Honey lab test results: Western NC honey is also rare
My latest honey analysis reports are back and neither of my mountain harvests were what I expected.
Earlier this month I shared the results from my first honey lab report, which analyzed honey I harvested in Pittsboro, NC. I also shared that I took it as a positive omen that my Pittsboro honey is a rose honey since I published my first story collection this summer, ROSE WINDOW, and roses routinely pop up in my family’s history. Once again, I take the latest lab reports as a sign that publishing my book this year was the right time. Both of the mountain honeys have traces of rose in them.
Since the bees are on a different cycle at my Western North Carolina apiary, I harvest later. I mailed the honey samples to the lab the last week of August. The lab report arrived the second week of October. I sent 2 samples: One from my main harvest and one from frames I extracted separately on the same day that I believed to be sourwood honey.
Beekeepers in WNC generally attribute primary nectar sources to tulip poplar, black locust, basswood, and the prized sourwood. My apiary is just on the other side of the ridgeline from what I call Sourwood Alley—the prime area where out-of-town beekeepers truck their hives in each summer to capture the sourwood flow. My hives are well within foraging range, but were they bringing in sourwood?
The main WNC harvest results: Stone fruit honey
The lab results showed no traces of tulip poplar, black locust, basswood, or sourwood. The primary nectar source (a solid 50%) is from stone fruit. In this region, stone fruits include peach, plum, cherry, and some berries may fall in this category. According to Food52, mulberries, blackberries, and raspberries are considered stone fruits as well. There is at least one farm on the other side of the ridge that cultivates fruit trees, so that could explain a nectar source. There are several peach trees in our valley, but not a density that I know of that would contribute to such a high volume of nectar production. Another possibility could be wild fruit trees and berries. I see a lot of blackberries in the woods and along our street. Analysis of the forage area through Penn State’s Beescape tool shows that a 3-mile radius from the hives is 91% forest and the highest floral sources happen in the spring.
Top 3 nectar sources for the main WNC honey harvest
Prunus / Stone fruit 50%
Rubus / Cane berries 28%
Rosa / Rose 17%
The caneberry nectar content (blackberries, raspberries, etc.) is significant even though it’s a lower ratio to the honey content as a whole. Caneberries have a very rich nectar, so there’s a possibility it can influence the overall flavor of the honey even if it’s not the primary source. This would explain how I described the flavor profile when I opened honey sales over the summer: “It has a fruity aroma—like peach and fig jam.” I was spot on!
Stone fruit honey is not commonly commercially available. If you were lucky enough to get a jar from this year’s harvest, you have something pretty special.
The special WNC honey harvest results: Bittersweet honey
These lab results also showed no traces of tulip poplar, black locust, basswood, or sourwood. The light-colored honey (which looks as clear as water when in the comb) that I believed to be sourwood honey is actually bittersweet honey. The primary nectar source (65%) is from Celastrus, known commonly as the bittersweet plant. staff vine, or staff tree. Bittersweet is not a routinely cited nectar source nor commercially available, which makes this a rare honey.
Several varieties of bittersweet exist, including American and Chinese, but the lab report doesn’t provide granular details about the specific bittersweet species that the bees sourced. Some Celastrus species are known for potential neuroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties within their seed oil.
Top 3 nectar sources in the bittersweet honey harvest
Celastrus / Bittersweet 65%
Rubus / Cane berries 12%
Ludwigia / Water primrose 5%
This harvest includes 9 nectar sources. The balance of the sources are small quantities, including rose honey. The trace of rose honey feels like another nod from the universe to my ROSE WINDOW book.
Honey profiles
Honey doesn’t just provide a sweet flavor or local terroir. A 2022 monofloral honey global study in Foods showed that “For bees, honey provides a rich source of carbohydrates, which is reflected in its chemical composition of at least 60% glucose and fructose combined, approximately 10% other sugar constituents and approximately 18% water. The remaining 2–3% of honey consists of a diverse mixture of more than 200 individual compounds including carotenoids, flavonoids and phenolics, along with several other minor components, such as proteins, free amino acids, minerals, vitamins and organic acids.” All of these compounds vary by nectar source, which means honey isn’t honey isn’t honey. Each one is unique.
Full report chart and potential medicinal properties of these honeys
See the pie charts that break down every plant the bees foraged on for both harvests.
