I have always noticed the different colors of honey in the market. But I never realized the colors are due to the different varieties of flowers the bees visit. Actually I learned a lot from reading Fruitless Fall and have even more appreciation for these tiny little busy bees. And possibly eating more honey as well!
As far as the color of honey goes, the darker the color means more antioxidants in them. And Buckwheat honey tops the list, it is considered one of the healthiest. It is dark in color and rich in iron. I will keep my eye out for this variety next time I’m at the grocery store.
But I did end up finding organic multi-flower (wild flowers) honey in a large 48 oz jar at my local drug store (Long’s Drug, which is now CVS) for only $12. The label said it was wild harvested in the mountains of the Himalaya. Far from smogs and pollution.
The color is much darker than the honeys I’m used to. The taste is surprisingly very good. It reminded me of maple syrup and would be great with pancakes. But so far I have only drizzled it on top of my toasted bagel and cream cheese.
Some other varieties of honey include:
Alfalfa, blackberry, blueberry, buckwheat, clover, orange blossom and wild flowers.
There are even white colored honey as well. Some of them are from Hawaii and looked more like condensed milk. I think that would be interesting to try as well!
Hawaiian Organic White Honey $14: creamy, opalescent honey. National Geographic Traveler Magazine calls it “some of the best honey in the world.” It is a single floral source, certified organic, unheated raw honey. Photo from VOLCANO ISLAND HONEY COMPANY, LLC.
Canada has their version too. Available from 23 oz container, pack of 2 for $23.54
The last time I bought honey was from Costco. It was a huge bottle that would last me several months. I think it was pretty cheap compare to buying a small jar or plastic bear container at the grocery store. I tend to only use it sparingly in tea or for cooking. Then it started to crystallized after several months. But I was able to bring it back by heating the glass jar in boiling water. This honey was light in color and has a mild sweet taste. I think it must have been alfalfa or clover flowers. These two types of flowers are grown throughout Canada and the U.S.
National Honey Board:
Did you realize that honey is available in many different varieties? When bees visit mostly one kind of flower as they gather nectar, the honey they produce has a unique taste, aroma and color from that particular flower. The color of honey ranges from nearly colorless to dark brown, and the flavor varies from delectably mild to distinctively bold.
More information:
Locate local honey from the National Honey Board’s List here.
Organic Rainforest Honey via . $22.85 for pack of 6.
Types of Honey from The Nibble, Great Food Finds.
Image sources:
VOLCANO ISLAND HONEY COMPANY, LLC
10:09 pm on May 7th, 2009
I’ve noticed the different colors but never knew the reason why, and never knew that they come in white color as well, that’s quiet interesting.
I end up throwing it away after it started to crystallize, I didn’t know you can bring it back by heating it in boiling water, I need to try that next time, thanks for the tip.