# Orange Blossom Honey



## Hillside (Jul 12, 2004)

My brother was recently down in Florida for a relaxing winter vacation. While he was down there, he picked up a bottle of orange blossom honey for me to try. I don't travel much and have never tried it. 

I'm wondering what it should taste like. The bottle that he brought home for me is very bland. There is very little aroma and the taste is, well, bland is the only way I can describe it.

Is this typical?


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

No. Orange blossom honey is very flavorful if not heated or otherwise processed to unflavorfullness. It was our "normal" honey when I grew up in the orange belt of Florida. It was sold raw at every orange juice stand, where in those days one could buy "all the orange juice you could drink for 10 cents" I'm aging myself, but the orange blossom honey that was nearly as inexpensive was delightfully delicious. 
Now, in California,I sell orange blossum honey produced by fellow beekeepers in the area. This honey is from oranges grown right near where I live. It is just as delightfully delicious as the Florida version was.
I plan to produce my own OB honey this year, with a five thousand acre site to put hives adjacent to. Email me your address and after this years harvest, I will send you a bottle.


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## tecumseh (Apr 26, 2005)

laurence hope sezs:
I'm aging myself

tecumseh adds:
you memory is aging both of us. in what part of central florida did you reside. now it has been decades ago since I assisted in extracting orange blossom honey but it should have a definite citrus aroma.

to hillside:
the aroma of orage blossom honey rather quickly disapprears. if you had spend time in florida, south texas, or california I would say that it should smell pretty much like a blooming orange grove. sounds like someone got a bottle of last years crop. if memory serves the citrus should be blooming in central florida right about now????


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I've only had it fairly fresh. It has a nice floral scent and taste, not a fuity orange taste. I think it's quite nice. Very disticntive and mellow, but not bland but also doesn't have a bite like eucalyptus or sourwood.


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## Hillside (Jul 12, 2004)

It sounds like I'll have to take a trip to Florida and hunt up a good sample. It might be fun to make a effort to find samples of all the local honey types along the way.

We're heading from Minnesota to eastern Canada (Syndeham, Ontario)this summer to pick up a new puppy (a Hovawart). Any ideas for special honey along the way? I don't know exactly what route we're taking yet, maybe knowing of a good honey location, we could plan our route to include it.


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## Laurence Hope (Aug 24, 2005)

tecumseh, I grew up in the west coast town of New Port Richey, Fla. in the 50's & 60's. I worked in the orange groves, but never worked bees.

Orange blossom still remains my favorite honey, possibly because when we said "honey" growing up, thats what it was. 

Citrus blooms here in about 30 days. I can hardly wait - first for the enjoyable scent my backyard will fill with, and second for the results of the bees.


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