Over winter, the queen slows down her egg laying, but as February rolls around, she ramps up her production to ensure a large population of foraging worker bees will be mature enough to harvest the nectar from the new spring blooms in April. Here in Philadelphia, a happy sign for a beekeeper is the first dandelion. The earliest blooms in spring also include maples, black locust and tulip poplars. My apiary is like a Disney movie when I first visit in the spring - the field is knee high with white, red and yellow clover, and the sparrows, butterflies, moths, and honeybees are playing in the field in throngs. It's these early blooms that provide the first ample sources of nectar for the bees after the long, cold winter, during which the bees survived in the hive in a cluster, feeding off the previous season's honey. The nectar from early spring blooms - both trees and flowers - produces a light, floral and sweet honey. The honey tastes like a garden, and gives a colorful, sweet taste in my strong morning tea - the flavor of the honey really pops. I love the contrast of a strong brew and the bright aroma and taste of spring honey.
As spring changes to summer, blooms slow down and there's a short period in July called the "dearth" where the honeybees get by on the stored nectar that they gathered from April through June. In Philadelphia, the dearth doesn't last too long. In past years, the dearth was a few weeks - typically from July 4th through the end of July. This year I was surprised to find the bees brought in seemingly as much nectar throughout July as they did in June. I was expecting a lower harvest this year but the nectar kept coming in.
Towards the end of July, the honeybees are foraging the remaining blooms from Black Locust, Linden, Sweetgum, Red Maple and Japanese Pagoda trees. English ivy starts to bloom, providing a significant source of nectar for honeybees, as well as goldenrod, Japanese knotweed, and asters. The nectar from these plants produces a darker honey with a more complex flavor. Inside the hive, remaining honey from the spring darkens with age, its flavor deepens as it loses some moisture and the wax comprising the honeycomb becomes darker. My apiary is situated in a four acre community garden with 500 garden plots. Though honeybee colonies tend to have floral fidelity and prefer to harvest larger swaths of one or two types of blooms, they also have their pick of a wide range of vegetables, plants and weeds from the garden's raised beds.
The main factor affecting the color and flavor of honey is the seasonal blooms. Spring honey from my apiary is usually very light in color and flavor, and the later summer honey tends to have hints of caramel and a generally robust flavor. Both are really delicious and the flavors (and quantity) of each harvest always amazes me. How you use each variety is a matter of personal preference. As mentioned earlier, I can't start the day without a brisk cup of black tea and a heaping spoonful of light honey. Sometimes, when I'm feeling fancy, I'll drizzle dark honey on a slice of pizza. When used for baking, the light honey will yield a sweeter, more distinct flavor while the darker honey is more subtle but provides an earthier flavor.
Here's my suggestion...get a couple bottles of each and let me know what you think – send me an email and let me know which you prefer and how you like to use your honey – on your toast? In your coffee? As an ingredient for baking? Drizzled on your ice cream? Straight out of the bottle? For me, it's all of the above.
Comments