Our honey is PURPLE !!!!

[Wally's Angels]

I thought maybe I had just been on my feet too long or something but then we got it in the house and started crushing it out of the frames and sure enough it's PURPLE!! It looked like the frames were bleeding blueberry syrup or something

We're having a blast trying to figure out what kind of honey that is and where the bees got it from. Is it the cotton stuff? It tastes extra good somehow too, extra sweet but not too thick to enjoy a BIG spoonful.

Me and the teen beek trio are having a ball with the bees now. It's so awesome to stand there and watch them working. They are just so busy lately!!

I wonder if the bees will make lots of this stuff or if it's only a brief thing? It's the neatest looking honey I think I've ever seen!

[Kurt Bower]

I have never heard of purple honey.
By all means, please save a jar for talking purposes as the years go by.
You might contact Don Hopkin's by email and see if he has ever heard of purple honey.
Please fill us in as you gather more details.

Kurt

[Wally]

First, you say purple, then you say like blueberry. I have heard of blue honey. It comes mostly from eastern NC and comes from soy beans grown in a certain type soil. Possibly cotton grown in the same type soil. It is a unique honey made only in the eastern half of NC. Please save a small jar and bring to the bee meeting. I have heard of it for years, but have never actually seen it. I would to see what it really looks like.
Congratulations on the harvest. First year harvests are never guaranteed, especially after requeening. Just a bunch of exceptional beeks, I guess.

[Wally's Angels]

Wow, I don't know what to think now!!! I have been looking all evening on the web looking for some kind of indicator as to what we have going on with the honey. It's the strangest thing I've ever seen.... at least that I'm willing to own up to seeing anyway.

I'll definitely bring you some of it Wally, and if I can make it to the next bee meeting I'll bring some then too. It looks like grape soda pop as far as color goes but to me that's the same color as blueberry syrup, purple. It's the sweetest tasting honey I think I've ever had and so smooth you could just drink it.

As far as I've been able to find out so far it could be kudzu honey, at least that's what some sites I've read say. We sure have plenty of it growing around here! Then some have said soybean, but the nearest soybeans are quite a piece away from our place. One fella down the road from us says it's possible to be some sort of "eastern sourwood tree" that only grows in the eastern half of NC.... I have no clue what he's talking about but he's one of the nicest neighbors I've ever had in my life and he gave me the biggest watermelon I've ever seen today too.

We only harvested 5 frames today from two different hives, and that was just to make some more room in there because all of those frames were filled and capped and the bees were building comb out the top and putting honey in there. We weren't expecting to get any honey right now but from the looks of the uncapped honey in all of the hives and the way the bees are working we'll have a bit more later on. I'm not sure how much of it will be purple though.

[Wally's Angels]

I thought I would share the email with y'all though it only further confuses us as to what the cause of the odd colored honey is. Hopefully someday we will find out what it is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Mrs. Thompson,
There are several theories about the "blue " or purple honey of north Carolina. It doesn't come in every year but your location seems to be in the area where it is most frequently found. The counties that border or include fort Bragg are known for the production of this type of honey. The three front running theories are as follows. 1: A high aluminum content in the soil that affects the nectar from the Sourwood trees. This theory is attributable to Dr. Ambrose from NCSU. 2: the summer Ti ti is a common plant in that area and does cause a condition in the colony called "blue brood" and is assumed by some to color the honey as well. 3: Bill sheppard believes that the blue honey comes from the huckleberry fruit that bees may be attracted to at this time of year. Eack of these theories has it's advocates but I don't believe that any of them has been appropriately documented yet. We have sent samples in the past to be analised by honey experts but most of them have thanked us for the unusual honey and not done any further investigation. We can try again if you would like to.
Thanks, Don Hopkins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
So does anyone have any suggestions? I'm thoroughly stumped and confused. It is some of the best tasting honey I think I've ever had though, we took some to our fellowship meeting after church yesterday and even the folks who really dislike honey enjoyed it.

