Going To The Source

We at Lydia's Organics, use only the highest quality ingredients available. From the fresh Organic Produce to the Raw seeds and nuts that we sprout ourselves. But simply viewing the certificates is not always enough for us, sometimes we like to go to the source and see how our ingredient are grown, harvested and processed.


Recently, Lydia took a trip to the Agave farm that we source our Raw, Organic Agave Nectar from.


Agave nectar (also called agave syrup) is a sweetener commercially produced in Mexico from several species of agave, including the Blue Agave (Agave tequilana), Salmiana Agave (Agave salmiana), Green Agave, Grey Agave, Thorny Agave, and Rainbow Agave. Agave nectar is sweeter than honey, though less viscous. Our Agave nectar comes from the Blue Agave.


Agave nectars are sold in light, amber, dark, and raw varieties. Light agave nectar has a mild, almost neutral flavor, and is therefore sometimes used in delicate tasting foods and drinks. Amber agave nectar has a medium-intensity caramel flavor, and is therefore used in foods and drinks with stronger flavors. Dark agave nectar has stronger caramel notes, and imparts a distinct flavor to dishes. Both amber and dark agave nectar are sometimes used "straight out of the bottle" as a topping for pancakes and waffles. Raw agave nectar also has a mild, neutral taste. It is produced at temperatures below 118 °F (48 °C) to protect the natural enzymes, so this variety is an appropriate sweetener for raw foodists.




As a sweetener, agave nectar is the lowest qualified sweetener on the glycemic index.* Agave nectar has a glycemic index (GI) of 32; half that of sugar. Honey has a GI of 58, due to its higher ratio of glucose to fructose (agave is about 90% fructose; note that some honeys such as black sage honey have a higher fructose to glucose ratio and are lower glycemic than most others). Table sugar has a GI value of 60-65. Pure maple syrup has a GI of 54.

*Although brown rice syrup has a GI of 20, it is not recommended for diabetics, since its sweetness comes from maltose, which causes spikes in blood sugar. While the calories of brown rice syrup are similar to agave syrup, agave is almost three times as sweet, so one can use far less agave to achieve the same level of sweetness as with brown rice syrup.

Agave's naturally-occurring fructose is an alternative for people on low-glycemic diets. Agave nectar can be purchased in any health food store. It's less viscous than honey, so it's easy to pour. Unlike honey, it doesn't crystallize. It's also sweeter than honey and sugar, so less is required - important to note when using agave in recipes.

A teaspoon of agave is 20 calories, and table sugar is 16 calories (honey has 22 calories). But since agave is 1.4 to 1.5 times sweeter than sugar, you don't need as much.