Guess what?  Just like Golden Retrievers come in a wide spectrum of color from light to dark, so does honey!  Bees make honey by gathering nectar from flowers.  However, between spring and autumn the types of flowers differ.  Thus producing a variety of colors ranging from nearly colorless to dark brown depending on what is in bloom.  Proving the age old adage of “you are what you eat” applies to Honey Bees too!

After comparing my spring honey harvest to my recent fall results, I noticed a definite difference in color and taste.  In the late spring, the honey was lighter in color.  That’s because my Bees were primarily foraging nectar from the clover and dandelions growing in our yard.  They also frequented the blossoms on our wild blueberry bushes.  The honey produced from these sources tends to be lighter in color and mild in taste.  In comparison, our fall harvest produced a dark amber honey that has a bolder taste.  That’s because from July through September, my Bees preferred the goldenrod that was blooming in abundance in our yard.  They also were seen buzzing around the mint we planted too.  These nectar sources give honey a rich amber color and is more flavorful.

I’ve been told that the lighter color honey is good for tea, while the darker color is perfect for baking.  Scientists have also found there is nutritional differences depending on the color of honey too.  They found the darker the color, the more likely it is full of minerals, protein, and antioxidants.  Because of that, many beekeepers try to control the types of flowers their Bees have access to in their fields.  This is called “single-harvest honey,” and depending on the source can be highly sought after by consumers.  My honey is “wildflower honey,” because my Bees have access to a wide variety of plants to gather their nectar.  However, no matter what the source, these independent ladies are always full of surprises.  Every extraction of honey from the honeycomb is unique with it’s own special flavor.  In fact, there are more than 300 types of honey available in the United States!

You may have noticed the lighter honey in the photo has a more congealed appearance.  Raw honey will crystallize over time.  Crystallization doesn’t affect the taste, and can be reversed by slowly warming it.  However, heating can destroy the beneficial enzymes found in unpasteurized, raw honey.  So we tend to leave it alone.  Besides, in this form it spreads nicely on toast!  Now if you please excuse me, it’s time for another taste test!