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Ames Farm Single Source Honey is collected over one specific time period, from one unique geographical location and from one single hive. We keep our 300 hives in 18 different locations in several counties across Minnesota. The major flower source being visited by the bees during the time period they are producing the honey is assigned as the name of the honey variety. Each container of honey is searchable in our beeyard database, using the hive number and location printed on the side of every container. The database provides information about the geographical location where the honey was collected, the time period it was produced and the individual flavor profile. |
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This unique approach allows the essence of the honey bees work to be captured like a photograph in time. Each season varies in weather and favors certain plants. Add to this the wide range of soils and climate a particular plant may inhabit and the end result is a palette of flavor ranges we work with to produce our Single Source Honey.
All single source honey is raw, unfiltered honey. This means it was not exposed to heat outside of the beehive and is not heavily processed or blended. Raw honey contains beneficial vitamins, enzymes and yeasts which processed honey does not. Raw honey is very delicate and can be damaged by careless management of the beehives, the placement of the hives, and the removal of the honey from the hives. The aroma, flavor and body of the honey are all very much affected by all of these variables that are under the control of the beekeeper.
The location of the hives also affects the nectar from honey producing plants. Small nuances can be detected in the flavor and body of a honey when compared from different geographical locations. On occasions, a plant may not produce any nectar at all in a specific location while miles away the bees may be feasting on the same plant, filled with nectar.
During each season, primary honey producing plants like Basswood, Sweet Clover, Goldenrod, Dutch Clover and Thistle help the bees produce large quantities of honey. Other secondary sources like Birdsfoots Trefoil, Boneset, Blue Vervain and Wild Bergamont can, on occasion, help the bees produce surplus honey we then harvest. These secondary sources may come and go over each season depending on weather conditions. Just like fine wine, every plant has its season. Over the last four seasons we have been able to isolate 10-15 different floral sources each year.
Raw honey will crystallize and turn solid as compared to processed honey, which is heated and heavily filtered. While heat destroys the delicate flavors, useful enzymes and character of the honey, it does prolong the liquid state for years. Our raw honey is typically liquid from harvest time to mid-winter. How soon a honey crystallizes depends on the floral source and storage environment. Honey never spoils and crystallized honey can be re-liquified by heating the container gently (100F) in a pan of water.
Our liquid honey is extracted from the honeycombs using centrifugal force in a device called an extractor. While the honey industry has embraced large pieces of extraction equipment, which produce large quantities of blended honey in an attempt to create economies of scale. Ames Farm has rejected that model and instead focused on a labor intensive methodology, which allows more careful attention to detail by the beekeeper. For example, approximately 5% of the surplus honey each season, which is harvested for extraction, is rejected during the extraction process for unsatisfactory moisture content, fermentation or poor flavor. This lower grade honey is returned to the bees as food during times of scarce nectar supply.
This artisan approach to producing honey is almost unheard of here in North America, while it is much more common in other parts of the world.
Ames Farm is heading in the new and exciting direction of pollen analysis. Ames Farm is the recipient of a recent Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant to be used for a project titled “Adding value to honey products through the use of Melissopalynology techniques”. Melissopalynology is the term used to describe the science of pollen analysis using microscopy. Pollen residue can be removed from raw honey samples and compared using a microscope to reference slides of pollen from a known plant. This information is useful in the identification of the honey producing plant. This type of approach is the industry standard for producing varietal honey in portions of Europe and in New Zealand but has been relatively unheard of in the United States. |
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