How honey was discovered -- and how it became what it is today.

Honey and humans have a history stretching back before domesticated animals, baked goods, or farms. The humans to first encounter honey over 10,000 years ago would have found it inside of a wild bee’s nest and, for some reason, decided to taste the sweet spoils.

In a time when fruit was they sweetest thing they had ever tasted, honey seemed like a revelation from the gods. In the earliest centuries, nearly every culture had a myth explaining the immortal sweetness of honey.

For thousands of years, the only foolproof method of gathering honey was to find a wild hive -- the locations of which were fiercely guarded. The first “domesticated” beehive likely traces back to the Egyptians. The earliest apiarists made hives from old logs or tree trunks to mimic the homes of wild swarms.

It wasn’t until the mid-nineteenth century -- when a clergyman and apiarist named Lorenzo Langstroth designed the “collateral hive” -- that the honey harvest became just a simple tax on bees. It revolutionized domestic beekeeping by allowing individual combs to be lifted out; finally, you could get honey without replacing your entire colony. His invention was based on the idea of “bee space": an observed distance between each comb that was large enough to keep each comb from sticking together, but small enough that bees didn’t attempt to seal it themselves. After centuries of living with bees, humans had finally discovered something useful to our relationship with them -- instead of simply destroying them.

We’ve slowly come to recognize honey as something more important than a sweetener. Eighty-percent of the food we eat relies on pollination. Whether or not bees were created for human enjoyment, without them and without honey we’d live in a world where plants could not grow and fruit could not ripen.

Honey Varietals

The color, flavor, and even aroma of a particular variety of honey may differ depending on the nectar source of flowers visited by the honey bee. The colors may range from nearly colorless to dark brown, the flavor may vary from delectably mild to distinctively bold, and even the odor of the honey may be mildly reminiscent of the flower.

Varietal honeys may be best compared to varietal wine in terms of annual climactic changes. Even the same flower blooming in the same location may produce slightly different nectar from year-to-year depending upon temperature and rainfall.

There are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the United States, each originating from a different floral source. Space doesn’t allow us to list all 300 varieties so we’ve listed some of the more common. As a general rule, the flavor of lighter colored honeys is milder, and the flavor of darker colored honeys is stronger.

For more details on these and more floral sources, and to locate specific varietals of honey, try visiting Honey Locator.

Alfalfa

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. The honey makes a perfect table honey for everyday use.

Scientific Name: Medicago sativa

photo: Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License

Avocado

Avocado honey is gathered from California avocado blossoms. Avocado honey is dark in color, with a rich, buttery taste. It is wonderful in dressings and sauces.

Scientific Name: Persea americana

photo: B.navez, Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License

Basswood

This tree is distributed from Southern Canada, to Alabama, to Texas, and is the product of blossoms from the Basswood tree. Basswood honey is often characterized by its distinctive biting flavor. The honey is water-white with a strong flavor that works well in many recipes.

Scientific Name: Tilia americana

photo: Hendrik Falk, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 License

Blueberry

Taken from the tiny white flowers of the blueberry bush, the nectar makes a honey which is typically light amber or amber in color and with a full, well-rounded flavor. Blueberry honey is produced in New England and in Michigan. Many people believe that Blueberry honey is honey to which Blueberry flavor is added; this is not so. Pure Blueberry honey is the result of bees gathering nectar from the Blueberry bush. It has wonderful applications in sauces and baked goods.

Scientific Name: Vaccinium spp.

photo: Diana Sammataro

Buckwheat

Buckwheat plants 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 or is found growing wild. It blooms quite early and it yields a dark brown honey of strong, distinct flavor. Buckwheat has excellent application for BBQ sauces and baked goods.

Scientific Name: Fagopyrum esculentum

photo: Diana Sammataro

Clover

Clover honey is what most people think of as being typical honey flavor and color. It is widely used “on the table.” Despite being the most common nectar producing honey plant, Clover honey is still a variety. 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 varies in color from water-white to extra light amber and has a mild, delicate flavor. (There are a few different varieties of Clover - look on Honey Locator for White Dutch Clover, Sweet Clover, White Sweet Clover and Red Clover).

Scientific Name: Trifolium repens

photo: Olve Utne, Creative Commons Attribution 1.0, Wikimedia

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is 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 with a slightly medicinal aftertaste. It may be used in baked goods, sauces, dressings.

Scientific Name: Eucalyptus spp.

photo: Wikimedia Commons, GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2

Fireweed

Fireweed honey is very light, or “water white” in color and comes from a perennial herb that affords wonderful bee pasture in the Northern and Pacific states and Canada. Fireweed grows in the open woods, reaching a height of three to five feet and spikes attractive pinkish flowers. It is delightfully sweet, and wonderful in dessert applications.

Scientific Name: Epilobium angustibolium

photo: Delphine Ménard, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 France License

Orange Blossom

Orange Blossom honey may be a single variety, but often it is a combination of citrus floral sources from Oranges and nearby Grapefruit or even Lime and Lemon trees. 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. It is savored the world over on the table for everyday use, or in cakes and cookies.

Scientific Name: Epilobium angustibolium

photo: Orange Blossom photo courtesy of George DeLange, Arizona

Sage

Sage honey can come from many different species of the sage plant. Sage shrubs usually grow along the California coast and in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sage honey has a mild, delicate flavor. It is generally white or water-white in color. It is quite sweet in flavor, and pairs extremely well with strong cheeses. When shopping for Sage honey, note that there are several varieties of Sage - check out the Honey Locator website for Black Button Sage (shown), White Sage, Purple Sage and Mixed Sage.

