Honey 101

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Bees bring in nectar (in their special nectar-storage stomach) and pollen (packed onto their leg 'baskets') based on what is abundantly blooming at a given time within 2-5 mile radius of their hive, regardless of whether their hive stays in one place or gets moved to specific crops or orchards.

You can often tell what kind of honey you are getting in a frame or super based on the color of the pollen packed into the cells at that time. Pollen can be white, yellow, orange, greenish, blue, lavender, red, etc, and it's the clue that tells you if the honey being made that week is mostly from a certain plant, tree, or flower. If there are many things in bloom at a particular time and the pollen is all mixed up, then it's often just called 'wildflower honey'.

[kmehrzad]

My niece who lives in Savannah, GA recently gave me a jar of Tupelo honey. It was the best tasting honey I've ever had, and I've eaten my share of honey throughout the years. You've gotta try it sometime if given the opportunity.

[itself]

All great info! But I'm still confused! There are at least six different types of local arizona honey. Does the orange blossom taste different than the mesquite, or the other flavors. Does each type of honey have a distinct flavor (does orange blossome taste like oranges?)

Thanks!

Lisa

[copperlegend]

I'm a big tea drinker at work, and our local public market has a wonderful honey vendor. So, my desk has quite the array of teas and jars of honey! The different honeys DO taste different! Some have very subtle differences, but some are pretty wild. Buckwheat honey is very dark, almost like molasses, and has a very rich flavor, almost a bit smoky. Spring honey is a lighter taste than summer honey. I also have 'berry blossom' honey, which does taste a bit umm... fruitier, I guess?

My cubicle buddy used to work at an apiary, and can tell me what sort of blossom the honey is likely to have come from. It's like having a somellier of honey sitting next to me

The buckwheat honey tastes excellent on oatmeal with a handful of roasted nuts and some dried cranberries.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The buckwheat honey tastes excellent on oatmeal with a handful of roasted nuts and some dried cranberries.

I like buckwheat honey in my big 'bowl' of Japanese kukicha/twig tea every evening. They are both woody/smokey and enhance each other.