How Our Honey Gets Its Flavor

Burkett's Pollination, Inc. offers four floral sources of honey. All of our honey is pure and has not had anything added to it. The honey color and flavor differs depending on the most prominent floral source that our honeybees gather the nectar from. Honey color ranges from almost colorless to dark amber brown and its flavor varies from delectably mild to richly bold. As a general rule, light-colored honey is milder in taste and dark-colored honey is stronger.

In April we place our honeybee colonies in the orange groves in California's San Joaquin Valley. The honeybees collect nectar from the orange blossoms. This honey is very light in color and smells and tastes sweet like citrus. It's best when used to sweeten tea and coffee, in canning fruit, and as table honey. It tastes sweeter than other honeys.

In May, our bees are trucked to the Pacific Coast where the black, purple, and white sage grows wild. This honey is very mild in taste, also this honey as a rule does not crystallize. It is an excellent table honey and good to use for sweetening coffee.

The months of June and July are when we have our bees along the Pacific Coast and parts of the Angeles National Forest of California. This is where the California Western Wild Buckwheat blooms. This honey is darker in color and more robust in taste. Many people use it to help prevent and relieve colds and flus. Mixed with lemon it serves as a natural cough syrup. It's good to use in cooking and as table honey.

In July, August, and September, we bring our bees back home to the San Joaquin Valley and our honey bees gather nectar from a lot of different plants such as Alfalfa, Cotton, Clover, Blue Curl and Tar Weed. This honey is also dark in color and boasts a hardy flavor. It is used mainly for cooking or baking. It is called summer honey.