Today, I met a vegan beekeeper at a local community garden, where honey is produced( in addition to the vegetables, fruit and herbs). He told me the bees there don't use all the honey, and said he became the beekeeper there because he wanted to make sure the bees weren't harmed. So I bought a small $2 jar from him.

I read about how local honey helps allergies. The money from the honey I bought goes back to help maintain the community garden. Also, the labor, packaging and pollution from manufacturing and transporting non-local sugar seems to me to cause more harm to the environment, than a local community garden honey. (I am still learning so if any of what I have said is wrong, please correct me.)

While I still bake with agave nectar, maple syrup, malted barley syrup as my liquid sweeteners(being mindful of my vegan friends who don't consume honey), I do plan to have a spoonful on my toast or in my tea every now and then to aid my allergies.

I hope the vegan police doesn't call me on that purchase, but I honestly didn't feel bad about buying the local honey from the vegan beekeeper. 

I never knew about honey helping with allergies before.  I've gone back and forth on the honey thing and I haven't been eating honey for about a year, but it's really interesting to hear why people do and do not eat it.  If I met a local vegan beekeeper I would probably buy the honey too.  It's a tough call though, when I don't have allergies so I don't need it and there are plenty of alternatives.  Anyway, thanks for sharing this story  :)