black honey

[beekeeper]

Is anyone familiar with black honey?

As different things blossom we get different looks and flavours to our honey. Today we are bottling some honey and it is completely black, it's smells slightly of molasses.

[randallhilton]

My wife put some sweets out for the butterflies but the local honeybees have taken over the party . . . what sort of honey do you get from stale marshmallows? :girl_wacko:

[WVMan73]

My wife put some sweets out for the butterflies but the local honeybees have taken over the party . . . what sort of honey do you get from stale marshmallows? :girl_wacko:

Wouldn't you get white puffy honey from marshmallows? :D

WVMan73

[AlchemyAcres]

Is anyone familiar with black honey?

As different things blossom we get different looks and flavours to our honey. Today we are bottling some honey and it is completely black, it's smells slightly of molasses.


There are 3 major sources of "black" honey in the eastern US.

Buckwheat, Tulip Poplar and Japanese Knotweed.

Any large buckwheat fields near?

It's unlikely to be tulip poplar....I think you're too far north for that.

It's probably Japanese Knotweed (AKA Japanese Bamboo) which blooms heavily in July.


~Martin

[indyguy]

My uncle raised buckwheat years ago and I remember our honey would turn black in July. Those buckwheat fields would be covered with bees.

[oldtimer]

BUCKWHEAT! Seeing as you're from Maine, if I was a betting man I'd reckon you've got a field of buckwheat somewhere near by.

I love buckwheat honey, it is dark and even tastes like molasses. In fact, we had a beekeeper from an adjacent state bring his bees over to this neck of the woods just so his bees could make buckwheat honey. It's sold at a premium. Bottle it up and head off to the natural food store and sell it if you don't like it. I'd send for some from you folks but there's a bunch of it setting on my counter right now.

[Nancymw]

I had never heard of black honey before; very interesting. I don't think anyone around here grows buckwheat though that I know of. I love molasses though, so if I see if I will try it.

[bookwormom]

We got black honey at home. In my area there are many fir trees, and believe it or not, there is a kind of aphid which eats something we called honeydew that the trees excrete at times. The bees get it from the aphids and turn it into real dark and flavorful honey. I have never been to Maine, but it seems to be cooler, more nordic place. Do you have fir trees growing there?

[Grizzy]

I'd jus Love to find some black hunny! Am gonna see is there is any here to be gotten. This is a good thread.

Thank You!

~Grizzy wifa slobbers~

[offgridbob]

I talked with a bee keeper one time when I was taking a hive out of my attic space. Had about 20 gallons total. It started out black in the front and got lighter as it went back. The bee keeper told me it was just older honey and was perfectly good. By the size of the combs he said the honey up front was probably 5 to 10 years old. It sho was lip smacken good. Used the last of it up last year,(sorry grizz didn't know you back then)