This Just In: Honey DNA

We have some die-hard honey fans. We know our honey is good, and like the terroir for our syrup, it is unique: no two days are alike for busy bees looking for pollen and nectar over the ever-shifting cycles of bloom and bust. We know up in Vermont our vast wild forests offer them a natural and clean selection. But until now, we could only guess at what distinguishes our honey from others.

So now here it is: our DNA sample, returned to us from the lab at Best Bees out of Boston. Number one surprise: Hemlocks - at almost 30% ? Wow, we didn't expect that. No wonder the honey has that tangy flavor.

For comparison's sake, my cousin Katie's sample from Rhode Island came in with her highest percentage at 14% clover. No less delicious, just completely different. Did you know there were such vast differences in honey from different locations? We are eager to find out more from Best Bee's lab on what they have found in their other samples. (Thanks to brilliant Katie for the DNA idea and referral.)

We don't promote our honey much, because we only have a little at a time, and it goes fast. The farm is not so much a honey supplier, as a bee sanctuary. We only offer what the bees can afford to give up. That means we feed our bees their own, real honey whenever possible, holding onto extra honey frames in case we need them during the winter. Refined sugar and corn syrup mess with their digestive systems and don't offer the mix of micro-nutrients they need to stay strong. With all that the bees are going through as a species, anything we can do to strengthen them, we do. Please visit the gentle experts at Spikenard Honeybee Sanctuary for more information.

visit us at www.newdayfarmvt.com