Honey Varieties
Honey Variety Descriptions
Trying to decide what honey to buy? Below are honey descriptions and helpful information on what these honeys taste like. Each year honey variety tastes can vary due to rain amount, nectar sources, sunlight, etc. which all affect what flowers, plants, trees, are in bloom for the bees to collect nectar and pollen from - each year we look forward to trying the various honey ourselves to see what the bees have collected for us!
Honey varieties we carry include:
Bamboo Honey
-
Buckwheat Honey
-
Clover Honey
-
Goldenrod Honey
-
Locust Honey
-
Orange Blossom Honey
-
Star Thistle Honey
-
Tupelo Honey
-
Wildflower Honey
Bamboo Honey
-
Buckwheat Honey
-
Clover Honey
-
Goldenrod Honey
-
Locust Honey
-
Orange Blossom Honey
-
Star Thistle Honey
-
Tupelo Honey
-
Wildflower Honey
If you notice when you you try to order a honey variety that the item states "Put Me on Waiting List" versus having an "In Stock" message. This simply means we are out of the honey variety and you can sign up to be notified when it comes off the hives and is available again. If you don't see the honey listed (ie Tupelo Honey) we don't know when we will have more as the last 2 seasons no Tupelo Honey was produced due to flooding rains.
Let's first discuss the difference between "regular" honey and raw honey that we sell and honey that is found in supermarkets across the U.S. Most folks are familiar with store bought honey. This honey is typically filtered at high temperatures around 160 degrees for some time and then filtered through fine filters which removes the best qualities of honey which includes the pollen, beeswax, etc. The high temps also cook the beneficial enzymes so in our view you'd be better off drinking straight sugar water.
Let's first discuss the difference between "regular" honey and raw honey that we sell and honey that is found in supermarkets across the U.S. Most folks are familiar with store bought honey. This honey is typically filtered at high temperatures around 160 degrees for some time and then filtered through fine filters which removes the best qualities of honey which includes the pollen, beeswax, etc. The high temps also cook the beneficial enzymes so in our view you'd be better off drinking straight sugar water.
Also some large packers will add corn syrup to honey to extend the shelf life so the honey looks nice and clear for consumers to buy. Would you consider this honey - we don't. There's a great article on our "Blog" about a recent study done on store bought honey including restaurants, grocery stores, etc. - please read it.
The difference between our honey and our raw honey that we sell is simply that most honey varieties will crystallize which is to turn to a solid from a liquid (only a few varieties in the world that won't).
Our raw honey has never been heated or filtered, simply taken off the hives and bottled and will thus crystallize pretty quickly depending on the honey variety. Some raw honey will crystallize in as little as 30 days (goldenrod honey) - some will take many months or even years to crystallize. We never use any heat at all in the bottling or extraction process for our raw honey.
Our raw honey has never been heated or filtered, simply taken off the hives and bottled and will thus crystallize pretty quickly depending on the honey variety. Some raw honey will crystallize in as little as 30 days (goldenrod honey) - some will take many months or even years to crystallize. We never use any heat at all in the bottling or extraction process for our raw honey.
Now our "regular" honey is taken off the hives and slightly heated to 120 degrees, filtered and bottled. This does not pasteurize the honey as honey needs to be cooked at higher temperatures around 160 degrees for quite some time. This honey will also crystallize as well, but at a much slower rate since it has been slightly heated.
All of the honey we sell is 100% pure honey, nothing adding and no adulteration is done to the honey. Every year can bring different tastes to varieties; such as, wildflower due to what is blooming since each year rain, sun, moisture, etc. all play a vital role in what plants are growing and providing nectar to the bees. We enjoy selling varieties of honey to folks and hope you enjoy honey as much as we do!
All of the honey we sell is 100% pure honey, nothing adding and no adulteration is done to the honey. Every year can bring different tastes to varieties; such as, wildflower due to what is blooming since each year rain, sun, moisture, etc. all play a vital role in what plants are growing and providing nectar to the bees. We enjoy selling varieties of honey to folks and hope you enjoy honey as much as we do!
Honey Varieties that we Sell:
Bamboo Honey
Harvested in the Fall
Click to Order Raw Bamboo Honey
Bamboo honey comes from the Japanese Knotweed plant which is found in 39 of the 50 states. This plant is considered a very invasive weed. In the U.S.A. it is listed as an invasive weed in Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, New York and Washington states. Other English names for Japanese knotweed include fleeceflower, Hancock's curse, elephant ears, pea shooters, donkey rhubarb (although it is not a rhubarb), sally rhubarb, Japanese bamboo, American bamboo, and Mexican bamboo.
