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| Honey Varieties |
After I recently blogged about taking a BEE CLASS, and my desire to have our own hives, I've been doing lots of reading about bees and beekeeping and of course, the BENEFITS OF HONEY.
During my reading, I found this interesting information about the varieties of honey, and how the color and flavor is affected by the main source of the bees' pollen. As you can see, honey can be different shades and colors, and even have different flavors.
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Clover, Sweet
Clover yields massive amounts of nectar popular with beekeepers as a source; white in color and mild in flavor.
Clover, White
Most-used east of the Mississippi; color is white to extra-light amber with a mild, delicious flavor.
Cotton
Used mostly in Texas now; light in color with a mild flavor
Dandelion
Honey is yellow with a strong flavor.
Eucalyptus
Varies in color and flavor but is overall bold with a slightly medicinal aftertaste.
Fireweed
Light in color and mild in flavor.
Gallberry
A Southern U.S. favorite; light amber with a pleasant aromatic flavor; does not crystallize making it a good candidate for chunk honey.
Goldenrod
Popular in Northern U.S. and Eastern Canada; yellow with a rich flavor.
Horsemint
White to light-amber with a minty flavor; may have a strong odor
Maple
Light amber to slightly darker; good flavor.
Mesquite
Light amber to white; usually mixed with others.
Orange and Citrus
A major source; white in color, mild flavor with delicate citrus blossom aroma.
Raspberry
White with a delicious flavor.
Saw Palmetto
Often considered the best in Florida; rich yellow in color.
Sourwood
Considered the most delicious in the eastern states; water-white with a mild, delicious flavor; sold mostly as comb honey or chunk comb honey.
Spanish Needles
Golden yellow with a pronounced flavor; can be mixed with white clover honey to obtain a mild, golden-tinted honey.
Sumac
Light amber with an excellent flavor.
Sweet Pepper Bush
Light yellow with a mild flavor and aroma of the bloom; marketed under the scientific name of Clethra.
Tulip Poplar
Red-amber with good flavor.
Tupelo
Popular in Georgia and Florida; light amber with a mild flavor and heavy body, does not granulate.
Vetch
Water-white, mild; wide selection of flavors, colors, and textures.
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Enjoy!
Enjoy!
I just had to comment on this (oh, surprise, surprise!)
ReplyDeleteWe let a local beekeeper keep his hives here this past summer. It was interesting , and quite a learning experience. We joked with him that he wouldn't be able to sell any of the honey he collected from here, as the bees were incredibly attracted to my Salvia that runs all along my walkway. No kidding---it smells like cat spray. Awful, awful smell. But, the honey turned out okay. I'm glad---he was a nice fella!
Sue - First of all, that's awesome that you had a local beekeeper keep his hives there. I've been wanting to have our own hives at some point, but I never thought about loaning out the land. Might have to give that a try (I'm assuming in exchange for some honey?). Secondly, OMG had to laugh at the smell comment. I planted, here at the city house, some Salvia (I think it was blue something or other) one year and that was some vile stuff. Ugh. Never thought about how that might translate to honey, ha. It's a pretty plant, so I'm glad to know I don't need to ban them from the yard.
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