Best Honey in Vermont

[ChefandBeeVT]

Hey all,

I am trying to determine the best honey from Vermont.  If you have any suggestions please let me know!

[AlaMoi]

sorry - there's no such thing as "best"

honey predominately 'harvested' from clover, alfalfa - any one of dozens of trees, flowering shrubs, etc etc . . .

will have a different taste

same honey in raw form vs 'refined' will taste different.

seeking "just VT honey" will narrow down the rather long list of blossom tastes - simply because not a lot of Eucalyptus grow in VT, , , for example.

 

which flavor work best for what dishes/ingredients.... well, that's why your name is "Yes, Chef!"

 

a local bee keeper could assist - the state ag people can put you onto less local keepers/associations/groups that should have a broader outlook on 'what makes a good honey in VT'

oh, just to keep you on your toes, the honey will be different year-to-year . . .

[chromedome]

You're just gonna have to taste a whole bunch of honey.

 

I did that when I was still working in the business, and found a remarkable degree of variation between them. When I was chef-busking at the farmer's market, I even sold a "honey-tasting flight" with a few local honeys in small cups, complete with a card for tasting notes and a small wedge of fresh-baked corn bread as a palate cleanser for in between. It sold well as an occasional novelty, though I wouldn't have done it every week (it was a relatively small market).

 

The best honey I ever had was from a fellow vendor who kept exactly one hive on her little farm, primarily for her own use. She gifted us a jar because she and my (now-deceased) wife were good friends. It had the most remarkable lingering fruity notes, berry-like and wine-like.

 

Which I suppose is a roundabout way of saying that "tasting a bunch of honey is its own reward."

[ChefandBeeVT]

1 hour ago, chromedome said:

You're just gonna have to taste a whole bunch of honey.

 

I did that when I was still working in the business, and found a remarkable degree of variation between them. When I was chef-busking at the farmer's market, I even sold a "honey-tasting flight" with a few local honeys in small cups, complete with a card for tasting notes and a small wedge of fresh-baked corn bread as a palate cleanser for in between. It sold well as an occasional novelty, though I wouldn't have done it every week (it was a relatively small market).

 

The best honey I ever had was from a fellow vendor who kept exactly one hive on her little farm, primarily for her own use. She gifted us a jar because she and my (now-deceased) wife were good friends. It had the most remarkable lingering fruity notes, berry-like and wine-like.

 

Which I suppose is a roundabout way of saying that "tasting a bunch of honey is its own reward."

I agree 100% with this. I’ve tasted many in the last 5 years and have found that the taste differs substantially from county to county. I also make a batch of dandelion wine each year and found that the dandelions I picked in Franklin county, VT produce a better tasting wine than those picked in Chittenden county, VT. A bit off topic but it’s always interested me in tasting the difference in things that are grown or produced only a few short miles from one place to another. 

[paulraphael]

We were in Vermont last summer and picked up some aster honey from a berry farmer in Rochester. This might be my personal favorite. It tastes piney, even hoppy. An unusual flavor that my girlfriend and I found addictive. 

 

I couldn't say if this was better or worse than anyone else's aster honey. But I've discovered that it's not a common variety. In most places your only option is mail order it from someplace expensive.