# Clear white honey



## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

There are several honeys that are somtimes characerized as white. Basswood and sage are 2 somtimes called white honey. 

Even tupelo, black locust, clover and orange blossom can be characterized as white honey by some standards. But some of the whitest are fireweed and sourwood.

http://www.honey.com/download/floral_guide.pdf


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

Sorry, double post

[ June 11, 2006, 07:47 PM: Message edited by: Pcolar ]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Now you just need to plant 8,000 acres of fireweed...


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

Indianahoney won't need to plant 8,000 acres of fireweed.

There is probably abundant black locust which is a premium honey very light yellow in color. Sourwood is light but might be limited to southern Indiana. Basswood (water white honey) should be growing there also.


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## JohnBeeMan (Feb 24, 2004)

I saw a show on TV a few years ago about a beekeeper in Hawaii and I remember him claiming to have white honey (not clear but white). I now wonder if what he had was really a 'white honey' or just crystalized honey.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--I saw a show on TV a few years ago about a beekeeper in Hawaii and I remember him claiming to have white honey (not clear but white). I now wonder if what he had was really a 'white honey' or just crystalized honey.


White honey in Hawaii is from 'Kiawe' (not sure of spelling) tree.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

IndianaHoney . . .

North or south? Could make a difference.









The best honey I have ever had, was very clear (not color), very, very light yellow w/ slight greenish tint.


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## cphilip (May 25, 2006)

The lightest I seen recently was Orange Blossom.

I am not the biggest fan of it though. Its a bit fruity and I prefer a tad darker one like a Sourwood or mixed Wild Flower. People are funny like that. And I am no different. It's what you grew up on so its "Honey" to you is the way I look at it. The facination with lightness or darkness escapes me. What I want is "local" and it makes not much difference if its a bit darker to me.


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## 3pepper (May 10, 2006)

i must be strange 
i like the darkest honey i can find
stephen


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--The best honey I have ever had, was very clear (not color), very, very light yellow w/ slight greenish tint.

Sounds like Tupelo


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--The best honey I have ever had, was,,,

I would select Black Locust as the best in my area.


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## Big Ed (Jul 1, 2005)

The best honey I ever had would have to be my own.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>>very clear (not color), very, very light yellow w/ slight greenish tint

>Sounds like Tupelo

In Indiana?


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## IndianaHoney (Jun 5, 2006)

Yes, I'm in east central Indiana, right on the Indiana/Ohio border.


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## AlphaVinlander (Mar 3, 2006)

My honey is clear like water. It's source is 50 acres of Blueberries and several Black Locust trees.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

>>Sounds like Tupelo

>In Indiana?

You said best honey you ever had, you didn;t say where you got it from.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Pcolar . . .

>is possible to plant something that would produce clear honey in Indiana? 

That was the question posted, and since I'm in Indiana, I thought it was "clear" where my honey came from.

Oh well . . .


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--The best honey I have ever had, was very clear (not color), very, very light yellow w/ slight greenish tint.


I'll say for a second guess:
'white sweet clover'.

The honey is light and of excellent quality, and ocasionally will have a light greenish tint to it. Some people will describe the taste as a cinnamon like taste.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--That was the question posted, and since I'm in Indiana, I thought it was "clear" where my honey came from.

Lot of U northereners go south for the winter.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

>>Sounds like Tupelo

>In Indiana?

Black Tupelo does grow in Indiana.


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## Sharkey (May 27, 2004)

Well.......

I think I am about the only one on this forum that posts AND gathers Tupelo.  

The greenish tint is for sure one of the characteristics that is looked for. It is very light and golden. Sort of hard to describe. I don't even see the green because I am red/green color deficcient.

Tupelo is not my favorite honey to consume, but it is my favorite to harvest, cuz it sure makes us the most money.  

I prefer the darker fall honey.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--I think I am about the only one on this forum that posts AND gathers Tupelo.,,, 
The greenish tint is for sure one of the characteristics that is looked for. It is very light and golden.


There are many tupelos that beekeepers harvest in the east and sometimes called, Black Gum, Sour Gum, and Pepperidge, black tupelo. So many here are probably harvesting some tupelo.









But the only tupelo that produces a greenish cast is the white tupelo, and this is generally harvested from specific regions in the far south along deltas and marshlands.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Pcolar . . .

>cinnamon like taste . . .
No. None. Zero. Not.

>go south for the winter . . .
I wish.

>Black Tupelo . . .
>only tupelo that produces a greenish cast is the white tupelo . . .

So far, your no help
















What about American Holly? I saw bees working them like crazy.

Also, my harvest was on July 30, guess the honey had to come from somthing in bloom BEFORE that date.







I noticed lots of nectar in hive in June.


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## Sharkey (May 27, 2004)

Hi Joe,

Well...... the only honey you will find "legally" labled "TUPELO" is the tupelo we gather here, and yes, it is from the white Tupelo. 

In Fact, if we REALLY want to be legal and technical about it, we have to send samples to the state and they have to analyze it and CERTIFY that it is indeed Tupelo because, believe it or not, there are actually some dishonest beekeepers in this world.  

The Apalachicola River Basin is the only area that grows enough White Tupelo to make a decent harvest. The "Apalach" as we call it, runs about 6 miles east of me, and the Chipola river is about 3 miles or less west of me. I have a LOT of Tupelo around me.

