Two Very Different Varieties of Honey

The15thMember · July 16, 2020, 03:09:47 PM

I just harvested my first honey of this year, and I am so amazed at the differences in the two types of honey I pulled off I just had to share it with you guys. The dark honey is what I call bramble honey, it's probably mostly blackberry, and the light one is the sourwood, which is so extremely light this year. I think it's just crazy that both those jars came from the same hive.
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Nock · July 16, 2020, 05:21:32 PM

How much difference is the taste between the two?

The15thMember · July 16, 2020, 05:27:03 PM

Quote from: Nock on July 16, 2020, 05:21:32 PM
How much difference is the taste between the two?

Pretty significant. The sourwood is very delicate tasting, and the bramble is very fruity. The viscosities are different too, but that could just be because the bramble wasn't fully capped.

Oldbeavo · July 16, 2020, 07:16:38 PM

If Oz blackberies are the same as US blackberries the flavour is quite nice, bit fruity and not a dark honey.
So the dark one will be mainly bramble I guess.

The15thMember · July 16, 2020, 08:09:09 PM

Quote from: Oldbeavo on July 16, 2020, 07:16:38 PM
If Oz blackberies are the same as US blackberries the flavour is quite nice, bit fruity and not a dark honey.
So the dark one will be mainly bramble I guess.

I'm not actually sure that this is blackberry/bramble honey, it's just my best guess based on what was blooming before the sourwoods started. I don't know if Australian blackberries are the same or not, but something is different regarding what we call "brambles", because in my region of the US blackberries ARE brambles, along with black raspberries and red raspberries. We have mostly blackberries close by, but all three were blooming at the same time around here, which is why I think it's more accurate for me to not call it only blackberry.

Ben Framed · July 16, 2020, 08:11:47 PM

You both may be right. My blackberry honey was not dark this, or last season.

cao · July 16, 2020, 09:40:11 PM

I have had that difference in honey from one frame to the next in the same hive. I compare the difference in taste between light and dark honey to the difference between light and dark beer.

The15thMember · July 17, 2020, 12:17:09 AM

Quote from: Ben Framed on July 16, 2020, 08:11:47 PM
You both may be right. My blackberry honey was not dark this, or last season.

Well perhaps I am incorrect about the nectar source then. I'll have to try and figure out what else was blooming about a month ago.

Ben Framed · July 17, 2020, 12:34:43 AM

Probably a mix. You are probably right member. I know nothing of brambles. Blackberries grow wild here.

The15thMember · July 20, 2020, 07:17:14 PM

I've been doing some looking at what that dark honey is, and based on the timing and the flavor, I think it's a mixture of bramble (blackberry/raspberry/multiflora rose), basswood, and kudzu. You can't really see it in the picture, but it has a distinctively purple undertone, and the fruitiness about it is definitely sort of grape-y tasting, which is a hallmark of the kudzu.

van from Arkansas · July 20, 2020, 09:36:20 PM

Oh Ms. Member, there ya go again with that beautiful sourwood honey pic, just like last year. I drooled last year and I drool again this year at your pic. That sourwood honey is precious to me. Two best honeys in the world: sourwood and acacia. Thanks for the pic, luckily, I still have some sourwood from the seller you referred me to.

Blessings

The15thMember · July 20, 2020, 10:01:49 PM

Quote from: van from Arkansas on July 20, 2020, 09:36:20 PM
Oh Ms. Member, there ya go again with that beautiful sourwood honey pic, just like last year. I drooled last year and I drool again this year at your pic. That sourwood honey is precious to me. Two best honeys in the world: sourwood and acacia. Thanks for the pic, luckily, I still have some sourwood from the seller you referred me to.

Blessings

I can't even believe how gorgeous the sourwood honey is. My sister and I were crushing and straining it, and when it's in the comb, it's so light that it is almost clear! Truly amazing! We are so lucky to be able to harvest it. I'll have to get my hands on some acacia sometime, to see if it's just as good as the sourwood.

van from Arkansas · July 20, 2020, 11:25:43 PM

Acacia is just as lite and delicate as sourwood.

Nock · July 21, 2020, 12:47:44 AM

Ours is in bloom now. I?ve only seen a couple trees here where I live. I was fishing over the weekend. And the lake I fish has a lot. The most I?ve ever seen around here.