And I do like honey. The natural honey from Weiser, ID is really good. Idaho Honey Apiaries, 426 Krause Rd, Mathews Farms in Weiser, to be exact.
And those of you who read this blog and follow it, know that I use 99.9% Idaho products. Especially Idaho farm products – eggs, beef, lamb, chicken and all kinds of produce.
But there are some times when I defer to the 0.1% of the time when I leave the trend and go outside of Idaho. Honey. My favorite, hands down, is Tupelo Honey! (Tupelo, MS was named after the tupelo tree!) It is a fruity, floral and slightly tan. It is delicious! From healthywithhoney.com, “…The center of all tupelo honey producers is Apalachicola River, in the Florida Panhandle. Tupelo honey is produced wherever tupelo trees bloom, all over southeastern USA, but the purest and most expensive version (certified by pollen analysis) is produced in this valley.”
Tupelo honey is a high-grade honey produced in a small region in North Western Florida and Southern Georgia from White Ogeechee Tupelo trees. The honey color is light golden amber with a greenish cast. It has a mild floral and fruity taste. The aroma is cinnamon and floral. The honey is produced from the Ogeechee tupelo (southeastern United States) Nyssa ogeche, commonly referred to as Ogeechee tupelo, white tupelo, river lime, ogeechee lime tree, sour gum or wild lime is a deciduous tree.

“Tupelo honey’s high fructose content resists crystallization for years. Because of its light floral aroma and balance it goes well with strong blue cheeses (Roquefort, Stilton, Gorgonzola, Cabrales cheese etc.) and fruit such as fresh roasted peaches. Some diabetics use Tupelo as a sweetener because of its high fructose (levulose) content.” [honeytraveler.com]
Since Tupelo trees grow in swampy areas and beekeepers want the hives close to the trees, it is common to place the beehives on platforms to avoid flooding along side of the swamp. Some beekeepers still use boats to access their hives. In Florida, beekeepers keep beehives along the river swamps on platforms or floats during tupelo bloom to produce certified tupelo honey, which commands a high price on the market because of its flavor. Tupelo floral content can be as high as 95% although only 51% is required by the state to be labeled, “Tupelo Honey”… The tree, first discovered by William Bartram along the Ogeechee River in Georgia, it is also known as Swamp Gum, Sour Tupelo-Gum, Bee-Tupelo, Tupelo Gum and Ogeechee-Lime Tree. It produces 1.5-inch-long, showy red fruits that ripen in autumn. The juice can be used as a substitute for limes, hence its common name. The Tupelo Honey Festival in Wewahitchka, Florida, referred to as “Wewa” by locals, is celebrated annually on the 3rd Saturday of May at Lake Alice Park. Here is a link to more info for the Tupelo Honey Festival It is a great place to try to buy fresh Tupelo honey and talk to the beekeepers that have upheld the traditions that have made Tupelo honey famous.
The only place in Idaho that I know of that has Tupelo Honey on the shelf is the Boise Coop, in Boise. A 13.5 oz jar should run about $6.73. If you would rather, you can go directly to one source at Swanson Vitamins, and they do have the honey from YS Eco Farms, but only in season! Enjoy the honey. We do!