I received a really special gift recently, a small jar of Tupelo Honey from Winter Park Honey.
This honey is not widespread because it comes from the blossoms of the white tupelo tree which does not have a broad growth area. One location is in the Florida panhandle along the Apalachicola River. This area has the highest population of the white tupelo tree on earth. Tupelo Honey season is very short, three weeks in a good year and is adversely affected by weather and loss of growth land.
This honey has a high fructose level and in a pure state does not crystallize. It is hard to get truly pure tupelo honey because the bees, though they are strategically placed close the trees, can still access other nectar sources close by. The honey needs to be harvested right after the flowers fall off the trees to try to control purity.
The honey I received is a beautiful golden color with a slight undertone of green. The scent is mildly herbal/floral. The taste is not overpoweringly sweet with an herbal tone, clean. It has a soft aftertaste that does not linger.
This honey really was lovely. I appreciated that it was not super sweet and I liked the hint of herbal. If the color green has a taste this type of subtle herb would be it.
Once again, I took advantage of visiting The Valley Hive, a local nursery with a small gift shop as part of attending a beekeeper workshop, to acquire my next honey selection. This time I chose Sage Honey.
Wow, it was amazing. Rich golden color, thick viscosity. This honey was not overly sweet, yes, I know it is honey but compared to the Orange Blossom Honey I had tried in my first acquisition, the Sage Honey was less in your face sweet. I really enjoyed it in my coffee and in the pure pleasure of tasting it on its own.
The next session for the beekeeping workshop is in the field not at The Valley Hive location but I found that the store participates in a local farmers market not too far from my area, so I still have a good honey connection.
Since it may be harder to come by nationally, here’s a link to another Southern California Brand: Amazon