White honey? Amber honey

[mella l]

Here we are surrounded by orange orchards. Although the oranges do not need pollination to fruit, apiaries bring hives to these orchards to harvest Orange blossom honey. It is delicious.

Can you tell me the difference in white and amber honey harvested on the Big Island. What plants produce the white and the amber colored honeys?

mella l

[janeadams]

Hi mella,

Best honey I ever have had was gotten from a beekeeper at Maku'u market -- it was white, and he told me it was from Ohia blossoms. Last time I was there, he said it was available in the spring.

Jane

[mella l]

Thanks Jane

I thought if the blossoms were a certain color it would appear in the honey, guess that is out. Ohia blossoms are red aren't they?

One day hope to try the white also.

mella l

[janeadams]

Ohia blossoms are red, orange or yellow. Most are red, though. I have a fantasy of grafting yellow and orange branches onto a red tree and having a "confetti" Ohia!

Jane

[ArtM]

White honey is kiawe honey.

http://www.volcanoislandhoney.com/honey.htm#

This honey is crystallized. Usually, this is an annoyance, but with white honey, it's a feature! If you melt it, it would probably turn amber like any other honey. We have some; it's very expensive! Might have to try melting a bit to test my theory.

The color of honey is always some shade of amber, from straw-colored (clover honey, orange blossom honey) to almost black (wild honey). Since honey is essentially concentrated nectar, its color is completely unrelated to the color of the flower.

ArtM

Edited by - ArtM on 09/19/2007 14:26:37

[ArtM]

I performed an experiment on our white honey. Interestingly, when I opened the jar, there was a layer of regular honey on the top of the white honey. It was 100% white and creamy when we bought it, so I'm guessing either things settled or the honey absorbed some moisture from the air over time. (We've had the little jar for years.)

Anyway, I dug a dollop from the white creamy layer and heated it up. Sure enough, as expected, it liquefied and had a light straw color.

I'm guessing kiawe honey has an unusual glucose/fructose ratio that results in the propensity to crystallize easily.

Art M

Edited by - ArtM on 09/23/2007 10:58:55

[mella l]

Thanks Art for the science experiment! I think spun honey takes on a white creamy texture also, but when it settles out over time does get back it's amber color. Hey see you next Saturday!

Jane a confetti tree sounds like so much fun. I hope it air layers well, or takes a graft. It would be such fun to see a confetti tree!

Aloha,


mella l

[emorata]

My favorite dessert is fried apple bananas then doused with honey and served with a side of coconut ice cream.....really ono!

noel

[wyatt]

Mark just received a jar of Volcano Island Honey
Co. White honey. From a neighbor
Wow, love it. What a wonderful unique gift.
Thanks Bill.

Aloha
Wyatt

[Carolann R]

Mella we got some really dark honey from Marvin, the Banana Tree guy at Maku'u when I was baking so much wheat bread. It's got an amazing flavor but I don't know what it's from.

Carrie

"All I can say about life is, Oh God, enjoy it." Bob Newhart