Japanese knotweed flowers are valued by some beekeepers as an important source of nectar for honeybees, at a time of year when little else is flowering. Japanese knotweed yields a monofloral honey, usually called bamboo honey by northeastern U.S. beekeepers, like a mild-flavored version of buckwheat honey. This honey is a very dark honey and also has a pleasant sweet taste to it.
Bamboo Honey
Harvested in the Fall
Click to Order Raw Bamboo Honey
Bamboo honey comes from the Japanese Knotweed plant which is found in 39 of the 50 states. This plant is considered a very invasive weed. In the U.S.A. it is listed as an invasive weed in Ohio, Vermont, Virginia, New York and Washington states. Other English names for Japanese knotweed include fleeceflower, Hancock's curse, elephant ears, pea shooters, donkey rhubarb (although it is not a rhubarb), sally rhubarb, Japanese bamboo, American bamboo, and Mexican bamboo.
Japanese knotweed flowers are valued by some beekeepers as an important source of nectar for honeybees, at a time of year when little else is flowering. Japanese knotweed yields a monofloral honey, usually called bamboo honey by northeastern U.S. beekeepers, like a mild-flavored version of buckwheat honey. This honey is a very dark honey and also has a pleasant sweet taste to it.
Buckwheat Honey
Harvested in the Fall
Click to Order Raw Buckwheat Honey
Buckwheat honey is pungent in flavor with molasses and malty tones and a lingering aftertaste. Buckwheat honey is also very dark in color. As a general rule, darker honeys tend to be higher in antioxidant compounds than lighter ones. Because of this characteristic, darker honeys also tend to be higher in mineral content on average, as compared to lighter honeys. The buckwheat plant is an excellent honey source, sometimes planted by beekeepers specifically for honey production. The blossoms are rich in nectar and blooming can continue into the fall. If you've never tried buckwheat - order a small amount since you'll either love it or hate it.
Buckwheat honey is pungent in flavor with molasses and malty tones and a lingering aftertaste. Buckwheat honey is also very dark in color. As a general rule, darker honeys tend to be higher in antioxidant compounds than lighter ones. Because of this characteristic, darker honeys also tend to be higher in mineral content on average, as compared to lighter honeys. The buckwheat plant is an excellent honey source, sometimes planted by beekeepers specifically for honey production. The blossoms are rich in nectar and blooming can continue into the fall. If you've never tried buckwheat - order a small amount since you'll either love it or hate it.
Clover Honey
Harvested in the Summer (mid to end July)
Click to Order Clover Honey
Click to Order Raw Clover Honey
Clover honey has a pleasing, mild taste. Clovers contribute more to honey production in the United States than any other group of plants. The clover in our clover honey include white Dutch clover, white blossom clover, and yellow blossom clover. Clover honey has a sweet, flowery flavor and a pleasing mild taste.
Goldenrod Honey
Harvested in the Fall (October)
Click to Order Goldenrod Honey
Click to Order Raw Goldenrod Honey
Goldenrod honey has been described with a variety of color and taste descriptions. Our goldenrod honey is a light to medium honey in color and has a bit of a bite to it and a hint of buttery taste. Our customers who buy this honey tell us they like it for their allergy issues since goldenrod honey is taken off very late in the season when goldenrod is primarily the only plant in bloom. Mead makers love it for making their batches of mead. This honey also granulates quickly.
Harvested in the Fall (October)
Click to Order Goldenrod Honey
Click to Order Raw Goldenrod Honey
Goldenrod honey has been described with a variety of color and taste descriptions. Our goldenrod honey is a light to medium honey in color and has a bit of a bite to it and a hint of buttery taste. Our customers who buy this honey tell us they like it for their allergy issues since goldenrod honey is taken off very late in the season when goldenrod is primarily the only plant in bloom. Mead makers love it for making their batches of mead. This honey also granulates quickly.
Locust Honey
Harvested in the Spring (late May)
Click to Order Raw Locust Honey
Pleasant tasting honey, aromatic, and ranging from water white to light yellow in color, this honey comes from the black locust tree which flowers in long white racemes. This honey is tough to get as the trees are only flowering a couple of weeks at best and we typically have a big Spring storm which takes the flowers off the trees. This limits the amount of nectar bees can gather, so we never have enough Locust Honey to get us through a year and we will sell out.
Harvested in the Spring (late May)
Click to Order Raw Locust Honey
Pleasant tasting honey, aromatic, and ranging from water white to light yellow in color, this honey comes from the black locust tree which flowers in long white racemes. This honey is tough to get as the trees are only flowering a couple of weeks at best and we typically have a big Spring storm which takes the flowers off the trees. This limits the amount of nectar bees can gather, so we never have enough Locust Honey to get us through a year and we will sell out.