[Locust&Honey]

What are you waiting for??? Take the honey outside and take a pic for us to see. It is driving me nuts!!! Make sure to get the sun behind the jar so the light will light up the honey. Take us a pic!!!!!!

[Wally's Angels]

I'm trying to figure out how to put pictures on here..... I'm a total technical dummy!! I'll keep trying though.

[Wally's Angels]

did that work??

[Wally]

No, sorry, it didn't. It does now, tho.

I like this one better, tho.

[Wally's Angels]

Thanks Wally!! Maybe I should just let you do the pics! Isn't it pretty though??? the honey, not the pics. I wish y'all could taste this stuff!!! Now, how on earth do I get the pictures to work and not be super giant???

[Wally]

Under the photo on photobucket, there are 4 windows. The last one says "IMG code".
Copy that window and paste it in your post.

[Wally's Angels]

I did copy that img mess into the window .....i think that all things computer just hate me or something!! BUT..... i got purple honey, i got purple honey

So is that what you call blue honey Wally?? We saved a jar just for you to have, ya know, cuz you're special

L&H, I tried so hard to get a pic of sun shining through the honey but it's really dark honey and with all the blue/purple very very little light will go through. Every once in awhile if you turn the jar quickly enough you'll get a glimmer of red through the shallowest part but that's it.

So what do you all think?? Ain't it just the strangest thing??

[Wally]

But you wrote "did that work??" between the .jpg and the [/IMG]
The writing needs to go on a separate line.
Try posting one of the jar pics and see if it doesn't work.

[Locust&Honey]

That is good enough for me. Looks like a purple melted popsicle . My mother-in-law said she has heard of it and heard that it was really yummy. I believe your kids are the ones who should be bragging . Tell them Triston and Aaron said way to go guys.

[Wally's Angels]

Thanks Wally for telling me what it was I was doing to mess the pictures up!!! I'm still trying to get it right.

L&H, I'm so glad to hear that someone has heard of it and likes it!! The kids are more excited than I am, but they type really really slow and get too frustrated so most of what I type is a combination of me and each of them talking all at the same time Us on the internet is a hoot!

Anyway, I'll try the picture thing again but now I think I've made it too small.



Finally, I learned how to do that (sorta). I think the purple honey is really pretty....and L&H's MIL is totally right about it being really yummy, I seriously have never had honey that tastes like this but I wish more of it did.

[Kurt Bower]

Many thanks to all of Wally's Angels for having shared last night at the meeting. It is the small contributions of the members that make such a big difference.
It was certainly a first for me to have experienced purple honey! And thanks for the personal sacrifice of all the sample jars!

Kurt

[Locust&Honey]

And the taste????

[Wally's Angels]

No problem Kurt, it was so much fun for the kids to share with everyone the results of the first honey they harvested! They just loved to hear so many people talk about how they have never seen/heard of purple honey and to say how good it tasted too. The sample jars were jars that they had set out to gift to folks who they felt were a real help or encouragement to them, they were disappointed that they didn't have more so that they could give bigger jars though. The kids are all hoping for lots more purple honey in the future so that they can share it again... only more generously next time.

L&H, the kids set aside a sample for your family too but you weren't at the meeting. Caleb says he will send it on to you probably one day this week. He is really excited about letting Tristan taste the purple honey!

Taeler gave Kirsten?? I hope that's the right name! Anyway, Taeler gave her a sample of honey and is hoping that she will be able to look at it under the microscope and identify the pollen in it for clues about why it's purple. I don't think these kids will give up until they figure out what makes the purple honey purple either.... I have some pretty determined and persistent kids!

As an aside, the kids gave in to the pressure to sell a small jar when a lady offered them $20 for a half pint jar I didn't know whether to be more shocked that they sold the honey or that someone was willing to pay so much for it. Now they are hoping for more purple honey soon!

[Kurt Bower]

It's all about supply and demand.
Some of my honey varieties go for regular price others go for substantailly more.
Congratulations on the harvest, the sale and best of luck on future purple honey crops.

Kurt

[Locust&Honey]

Of all meetings to miss!!!! Triston is really excited about the purple honey. You are raising some great kids!!!!!!