different tasting honey sales.

[beehappy1950]

I wonder what I would have to do with my honey if it all tasted like some I have tasted. Some honey is really powerful and maybe not liked by some people. What do some of you do when you get some bad tasting honey? I had a fair year for the weather, and had all good tasting honey. But if I get bigger and move my bees out and get some that dont taste good what would do with it? Harold

[hardwood]

I've found that peoples tastes in honey vary greatly. Some prefer a really dark, strong honey (especially for baking) where some prefer a lighter, milder taste. Whichever it is it all sells. The goldenrod honey I get here every year smells so bad that I usually don't bottle it but there are those who mix it in with other honey from spring and sell it.

Scott

[qa33010]

    If my honey tastes like store bought then there is no novelty, since they are normally blended.  I am small enough that I keep honey from each hive seperate from each other.  I get different flavors from each hive and have yet to have two the same.  Also each year is different.  I figure if I get really bitter honey (bitterweed; a little can ruin a lot) I feed it back.  Some folks ask me for dark and some ask if I have any light. 

     The goldenrod nectar here stinks to high heaven until it's cured to honey.  Then it may be strong but tastes great!

[Bil]

Here in France distinctive tasting honey sells better than what is sold as ‘mixed flower’ honey. My favourite is the dark strong tasting Sweet chestnut honey and I shall be moving a hive into a chestnut wood next year. The most expensive would be Lavender honey from Provence which I have seen sold at 20 euros a kilo (about 29$75).
regards,
Bil

[asprince]

Most of my customers want light honey. Some (my brother) wants dark, the darker the better. It is all good and so far, I have found a market for it all.

Steve

[TwT]

Most of my customers want light honey. Some (my brother) wants dark, the darker the better. It is all good and so far, I have found a market for it all.

Steve

most of my honey is Tulip Poplar and its dark red color, I had a costumer last year told me they only wanted dark honey because they know the darker it is the purer it is, they said its easy to have sugar water or corn syrup in light colored honey, I told them its who you buy it from, most side liners like me that sale honey have a lot of pride in their honey and their bee's and only want to sale the purest honey we can. That how you get repeat and new costumers.

[Cindi]

Oh man, I have to get a picture of my honey that came I would say 90% from sunflowers.  I will endeavour to get on that today.  It is so thick that it is just like molasses and tastes horrible, I don't like that flavour, but others would love it.  Beautiful days, to live and love with great health. Cindi

[luvin honey]

Man! I have so much to learn! Cindi, I had heard that sunflower honey was nearly white. I wonder if varieties make the difference?

I have not met a honey I didn't adore, all the way from clover to buckwheat. That's the beauty of honey to me--they are ALL different! I harvested twice and have 2 distinctly different flavors. My friend's honey is different yet, another friends even more so. And, my neighbor a few miles away sold me a couple gallons of his--his is much darker and stronger than mine. It's so fun trying them all!

[Cindi]

Luvin'Honey.  Ooops, my bad.  I thought that this honey must have came from the Sunflowers mostly.  But upon recollection of what was blooming en masse at my place, all summer, me thinks that it was Buckwheat, Sunflower, Phacelia Tanacetifolia and Anise Hyssop that were blooming all at the same time.  So....it is a combination of these I would think.  There is so much of this on my property, that I can't imagine the bees would have travelled much further to get nectar sources.  Buckwheat would surely have made that dark brown honey the dark brown colour, the other flowers prevented it from being even more brown, smiling.  I did a search on sunflower honey, and you are correct, it is quite light, golden.  Always take what people say with a grain of salt, never as gospel, I was wrong to say it was such a high content of sunflower nectars I imagine  :shock: :) :) :)  Have that most beautiful and great day, health. Cindi

[luvin honey]

Oh, I was sure I was wrong! As a 300-post member, I would always defer to a 9000-post member :D Thank you for checking on it for both of us. What's interesting to me about sunflowers is that I planted a LOT of them and only saw bumblebees, maybe only ONE honeybee all summer. Huh?

[Cindi]

Luvin'Honey, look at this picture, you probably just didn't see the honeybees, only noticed the bombus, smiling....have that most beautiful day, health.  Cindi

Remember, just cause I have so many posts, really doesn't mean a ding dang about my knowledge depth about bees, I know some stuff, but not an expert, by any stretch of that imagination  ;) :) :)

You can totally see where the bees were happiest on this massive flower head

[asprince]

We have quite a few farmers here in Central GA that grow sunflowers commercially. I have had my bees on them for a couple of months now. I plan to leave the honey for winter stores but what I have taken off was very light.

It's all good!

Steve

[luvin honey]

Beautiful, Cindi!

I wonder why my bees don't go for my sunflowers? They are loaded with pollen--definitely not the pollen-less variety. They actually prefer my broccoli (Hmm, broccoli honey?) to the sunflowers. Anyway....

asprince--that sounds like an excellent spot for bees! I would love to try sunflower honey. Can you describe the taste? It is very simple and delicate?