Local:
There is no legal definition for "local honey." It is linked to a general location, but it's mostly used to separate commercial honey from a small scale beekeeper's honey. The best way to make sure your honey is local is to buy it from a place where you can see the hives. You know honey is raw and unfiltered if it looks cloudy. If it's starting to crystalize, that's a good sign that it's real honey.

Raw:
Raw means not heated beyond the normal temperature of a hive. On hot days, a hive can reach 100-104f. Since most beekeepers process honey in the spring or fall, it can be quite cold. The honey is thick and hard to process when cold, so beekeepers will heat the honey house to 90f-100f.

Unfiltered:
Honey is gravity fed through 400-600 micron filters to remove unwanted debris and wax. The large size filters are classified as strainers. Honey is considered unfiltered when the size of the filter used doesn't remove any natural components found in honey. Pollen will start to be removed with a 150 micron filter.

Crystallization
Most Michigan honey will start to crystalize between 2 and 6 months. Leaving the jar open or putting it in the refrigerator will cause honey to crystalize quicker. The important thing to remember is that the honey is still good and it can be de-crystalized. Slowly heating honey to 95f-104f will decrystalize the honey. Heating it above 115f is not advised because it will start to destoying the natural components in the honey.