Orange Blossom Honey
Harvested in the Spring (April)
Click to Order Orange Blossom Honey
Click to Order Raw Orange Blossom Honey
Orange Blossom honey comes primarily from flowers of the orange blossoms from orange trees, but can be from a combination of citrus sources, is usually light in color and mild in flavor with a fresh scent and light citrus taste. Orange blossom honey is produced in Florida, Southern California and parts of Texas. We get our orange blossom honey from a friend who moves his hives to CA for the honey flow. This honey has exceptional taste and is great used in tea, spreading on breads or biscuits and however you choose to use this honey. Great all around honey.
Harvested in the Spring (April)
Click to Order Orange Blossom Honey
Click to Order Raw Orange Blossom Honey
Orange Blossom honey comes primarily from flowers of the orange blossoms from orange trees, but can be from a combination of citrus sources, is usually light in color and mild in flavor with a fresh scent and light citrus taste. Orange blossom honey is produced in Florida, Southern California and parts of Texas. We get our orange blossom honey from a friend who moves his hives to CA for the honey flow. This honey has exceptional taste and is great used in tea, spreading on breads or biscuits and however you choose to use this honey. Great all around honey.
Star Thistle Honey
Harvested in late Summer
Click to Order Star Thistle Honey
Click to Order Raw Star Thistle Honey
Star Thistle honey is a very fine mild honey. It has a light, transparent and a thick viscous appearance with a distinct aroma of anise (some say almonds), slightly sharp or pungent with notes of sweet, spicy cinnamon, molasses and prune.It has a mild flavor of anise, low sweetness and hints of cinnamon flavor, slightly waxy, metallic flavor and sweet persistent aftertaste. It is quick to crystallize.
Harvested in late Summer
Click to Order Star Thistle Honey
Click to Order Raw Star Thistle Honey
Star Thistle honey is a very fine mild honey. It has a light, transparent and a thick viscous appearance with a distinct aroma of anise (some say almonds), slightly sharp or pungent with notes of sweet, spicy cinnamon, molasses and prune.It has a mild flavor of anise, low sweetness and hints of cinnamon flavor, slightly waxy, metallic flavor and sweet persistent aftertaste. It is quick to crystallize.
Tupelo Honey
Harvested in the Spring (late April)
Click to Order Raw Tupelo Honey
Tupelo honey is produced in the panhandle of FL. Tupelo trees grow along the rivers and creeks in the area. Tupelo trees have clusters of greenish flowers, which later develop into soft, berrylike fruits. In southern Georgia and northwestern Florida, tupelo is a leading honey plant, producing tons of white or extra light amber honey in April and May. The honey is a lighter honey with a mild, pleasant flavor. It is also called Swamp Gum or Tupelo Gum. The Tupelo tree has been designated as being on the “Ark of Taste,” those plants and animals that are endangered and that must be protected.
Harvested in the Spring (late April)
Click to Order Raw Tupelo Honey
Tupelo honey is produced in the panhandle of FL. Tupelo trees grow along the rivers and creeks in the area. Tupelo trees have clusters of greenish flowers, which later develop into soft, berrylike fruits. In southern Georgia and northwestern Florida, tupelo is a leading honey plant, producing tons of white or extra light amber honey in April and May. The honey is a lighter honey with a mild, pleasant flavor. It is also called Swamp Gum or Tupelo Gum. The Tupelo tree has been designated as being on the “Ark of Taste,” those plants and animals that are endangered and that must be protected.
Wildflower Honey
Harvested in the Fall
Harvested in the Fall
Click to Order Wildflower Honey
Click to Order Raw Wildflower Honey
Wildflower honey is exactly what it sounds like. Derived from a variety of wildflowers and plants which are blooming during the summer months. Wildflower honey can range anywhere from a very dark honey to a light honey. Every year it changes with what blooms are produced by what plants. Rainfall and weather affect what plants are produced. If the honey is not single sourced (ie goldenrod, etc.), it is simply called wildflower honey. We can have various types of wildflower honey in the same year due to different hive locations in our area. Folks like wildflower honey for it's various characteristics in taste. This honey has a delightful taste and a great all around honey to use.
Click to Order Raw Wildflower Honey
Wildflower honey is exactly what it sounds like. Derived from a variety of wildflowers and plants which are blooming during the summer months. Wildflower honey can range anywhere from a very dark honey to a light honey. Every year it changes with what blooms are produced by what plants. Rainfall and weather affect what plants are produced. If the honey is not single sourced (ie goldenrod, etc.), it is simply called wildflower honey. We can have various types of wildflower honey in the same year due to different hive locations in our area. Folks like wildflower honey for it's various characteristics in taste. This honey has a delightful taste and a great all around honey to use.