Scientific Name: Salvia mellifera

photo: Michael Charters

Sourwood

Despite its name, the Sourwood tree, found in the Appalachian Mountains from Southern Pennsylvania to Northern Georgia, has a sweet, spicy, anise aroma and flavor. The honey has been highly valued for table use or in a myriad of cooking applications such as glazes. It is said to have a wonderful lingering aftertaste.

Scientific Name: Oxydendrum arboreum

photo: Chuck Norton, used by permission

Tulip Poplar

The tulip poplar is a magnificent, breathtaking, tall tree with large greenish-yellow flowers that are unforgettable when viewed. 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. The honey is dark amber in color, however, its flavor is not as strong as one would expect from a dark honey. It has many applications in baking and cooking.

Scientific Name: Liriodendron tulipifera

photo: Pollinator, Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License, version 1.2

Tupelo

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. The Tupelo tree has been designated as being on the “Ark of Taste,” those plants and animals that are endangered and that must be protected.

Scientific Name: Nyssa ogeche

photo: Indiana University / Purdue University Fort Wayne

The Dangers and Benefits of Raw Honey

Unlike processed honey, raw honey is not heated or filtered and retains more nutrients. Raw honey contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Honeybees make propolis with plant resins and their own secretions. The bees use this substance to seal the hive and protect it from bacteria. There are both danger and benefits associated with this natural sweetener.

Botulism spores are in air, soil, water and plants. In the absence of oxygen, the spores germinate and produce toxins. The process of boiling destroys the bacterial spores and toxins. Raw honey is a potential source of the Clostridium botulinum spores. The Centers for Disease Control, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Honey Board recommend that you not give honey to infants under the age of 12 months. Infant botulism is a rare disease caused by the bacteria, Clostridium botulinum. The disease causes varying degrees of paralysis. Children over age 1 and healthy adults have the mature digestive systems necessary to prevent botulism spores from thriving.

Raw honey as a wound-healing remedy dates to ancient Egypt and Greece. Modern medicine is rediscovering its healing properties. Adam Voiland writes that researchers believe honey has the ability to kill microbes. In his article, “The Healing Power of Honey,” featured online at U.S. News & World Report Health, Voiland, a writer with the magazine, reports the acidity in honey and its ability to dehydrate bacteria may be the reason for its therapeutic power in healing wounds. Honey dressings promoted healing, caused less tissue damage and reduce pain associated with dressing changes.

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Raw honey is a source of carbohydrates, both fructose and glucose, which the body converts to energy. A serving of honey -- 1 tablespoon -- contains 17 grams of these natural sugars. Glucose provides instant energy, while fructose, which is more slowly absorbed, provides sustained energy. Athletes and active children benefit from raw honey’s energy boosting ability. Raw honey is a natural source of minerals such as calcium, iron and potassium as well as vitamin B complex.

Enjoy the health benefits of raw honey, but consume it in moderation. Each tablespoon boasts 64 calories, and, while this might not seem like much, it can add up quickly if you eat raw honey on a regular basis. Make sure to measure your servings to avoid accidentally over-consuming honey, and take into account honey's calorie content when calculating your daily energy intake.

Use raw honey in homemade salad dressings -- it pairs well with mustard and lemon juice, or with lime juice and minced jalapeno -- or use it to flavor rolled oats or nonfat Greek yogurt.

How to eat comb honey

How to eat comb honey

The first time I saw extracted honey in a jar with no comb, I wondered why anyone would do that. Why would someone separate two things that belong together? Imagine eating a yolk without the white or a chocolate chip without the cookie. What’s the point? Where I grew up in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains, honey came in a comb in a little wooden box. There was no alternative. This regional tradition apparently began in the “comb honey era.”

According to The ABC & XYZ of Bee Culture, the comb honey era lasted from 1880 to 1915, and was a time when most beekeepers in America produced comb honey. Before the enactment of the pure food and drug laws, liquid honey was frequently “extended” with corn syrup, so consumers preferred honey that came straight from the bees with no human interference. When they ate a chunk of comb honey they knew it was pure, just as the bees had intended.

As time went on, several things happened. Laws came into being that assured better food handling and labeling, honey extraction equipment improved, and beeswax by itself became popular for industrial uses. Beekeepers could make more money by selling the honey and the wax separately. In addition, if a beekeeper re-used his wax combs year after year, he could get bigger crops of honey. It takes a lot of bee-power to make the comb, so providing ready-made comb allows the bees to store more honey.

Unfortunately, we lost a real treat when comb honey disappeared. Each batch of honey retains the floral essences of the plants from which it was made, but the flavor of wax comb also differs according to what the bees ate and adds a richness to the flavor that extracted honey doesn’t have. Add to this the aroma of the basswood section box in which the comb was built, and you have a combination of flavors, textures, and aromas you can’t find anywhere else on earth.

Today comb honey is experiencing a re-birth, but it is now considered a luxury item. I’ve seen it for sale for as much as $26.95 for a 12-ounce square—and it’s usually made in a plastic box. Plastic! Take away the basswood box and you’ve lost a major component of the comb honey experience. But this product is fast disappearing. As far as I know, there is only one manufacturer of basswood section boxes left in America.

So if you have the opportunity to try comb honey in a basswood box, go for it. For novice honeycomb eaters, I always recommend the following:

Toast a piece of your favorite bread or an English muffin. While it is still very hot, spread it lightly with butter. With a knife, cut a chunk of comb honey and spread it over the toast. You may have to mash it a bit, but the heat will soften the comb so it flattens into the toast along with the honey. It doesn’t melt, but becomes soft and aromatic. It is also good on hot biscuits, French toast, or pancakes.

The upscale restaurants often serve comb honey in the center of a plate surrounded by a selection of expensive cheeses and multi-grain crackers. The idea here is to cover the cracker with a piece of cheese and top it off with a small chunk of comb. This works great with cheddar or brie, but any cheese will work.