Unusual smell / after taste - any ideas?

[PeaBee]

Hi I had some bees down on the Linc/Cambs fens this summer. I have taken bees there for the last few years as the farm grows mustard for colmans which in previous year has given a similar honey to OSR as you would expect. This year I left them there after the mustard has finished (mid June) and got a second crop of honey from end of June to mid July . This had a really distinctive "herby" smell when cracking the crown board and extracting and a similar aftertaste (when the sweetness has gone) that is almost reminiscent of cloves. The honey is pretty generic amber runny honey to look at. I had an explore around the area and other than beans there was nothing noticeable crop wise. There is a lot of waterways with of bramble, Rosebay and some balsam from what I could see. And they were bringing a mixed bag of pollen when I had a look at the entrance (grey, yellow, orange). Any ideas on what it could be that gives it that smell and taste?
Cheers
PB

 

[Erichalfbee]

One to send off to the Honey Monitoring Scheme. You’ve got a week or so to get your sample in

 

[PeaBee]

Good idea, never thought about that, thanks

 

[lindsay s]

Another any ideas?
Only getting round to extracting now this year. Partly due to leaving the supers on for an extra two weeks due to the good weather and also waiting for our kitchen to be completed. No better way to christen it then to cover everything in honey and beeswax! All of my honey gets blended together and this year it’s a good mix of clover, meadowsweet, and a little bit of heather from my rural apiary. Plus everything under the sun from my town apiary.
My rural hives have managed to fill quite a few frames with this honey, it’s yellowish in colour and the wax had a yellow tinge too. It tastes okay but it has a slight smell of pee. It’s not dandelion because the supers went on after it had finished flowering. A large plot of Phacelia was growing nearby and the bees were working it well in the good weather. Could it have been this? Lastly should I refrain from blending it in with the rest of my honey?
Sorry if the photos don’t do it justice.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Ragwort?

 

[lindsay s]

You are probably right although the farmers mostly keep on top of it. I have found a thread about it on this forum. A search on the web says it’s not poisonous so I’m going to blend it in with the rest of my honey. I hope no one says “ you’re charging £6:00 for a jar that smells of pee!

 

[ericbeaumont]

yellowish in colour and the wax had a yellow tinge

Dani is right: ragwort. The tang fades after a while and will add flavour to your mix.

 

[Blunt Spike]

You are probably right although the farmers mostly keep on top of it. I have found a thread about it on this forum. A search on the web says it’s not poisonous so I’m going to blend it in with the rest of my honey. I hope no one says “ you’re charging £6:00 for a jar that smells of pee!

If its £6 for the jar, how much is the honey?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Hi I had some bees down on the Linc/Cambs fens this summer. I have taken bees there for the last few years as the farm grows mustard for colmans which in previous year has given a similar honey to OSR as you would expect. This year I left them there after the mustard has finished (mid June) and got a second crop of honey from end of June to mid July . This had a really distinctive "herby" smell when cracking the crown board and extracting and a similar aftertaste (when the sweetness has gone) that is almost reminiscent of cloves. The honey is pretty generic amber runny honey to look at. I had an explore around the area and other than beans there was nothing noticeable crop wise. There is a lot of waterways with of bramble, Rosebay and some balsam from what I could see. And they were bringing a mixed bag of pollen when I had a look at the entrance (grey, yellow, orange). Any ideas on what it could be that gives it that smell and taste?
Cheers
PB

Does it look like this I extracted runny honey on the 12th of
July and it smells herbal and has a zing on your pallet - extracted up on the clee .

 

[ericbeaumont]

look like this

Ragwort honey is more yellow than yours, Mark.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Ragwort honey is more yellow than yours, Mark.

I’m sure mate it was a reply to peabee.

. The honey is pretty generic amber runny honey to look at. - from his first post.

I think that one is Hawthorne and possibly holly and eucalyptus, I’ll find out soon enough as it’s been tested we also had the same honey like that in 2020 up here.

 

[lindsay s]

I spoke to the farmer who owns the land where my hives were today and he said there was a couple of uncultivated fields full of ragwort less than half a mile from my hives. ( It wasn’t his land by the way) It looks like my bees took advantage of the easy pickings. I have put hives there for the last 10 summers for the clover and this is the first year that I’ve had a significant amount from the ragwort. I have too many frames to extract in the next two weeks so I’m not going to faff about keeping the ragwort honey separate. Let’s hope I don’t regret it!
Thanks for all of your help.

 

[lindsay s]

If its £6 for the jar, how much is the honey?

You might laugh Spike but the carriage charge for the pallet of jars I recently got home was £159:35 !!! At this rate it won’t be long till we’ll be charging £6:00 for the jar

 

[Erichalfbee]

I think that one is Hawthorne

I thought your Hawthorn was pure and pale?

 

[ericbeaumont]

eucalyptus

Nice honey, rich flavour.

Years ago, a Portugese beefarmer passed through the market promoting his honey and after tasting it, I bought a 135g jar for about £5. Flavour from the combination of sweet chestnut & eucalyptus was so exceptional that at first, I wasn't sure I liked it: coffee, toffee and boiled metal. By the time I'd eaten half the jar I'd have bought a kilo, but he never returned.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I thought your Hawthorn was

Nice honey, rich flavour.

Years ago, a Portugese beefarmer passed through the market promoting his honey and after tasting it, I bought a 135g jar for about £5. Flavour from the combination of sweet chestnut & eucalyptus was so exceptional that at first, I wasn't sure I liked it: coffee, toffee and boiled metal. By the time I'd eaten half the jar I'd have bought a kilo, but he never returned.

That honey Dani was dandelion.
The pollen sample we tested in 2020 the main three were holly , eucalyptus, and Hawthorne, this spring we have had the same honey again .

You have got about a bit Eric I’d love to travel Europe one day pm me and I’ll send you a sample .

Or if you know some one who is going to Ludlow food festival they could pick you a jar up from the association stand.
Also I will be at tenbury apple fest and a few fairs locally over the next month.

 

[PeaBee]

Does it look like this I extracted runny honey on the 12th of
July and it smells herbal and has a zing on your pallet - extracted up on the clee .View attachment 37562

Similar shade but it was quite clear.
Had bees down on the same site this year and did not get any unusual honey this year, so what ever it was it was not around this year, shame it was nice.

 

[alisonfosterbell]

Nice honey, rich flavour.

Years ago, a Portugese beefarmer passed through the market promoting his honey and after tasting it, I bought a 135g jar for about £5. Flavour from the combination of sweet chestnut & eucalyptus was so exceptional that at first, I wasn't sure I liked it: coffee, toffee and boiled metal. By the time I'd eaten half the jar I'd have bought a kilo, but he never returned.

Maybe it was Bitter Honey from arbousiers ("srrawberry tree") ? It tastes of coffee, burnt caramel and liquorice! White flowers in corsica italy spain portugal. Stanley Tucci once did a programme with pig roasted on a spit slathered in this amazing honey!