The color and flavor of the different honey varieties differ depending on the nectar source (the blossoms) visited by the honey bees. The color ranges from nearly colorless to dark brown, and the flavor varies from delectably mild to distinctively bold, depending on where the honey bees “buzzed.”
The different varieties of unique honey comes in many different forms and flavors including Comb Honey, Raw Honey, Kosher Honey, Organic Honey or just Honey Sticks.
In fact, there are more than 300 unique varieties of honey available in the United States. All these honey varieties originating from a different floral source. As a general rule, the flavor of lighter colored honeys is milder, and the flavor of darker colored honeys is stronger. I have listed a dozen of some of the more common varieties of honey in the United States.
Alfalfa is a legume with blue flowers. It blooms throughout the summer and is ranked as the most important honey plant in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and most of the western states. Alfalfa honey is white or extra light amber in color with a fine flavor. This honey also has good body, which makes it a perfect table honey.
Avocado honey is gathered from California avocado blossoms. Avocado honey is dark in color, with a rich, buttery taste.
Basswood tree is distributed from Southern Canada, to Alabama, to Texas. Basswood honey is often characterized by its distinctive biting flavor. The flowers are cream-colored and they bloom in late June and July. This variety of honey is water-white with a strong flavor.
Blueberry honey taken from the tiny white flowers of the blueberry bush. This variety of nectar makes a honey which is typically light amber in color. Blueberry honey also has a full, well-rounded flavor. Blueberry honey is generally produced in New England and in Michigan.
Buckwheat honey comes from plants that grow best in cool, moist climates. The buckwheat plant prefers light and well-drained soils, although it can thrive in highly acid, low fertility soils as well. Buckwheat is usually planted in the spring, and blooms quite early, producing a dark brown honey of strong, distinct flavor.
Clover or Clover honey are the most popular honey plants in the United States. White clover, Alsike clover, and the white and yellow sweet clover plants are the most important for honey production. Depending on location and source, Clover honey variety varies in color from water white to extra light amber and has a mild, delicate flavor.
Eucalyptus plants are one of the larger plant genera with over 500 distinct species and many hybrids. Eucalyptus honey varies greatly in color and flavor, but in general, it tends to be a bold-flavored honey variety with a slightly medicinal aftertaste.
Fire-weed honey is light in color and comes from a perennial herb that affords wonderful bee pasture in the Northern and Pacific states and Canada. Fire-weed grows in the open woods, reaching a height of three to five feet and spikes attractive pinkish flowers.
Orange Blossom honey is often a combination of citrus floral sources. Orange is a leading honey source in southern Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California. Orange trees bloom in March and April and produce a white to extra light amber honey with a distinctive flavor and the aroma of orange blossoms.
Sage honey can come from different species of the plant. Sage shrubs usually grow along the California coast and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sage honey has a mild, delicate flavor. This particular honey is generally white or water-white in color.
Sour-wood honey from trees can be found in the Appalachian Mountains from Southern Pennsylvania to Northern Georgia. Sour-wood honey has a sweet, spicy, anise aroma and flavor with a pleasant, lingering aftertaste.
Tulip Poplar honey is from a tall tree with large greenish-yellow flowers. It generally blooms in the month of May. Tulip Poplar honey is produced from southern New England to southern Michigan and south to the Gulf states east of the Mississippi. This honey variety is dark amber in color, however, its flavor is not as strong as one would expect from a dark honey.
Tupelo honey is produced in the southeastern United States. Tupelo trees have clusters of greenish flowers, which later develop into soft, berrylike fruits. In southern Georgia and northwestern Florida, Tupelo is a leading honey plant, producing tons of white or extra light amber honey in April and May. The honey has a mild, pleasant flavor and will not granulate.
Conclusion: Again, there are more than 300 unique honey varieties available in the United States, all unique in flavor and color. The honey and health industry is extremely important to the pollination and well being of the bee’s in this country.
Many would argue that plants and trees can be geneticall engineered to be self pollinating, eliminating the use of bee hives. My belief is we are a long way from developing all the self pollinating plants and trees to sustain a healthy nutritional nation. At this point in history we still owe it to the bees to pollinate the vast majority of plants and trees.
