What is Tupelo Honey?
Tupelo Honey is southern gold best described as a mild, sweet buttery honey with a minty finishing note. No other honey taste like this!
So why is it so special?
Bees visit the sweet white flowers of Tupelo trees to collect the nectar to make this southern gold. There are different species in the Tupelo Tree family, including a PA native local Black Gum tree. However, it's the rare White Gum Tupelo Tree (Nussa ogechee) that can produce such unique honey. The White Gum Tupelo Tree only grows in the Southern Cypress swamps. Two tiny regions in the South are known for growing the White Gum Tupelo Tree which are the Okeefenokee Wildlife Refuge along the Georgia-Florida line and the Apalachicola River Basin in the crook of Florida where the peninsula becomes the panhandle.
This sweet honey has been a delicacy in Georgia and Florida for centuries. But, thanks to Van Morrison song "Tulpeo Honey" in 1971, Tupelo Honey reached a national audience. But, it still remains a niche market.
Why do we sell Tupelo Honey?
It's one of our favorites! The delicate unique taste can't be matched. We are able to carry Tupelo Honey after networking with other beekeepers. Now, we can purchase Tupelo Honey from a small beekeeper in Georgia to share this unique product in PA.
What's different about Tupelo Honey?
Each honey variety varies in the structural make up. Tupelo honey has a high fructose to glucose ratio. This allows our bodies to release energy over a longer period of time and reduces a sugar crash typically received from sucrose. Additionally, this structural make up slows down the crystallization process. Honey with a low glucose ratio takes a lot longer to crystalize.
Why does it cost more?
The harvest of Tupelo honey varies greatly. It's mostly weather dependant, just like many other crops. But, since it's produced in just two small regions, this increases the risk. There is about a three week window where White Gum Tupelo Trees bloom. If the trees flower and it rains, the trees loose their blossoms. Typically honeybees do not fly in the rain, so they could miss the sweet nectar in the white flowers if they fall quickly due to rain. Also, if it's too dry or windy, the nectar evaporates, making it unable to the honeybees. Or it could be too cold, windy and/or rainy for the honey bees to fly to harvest the nectar. The weather conditions for the Tupelo Trees and Honeybees have to be just right for Tupelo Honey to be produced that year. Plus, there are cost associated with transporting it to PA, for us to provide the product to you.
Because we love this honey so much, we plan to focus on Tupelo Honey for the next month! There are some amazing summer recipes that taste great with the sweet minty honey. Plus, we decided to offer a sale! When you add 2 bottles of Tupelo Honey to your cart you will automatically receive 50% off one. (Offer runs through August 2021)