Lime Honey

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Came across a jar of Romanian lime honey (Sainsburys) in my cupboard this morning. This has a distinct citrus flavour to it, which left me in my normal state of confusiion.

I'd assumed lime trees were no relation to the citrus fruit, or is Romainian lime honey likely to have come from a different plant to our lime tree?
 
I've been to Romania a few times. It's scorching hot in summer. I can believe they are able to grow citrus but I'd be confident your Sainsury's honey is the tilia variety.
Or maybe quick-lime? I understand the Securitate secret police had quite a stockpile before they suddenly disbanded in 1989. :reddevil:
 
I've been to Romania a few times. It's scorching hot in summer. I can believe they are able to grow citrus but I'd be confident your Sainsury's honey is the tilia variety.

Thanks Chris - can you exaplin further what the tilia variety is? Is it the same that we have here, and if so how is the citrus flavour explained?
 
Hi,
"Tilia" is the family of lime trees we are familiar with here. "Tilia vulgaris" is the common lime but there are others. The honey has a minty flavour. These trees are very common around us but I've only had distinctive lime honey on 2 occasions - I think it's because other forage dominates so lime nectar is usually a small percentage.
I can't explain the citrus flavour of your Sainsbury's honey. Are there any clues on the label?
 
Don't bees use honeydew from Lime trees rather than nectar from the flowers?

They can get honeydew, but they are noted as a source of nectar- although, like heather, apparently you get good and bad years. The europaean species- Tilia cordata and platyphyllos, and their hybrid T. x europaea (common lime) are all good, but some others eg T x euchlora and T. petiolaris are narcotic to bees.
 
Hi,
"Tilia" is the family of lime trees we are familiar with here. "Tilia vulgaris" is the common lime but there are others. The honey has a minty flavour. These trees are very common around us but I've only had distinctive lime honey on 2 occasions - I think it's because other forage dominates so lime nectar is usually a small percentage.
I can't explain the citrus flavour of your Sainsbury's honey. Are there any clues on the label?

My honey has some lime in it, and at least one person has described it as 'citrusy' rather than minty. I gueass flavour is subjective.
 
Don't bees use honeydew from Lime trees rather than nectar from the flowers?

As I understand it lime needs to have just the right amount of water at it's feet AND warm temperatures to produce any real amount of nectar so ideal condition is a wet week followed by a nice couple of warm sunny weeks all around the time they flower.

If this happens its quite good flow so I've been told, don't think it happened this year down here.

Si.
 
I remember the really heady scent from the limes flowering in Bushy Park. I can see how they could be narcotic though I seem to remember the city trees are cordata. I always thought that it was a daft tree to plant in a suburban street as it left its tell-tale drip all over cars parked underneath. Isn't petiolaris the weeping silver lime? I've heard that bumbles succumb, fall to the ground in a stupor but do wake (if not eaten by some passing predator, of course)
You can make lime flower champagne in the same fashion as elderflower by the way :drool5:
 

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