Just extracted very dark honey.

[Amari]

I took off 190 lbs from 12 boxes yesterday all collected since my previous extraction a month ago . I've never seen such dark slightly murky honey. Ted Hooper says blackberry honey is mid-amber and willow herb is clear yellow. There are no sweet chestnuts locally. There is a little knapweed (reported to yield dark honey).
I surmise this must be honeydew from the plentiful oaks and limes?

 

[enrico]

If they were on in the spring they may well have been sycamore which did well this year.
E

 

[Amari]

No, before yesterday I'd extracted three times May-June so I don't think sycamore would be present now. We have plenty of sycamores but all May honey was pale-light brown.

 

[Finman]

.
Willow herb is faintly yellow, but not yellow, and transparent.

 

[For want of a better word]

Budlea?

 

[Ian123]

Try and keep it separate always good to get some contrast in tastes flavours

 

[enrico]

Try and keep it separate always good to get some contrast in tastes flavours

Hey.... That's my line!!!

 

[Murox]

You may have a Liriodendron tulipifera tree, or cultivar in the area. Its known to give a dark reddish, fairly strong honey, and the tree produces copious amounts of nectar.

 

[Amari]

Budlea?

You may have a Liriodendron tulipifera tree, or cultivar in the area. Its known to give a dark reddish, fairly strong honey, and the tree produces copious amounts of nectar.

Interesting suggestions but we're rural so limited number of dwellings that might have Budlea (I rarely see a honeybee on my small sample). I don't know of any tulip trees but it would have to be mighty copious to yield 190 lbs!

 

[bontbee]

How dark is dark? I have, several times, had a "dark medium" with a "murky" (for want of a better word to link to honey!!) appearance. I am told it's hawthorn. A lovely, not too sweet, almost "nutty" flavour.

 

[Beefriendly]

In my experience of examining pollen in a wide variety of different coloured summer blossom honeys nealry all have contained a smorgasbord of many different pollen's. Only once did we have a dominant pollen, and that was field beans and was not surprising as there was 55 acres of it grown 100 yards away. So I would take suggestions of a single source of nectar for the colour with a pinch of salt. They rarely are.
OSR, Heather and Borage being exceptions, but then we are deliberately targeting a single nectar source here.

 

[Amari]

How dark is dark? I have, several times, had a "dark medium" with a "murky" (for want of a better word to link to honey!!) appearance. I am told it's hawthorn. A lovely, not too sweet, almost "nutty" flavour.

I'm never sure whether I get hawthorn honey but I've read it's amber in colour. Moreover it would have come in in May and I extracted those supers in May and June and returned them to the hives so that the extraction yesterday was honey collected in July.

 

[Amari]

In my experience of examining pollen in a wide variety of different coloured summer blossom honeys nealry all have contained a smorgasbord of many different pollen's. Only once did we have a dominant pollen, and that was field beans and was not surprising as there was 55 acres of it grown 100 yards away. So I would take suggestions of a single source of nectar for the colour with a pinch of salt. They rarely are.
OSR, Heather and Borage being exceptions, but then we are deliberately targeting a single nectar source here.

I agree about the smorgasbord in most situations. However, as stated, I have excluded all obvious flower sources for my crop so by exclusion I conclude a honeydew source. My limited research suggests honeydew is dark.
https://beekeepingforum.co.uk/showpost.php?p=635311&postcount=3

 

[Swarm]

I'm never sure whether I get hawthorn honey but I've read it's amber in colour. Moreover it would have come in in May and I extracted those supers in May and June and returned them to the hives so that the extraction yesterday was honey collected in July.

Yes, more amber coloured IMO but as you say, too late for that. What does it taste like?

 

[Beefriendly]

I have excluded all obvious flower sources for my crop so by exclusion I conclude a honeydew source. My limited research suggests honeydew is dark.

Many mulitfloral honeys are dark. I have had several lots this season which are noticeable dark but are simply multi floral as determined by a brief look at the pollen content.
To claim it is honeydew (which it might be) You simply need a cheap microscope to check...if you find mainly pollen's that are wind borne, lots of soot and dirt, a few nematodes and fungal spores/ hyphae and very little else....it is honey dew. If it's full of pollen grains of different shapes and sizes, no nematodes/fungal spores hyphea etcand sizes it isn't.
Honeydew honey is quite difficult as bees don't like working aphids as nectar sources when easier flowers are available. It's why to get the famous German Pine Honey Dew honey's; the beekeepers have to take their hives into the pine forests where there is little else but aphids to forage upon.

 

[Bee Bumble]

I have a lot of honey similar to this from one apiary. Mine is medium dark with a strong sweet flavour (no hint of bitterness) and a little murky. It was collected in June mostly. There is very little Hawthorn nearby, lots of trees (Beech, Scots Pine, Oak, Birch mostly and some Lime). Plenty of Knapweed, Ragwort and other wildflowers, though they did not do well this year. No crops that produce nectar nearby. I had also assumed it to be honeydew and would also welcome suggestions for the source(s).

 

[Murox]

Interesting suggestions but we're rural so limited number of dwellings that might have Budlea (I rarely see a honeybee on my small sample). I don't know of any tulip trees but it would have to be mighty copious to yield 190 lbs!

Fair enough. Probably a mixture, red clover, knapweed etc etc + some honeydew.
Hope it tastes good.

 

[Jthebeek]

Hi, I get loosetrife honey in July regularly. It's very dark and has a liquorice aftertaste. Hope this helps

 

[beeno]

I have a lot of honey similar to this from one apiary. Mine is medium dark with a strong sweet flavour (no hint of bitterness) and a little murky. It was collected in June mostly. There is very little Hawthorn nearby, lots of trees (Beech, Scots Pine, Oak, Birch mostly and some Lime). Plenty of Knapweed, Ragwort and other wildflowers, though they did not do well this year. No crops that produce nectar nearby. I had also assumed it to be honeydew and would also welcome suggestions for the source(s).

Mine is medium dark with red tinge, mild full flavour, with lingering earthy slightly fruity aftertaste. Looks a bit like cloudy apple juice (small air bubbles I hope) and not flowing very readily. I have assumed it might be bramble, but I have seen no grey pollen going in. I have, however, seen pale yellow pollen going in around sweet chestnut time and after, but there is no bitterness in taste.
So, I am opting for brambles unless someone has a better suggestion.

 

[Into the lions den]

It sounds like Japanese Knotweed honey. The reddish tinge held up to the light is a good indicator to consider that source. If there is enough and the weather is hot they can cart it in...