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Fireweed honey is made in the clear mountain air.Types of Honey
Last Updated on Sunday, 26 April 2009 20:50 Written by Honeyview Farm Sunday, 25 January 2009 21:37
To collect the various kinds of honey, the bees are moved about the Fraser Valley to where the flowers are at the different times of the year. Variation in the weather or the flowers can cause some variation in the color and taste.
Clover is used to improve soil quality as well as a forage for cows. The honey is probably the most popular honey and commands a premium price because of its white to light amber color and mild and aromatic flavor.
Alfalfa has small colorful purple and yellow flowers and is used as forage for cows and horses. The honey is also light in color, with a pleasingly mild aroma and flavor. Because it granulates slowly, it makes excellent chunk, comb, and section honey.
Blackberries grow wild all over the Fraser Valley. The white flowers with a pink tint line fences, roads and creeks in June and July. The bees collect lots of nectar and pollen from them. The honey is medium light and fragrant. The berries are sweet and delicious and you will find people picking them everywhere despite the sharp thorns.
Blueberry bushes are cultivated in the entire valley from Rosedale to the ocean. The hardy shrubs need bees to pollinate the small flowers in order to produce many large juicy blueberries. The bees are moved to the blueberry fields in the middle of April where they stay for about 5 weeks. In the last few weeks the bees can collect 20 kg of honey. This honey is darker than blackberry honey and has a stronger flavor that is well liked. Blueberries contain antioxidants and bioflavonoids. Blueberry honey will crystallize faster than many other kinds of honey. This is a natural process and does not alter the health benefits. Honey can be reliquified by gentle heating. Do not heat above 37 °C as this can reduce the health benefits.
Raspberries are an important commercial crop and are cultivated in large fields in the south central Fraser Valley. They bloom through May and June. The beehives are placed in the fields so they may pollinate the white flowers and improve the yield and quality of the fruit. The honey is light and fragrant.
Mountain honey is gathered by the bees in July and August. The bees are moved into the mountains around Harrison Lake where they forage on the wildflowers growing there. These include firewee, pearly everlasting, goldenrod and honeydew.
Fireweed is an early colonizing plant that quickly grows in the mountains after forest fires or logging. The bright pink flowers are very distinctive and produce a light colored honey that is highly prized for its flavor.