If any of you have seen or heard of the Movie "Ulee's Gold", it was filmed about 20 miles south of us in little town called "Wewahitchka". Story about a beekeeper/Vietnam Vet and the trouble he has with his family and so forth. Starring Peter Fonda.


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## cphilip (May 25, 2006)

Ah... close to my old stompin grounds. Grew up (well some say I still have not) just west of you around Ft Walton. How did you fare yesterday with the storm?


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## Sharkey (May 27, 2004)

Hi CPhilip,

Actually, I am sitting in Ft. Walton right now, more or less. I am at Eglin AFB. I work here. Should be retired about the end of August or so.

The storm was very dissapointing, lol. We all wanted some RAIN, and the most we got was .25 inches !!

[ June 14, 2006, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: Sharkey ]


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## cphilip (May 25, 2006)

heh... just missed ya eh? Well. 

I was born at Eglin. back in 56. 

Eventualy found myself back there and went to (and even graduated!) HS over in Niceville.


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

>>cinnamon like taste . . .

>No. None. Zero. Not.

Ok, hum, greenish tint and does not taste like cinnamon. 
Hum, green honey,,,, could be,,,

Wait, is there a nuclear reactor within you forage area?


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

>nuclear reactor within you forage area . . .

Nope. It doesnt glow in the dark.

Boy. Your no help AT ALL


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## naturebee (Dec 25, 2004)

--Boy. Your no help AT ALL 

I've noticed you've been kinda picken' on me, so I had to shoot off some kinda smarty pants remark at ya. LOL

















Dave, I can't find my honey plants book. I can probably find out if I ever locate the dang thing. But till I do,,, 

What month did you harvest this honey, and in what quantity? Taste? Body - thick thin or what? Color was yellow with a greenish tint?


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## kc in wv (Feb 1, 2006)

At times Linn (American Basswood) honey will have a green tint and it is very light in color


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

I have a data base of some 300+ nectar/pollen plants for my USDA plant zone. With a sort (white, greenish) I get the folllowing:

Maple-Silver (Acer saccharinum), Feb, Light Amber to greenish
Peach (Prunus persica), L Mar, Light colored, Delicate or bitter
Redbud (Cercis canadensis), Apr, Extra Light Amber, Good
Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), Apr, White, Good
Locust-Black (Robinia pseudo-acacia), L Apr-M May, Extra White
Clover-White Dutch (Trifolium repens), L Apr-M Jul, White to ELA, Mild
Chickweed (Stellaria media), Apr-Jul, White, Fair
Sage-Lyre Leaved (Salvia lyrata), Apr-Jun, Clear White, Sage Odor
Holly-American (Ilex opaca), May, White, Strong
Catalpa-Northern (Catalpa speciosa), May, White, Fair
Thistle-Canada (Cirsium arvense), May-Oct, White, Good
Alfalfa (Medicago sativa), L Spring-Fall, Water White, Mild
Clover-Alsike (Trifolium hybridum), May-Oct, Light Colored, Mild
Clover-White Sweet (Melilotus alba), May-Aug, Water W sometimes greenish tint
Clover-Yellow Sweet (Melilotus officinalis), May-Aug, Water W no tint
Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina), May-Jun, White, Mild, Heavy Aroma
Raspberry-Wild Black (Rubus occidentalis), May, White, Delicious
Basswood (Tilia americana), L May, Extra White, Slight Bite
Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis), Jun-Aug, White, Mild
Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), Jun-Jul, White
Dogbane-Spreading (Apocynum androsaemifolium), Jun-Aug, White, Mild
Purple Loosestrife (Luthrum salicaria), L Jun-E Sep, Amber Greenish
Pepperbush-Sweet (Clethra alnifolia), Jul-Aug, White, Mild
Thistle-Yellow Star (Centaurea solstitalis), Jul-Oct, White, greenish tinge
Vetch-Common (Vicia cracca L.), Jul- Aug, Water White
Blue Vine (Ampelamus albidus), White, Cloudy
Lavender (Lavandula spp.), W-Y-G-A, Delicate
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), C-W-WW, Granulates quickly, Rich flavor

Guess I'll never know for sure what produced 88 4oz jars of goooood honey in the summer of '05.


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Dave; 

Where did you get such a database, and where can I get one for East TN? 

I can't recall my zone off the top of my head.


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

MichaelW . . .

Mine has been "home-grown" from a bunch of sources and it grows every day









If you have questions, some of the info might apply to E TN.


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Wow, I'm impressed. 

Thats something I've started on but didn't get very far. Whats the format? Can I get a copy?

Right now I'm using Access, but could import comma delimited text if your using something else. I could easily look up the plants in my Botany books and see if they are located here and when they bloom.

[ June 15, 2006, 02:18 PM: Message edited by: MichaelW ]


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## Dave W (Aug 3, 2002)

Dont be impressed, its not fancy. Its on a Works spreadsheet. Im not sure how to get you a copy. Maybe I'll post all 300+ rows x about 15 columns here


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

I could probably import a Works spreadsheat I imagine. I'll PM my email.

I would like to eventually incorporate bloom times and weather tables into my beekeeping database, but thats like way off. For now, my Botany database is seperate. I have a table of plants, and a table of nectar info. A "bee" query will show the plants with nectar info. What I really need to do is import a huge table of just plant names for my area, then just fill in the pertinent nectar info in a linked table when I find it.


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