# honey and pecans



## treebee (Mar 7, 2009)

I too am interested in this. A customer came to me yesterday asking for "nut honey" she said she had bought some and it was her favorite. She thought it was pecan honey but didn't know if it was artificialy flavored or made in a grove of trees. Do bees pollinate in the pecan groves?


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## Jam (Jun 17, 2010)

I was told no, but if you find out differently please let me know! I live within a mile of two large pecan orchards, so I was hoping they got something from them. I was told that the pecan trees are wind pollenated, perhaps they gather pollen from them though?


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

I live at a pecan orchard; 70 of my hives, work under the shade of 70 year old pecan trees. I have been told that bees do collect pollen form pecan and are actually beneficial for they "bust" productivity by 20%. My question derives from a request I got from a customer, wanting honey mixed with pecans, she said it is a "south thing". She said that you can buy it in Houston at custom gourmet supply houses. 
My trees produce pecans by the ton, and my bees are on their way there too. It is just a matter of finding how to mix both and make them marketable. 

Aurelio Paez
DBA Micha Honey and Bees.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

treebee said:


> Do bees pollinate in the pecan groves?


I don't think they do. And I am almost positiviley sure they don't collect nectar from Pecans either. I could be wrong.

How hard could it be? Take a jar. Fill it w/ shelled and cleaned Pecans. Fill remaining space w/ honey straight from the bottling tank. Let sit for a period of time so honey takes on some flavoring from the Pecans.

I wonder if you sold such an item, if you would have to bve inspected because you are processing food by adding the two together?


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## greenbeekeeping (Feb 13, 2003)

we have family with Pecan grove in Mississippi. We have used those to make a creamed honey with the pecans chopped very fine and some butter pecan flavoring. Also have chopped the nuts and put them in a jar and filled with honey. Seen this done quite a bit by others as well.


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## belliott (Apr 17, 2011)

Hmmm,

Whipped honey with pecans might be good


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## greenbeekeeping (Feb 13, 2003)

it is really good. its a trick to get the pecans to not all float to the top before it hardens up though.


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

I have made pecan honey butter before. Delicious but must be kept refrigerated so I didn't think I could sell it very easily.


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## MichaBees (Sep 26, 2010)

Beekeeper SD; Why does it have to be refrigerated?


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

MichaBees said:


> Why does it have to be refrigerated?


 My guess would be that it contains butter...


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## beekeeper_sd (Oct 30, 2008)

MichaBees said:


> Beekeeper SD; Why does it have to be refrigerated?


Because it has butter in it. You could keep it out for a while but I don't think I would trust my luck selling something like that. Also, when I was doing craft shows (where I made most of my sales) it was summer and hot and I always had trouble keeping the creamed honey from getting too soft, didn't think I wanted to trust a lot of honey butter considering the work it takes to make.


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## max2 (Dec 24, 2009)

sqkcrk said:


> I don't think they do. And I am almost positiviley sure they don't collect nectar from Pecans either. I could be wrong.
> 
> How hard could it be? Take a jar. Fill it w/ shelled and cleaned Pecans. Fill remaining space w/ honey straight from the bottling tank. Let sit for a period of time so honey takes on some flavoring from the Pecans.
> 
> I wonder if you sold such an item, if you would have to bve inspected because you are processing food by adding the two together?


We own a Pecan orchard and have bees as well.

Bees very definitely work the Pecans for pollen - there is a buzz in the orchard right now!!

We do sell Pecan nuts ( as 1/2 's) in jars of honey. Tops for icecream!!
Try it!!


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