberries, yellow acacia. Mostly this is a developing or supporting bribe for the needs of bee colonies.
Main characteristics of honey
If we are talking about monofloral varieties, they look the same as in any other region of our country.
You can read about it here: Monofloral (one-component) honey varieties
Polyflora varieties acquire taste, aroma, color and other characteristics depending on which plant nectar prevails in the bribe.
The meadow variety has a delicate herbaceous aroma; its bouquet resembles herbs. The forest variety will always be slightly darker than the meadow variety. Mountain honey is similar to it.
Read more: Polyflora (multicomponent) honey varieties
Medicinal properties
Traditionally, in folk medicine, any honey is used as a tonic and anti-cold remedy. But there are also some peculiarities:
- Meadow varieties have high antibacterial characteristics, they relieve inflammation and pain, heal the kidneys.
- Forest herbs are focused on combating diseases of the intestines, stomach, and kidneys. It helps well with colds if it contains raspberry nectar.
- Field varieties have a calming effect on the nervous system, normalize the work of the heart, help with insomnia, headaches.
- Mountain honey is considered almost a panacea for a variety of ailments. This is a rare and rather expensive variety.
To avoid the acquisition of fakes and counterfeits, one should focus on the honey base of the Altai Territory discussed above. Obviously, buckwheat honey cannot be obtained in mountainous areas. Also under the big question is “Altai linden honey”. As you know, this tree does not grow massively in the region mentioned. Only in some areas are there small so-called lime islands, which are not able to provide bribes on an industrial scale.
