2013年7月22日 星期一


在市集中常常被問 蜂蜜應該看起來完全不透明阿, 電視所謂的"專家"也常常這樣說
雖然問過陳裕文教授, 他說並非一定完全不透明, 但是我還是去查了一下, 台灣的蜂蜜種類真的太少了, 國外蜂蜜種類繁多, 果然有所研究, 蜂蜜透不透明是跟花的種類有關係, 每一種花會呈現不同的顏色跟透明度, 以下文章中的一段就說明了每一種蜂蜜都會呈現不同的透明度跟顏色
所以不透明應該泛指台灣所謂的龍眼蜜跟荔枝蜜, 其他的蜂蜜應該不適用這種標準

Single Flower Honey

Single flower honeys (also known as varietal, monofloral or unifloral honey) differ from multifloral or wildflower honeys by the predominance of nectar collected from a single type of plant. In practice, this can be difficult to achieve. The bees cannot be herded or trained to go to a particular type of plant.
Single flower honey is the result of two conditions. First, the target plant must predominate so the bees have little choice of plants. Second, the beekeeper must time the introduction of the hive and the actual harvesting of the comb to coincide with this blooming period. This is done by carefully observing the blooming period of the chosen plant as well as possible overlapping blooming periods of other nectar-producing plants as well.
A good example from Florida is the delicious single flower Tupelo and Gall Berry honeys produced from the same region. Beekeepers harvest the honey from blossoming Gall Berry right after they’ve harvested the Tupelo honeyfrom the earlier blossoming Tupelo trees.
Yet sometimes timing is not so critical. When the plant is produced commercially in vast quantities, the bee hives are simply moved there for the blossoming period. A good example of this is Lavender honey of France.
It is wonderful to realize that honey, like wine, has hundreds, perhaps thousands of different varieties. Each type of single flower honey is a natural reduction of the nectar of its corresponding flower or plant.
Black Locust – Acacia Honey Blue Borage – Vipers Bugloss Honey Buckwheat Honey Carob Honey Chestnut Honey
Clover Honey Dandelion Honey Erica Heather Honeys Heather Honey Honeydew or Forest Honeys
Lavender Honey Leatherwood Honey Linden – Lime – Basswood Honey Manuka Honey Milk Thistle Honey
Mint Honey Orange Blossom Honey Sourwood Honey Star Thistle Honey Strawberry Tree Honey
Thistle Honey Thyme Honey Tupelo Honey Yellow Box Honey
Like wine, the differences are sometimes subtle and complex and sometimes obvious and surprising. This is what makes single flower honey unique and special. By harvesting the honey as it comes from the hive, the characteristics that would otherwise be lost by blending are retained, and we are able to appreciate and enjoy the differences between the plants that create the nectar source for the bees.
Trying different single flower honeys is a revelation of aromas and taste, each flower producing its own unique type of honey. Some dark and rich, others almost clear and light. Some very aromatic, reminiscent of their flower. Their taste; spicy, bitter, astringent, thick, smooth and creamy… hundreds of variations. And each honey is the result of the characteristics of the plants in the region of the hive where the honey was obtained.
Following the flow of honey to its plant source takes you around the world; from the moors of Scotland where Heather produces a highly prized Heather honey, to the rocky arid Mediterranean islands of Greece where aromticThyme honey is produced. In Europe, Australia, South America, the Middle East and all the countries of the world and thousands of regions where honey plants grow. Honey production is documented in Egyptian hieroglyphics and was world-renowned from cities long gone, such as ancient Hybla, Sicily.Hybla’s honey came from blossoms of the Linden Tree growing in the Iblean mountains, traced to the origin of the word, “Hyblean” meaning superlative or honeyed.  And places where highly prized rare honeys are produced from a limited number of plants that produce only when conditions are ideal and dedicated beekeepers are only able to harvest it every few years, such as the much-loved, aromatic and very sweet Sourwood honey from the Appalachian area of  USA.
In practice, it is rare find a honey that is made entirely of one plant. Why? Because it is rare to find only one type of nectar producing plant in the range of a bee hive. Nevertheless, honey with the characteristics of one plant type can be achieved as long as the proportion of nectar from this plant is high enough to produce the characteristic flavor, texture and aroma.
Proportions of flowers are usually determined by the percentage of its pollen in the honey. Pollen tends to be unique for each species of plant and can be identified and counted. Since different flowers have more or less pollen, there are often different pollen content requirements. A pollen percentage of 45% or better is common but it can be as low as 15% for certain types of single flower honeys that have low pollen counts (such as Lavender).  This percentage is often set by the country of origin for more common single flower honeys such as Acacia or Linden honey.
To keep the honey relatively pure, beekeepers must be very careful to place fresh hives near the target plant when it starts to produce nectar  then remove the hives and extract the honey before the next set of plants blossom. Other times the predominance of a single species makes the production of almost pure single flower honey possible, such as orange blossom honey from orange tree groves.
Source from:  http://www.honeytraveler.com/single-flower-honey/