About Our Honey

Amethyst Meadows takes great care in the management of our hives. With 4 bee yards in Southern Ontario, the tastes of local nectars shine through in the honey these bees produce. Minimal use of smoke, a bias to organic practices and treatments, and careful environment monitoring maximizes the health and minimizes the stress on the bee colonies.

Honey comes in different grades, coloiurs and textures. Amethyst Meadows sells only Ontario Grade 1 honey, although Grades 2 or 3 may be provided upon special request.

We employ a split harvest method at Amethyst Meadows, which results in some interesting - and very tasty - honey flavours.

Typical Colours

Ontario honey colours are classified as White, Golden, Amber and Dark. Darker honeys tend to have stronger flavours. Most of the honey from Amethyst Meadows' bee yards is white or golden; occasionally, based on seasonality and weather conditions, we extract some amber honey.

White Honey

Produced by the bees in spring and early summer, this honey comes from the nectar of flowers and trees such as basswood, linden, clover, , trefoil, sumac, dandelion and a host of other early blooms. It has a light, floral flavour, sometimes with a slight hint of mint.

Golden Honey

This honey is harvested in the fall, and includes a number of local summer and fall flowers including lavender, goldenrod, aster, squash and clover. It is a full bodied, aromatic honey.

Amber Honey

This is more rare for the Amethyst Meadows bee yards. This honey comes primarily from goldenrod, poplar, wildflowers and chestnut. It has a darker colour and a somewhat stronger taste than amber honey, with caramel undertones.

Textures of Honey

Typically, honey is available in two distinct textures. Liquid, which is clear and flowing, or creamed, which has a grainy texture and is generally easier to spread. The graininess of the creamed honey has to do with the granularity of the crystals formed when the honey became creamed.

Liquid

Liquid honey can be any colour. it is clear and free of particles, and is opaque at darker colours.

Creamed Honey

Creamed honey can be any colour. Natural crystals are formed by introducing especially fine, small honey crystals to liquid honey as a catalyst which then creates a smooth, granulated honey with a lovely texture that is easy to spread.