Looking to elevate your next cheese board with an ingredient that stands out from the crowd? Allow us to humbly recommend our California Spring Wildflower Honey. Our raw, unfiltered wildflower honey is sourced from a single beekeeper whose bees roam the blossoming hills of the Sacramento Valley in springtime, collecting nectar from the region’s flowering plants and converting it into a nuanced honey that opens with bright, floral notes that are followed by richer, earthy, slightly spicy flavors. This honey tastes like being one with nature in the Sacramento sunshine.
Read on to learn the definition of wildflower honey, what it means for this honey to be multifloral, how multifloral differs from and can overlap with labels like raw and unfiltered, how to pair wildflower honey with other foods, and how to store wildflower honey to preserve its nuanced flavor profile.
What Wildflower Honey Means: Multifloral vs Monofloral
The term wildflower honey refers to honey created from the nectar of flowering plants in a given area, usually during a specific season. Our wildflower honey, for example, is sourced from the Sacramento Valley in the spring and boasts a flavor profile unique to that region and season; wildflower honeys harvested elsewhere and at different times of year will offer different tasting notes.
Wildflower honey is by nature a multifloral honey, meaning that it is created from the nectar of many plants. Multifloral honey is sometimes referred to as polyfloral honey. Both terms mean the same thing: that the honey comes from the nectar of multiple flower species combined. The complex flavor profile of multifloral honey distinguishes it from monofloral honey varieties, which are honeys created from the nectar of a single flower species. Tupelo honey is a great example of monofloral honey. The bees that produce tupelo honey are encouraged to collect nectar only from the flowers of Florida tupelo trees, giving tupelo honey a distinct flavor that many honey enthusiasts value. Whereas all tupelo honey should taste similar, multifloral wildflower honeys offer wide variety in their flavor profiles.
Why Floral Sources and Seasons Change Flavor and Color
Smart as you will sound when your guests ask, “What is wildflower honey?” and you share the definition of multifloral honey, the guests enjoying your cheese board are likely more interested in what the honey tastes like.
Like wine and olive oil, honey is influenced by terroir, the unique environmental conditions of the region where it is produced. Terroir encompasses everything from weather patterns to soil composition to elevation. Local food enthusiasts swear by terroir, and they’re not wrong. Dining on foods and beverages that showcase the beauty and complexity of a region’s landscape is both sustainable and delicious.
When it comes to wildflower honey, the terroir of the region influences the honey’s color and flavor. Lighter-colored wildflower honeys typically come from a blend that emphasizes clover, alfalfa, or dandelion nectar, whereas darker-colored honeys may feature goldenrod, buckwheat flowers, or aster. The unique blend of flower nectars that goes into the honey will ultimately determine the exact shade of gold.
When it comes to flavor, wildflower honeys can range from light and fruity to grassy and herbal to dark and sweet like molasses. Whereas black locust honey is described as fruity and fragrant, buckwheat honey is dark and earthy. Seasonality is also key. Spring wildflower honeys tend to be lighter and offer fruitier, more floral flavors. Summer wildflower honeys tend to be more golden and balanced while fall wildflower honeys may be dark in color, verging on brown, and their flavor profiles may be earthy, spicy, or even smoky.
Wildflower vs Raw and Unfiltered: Different Label Meanings
For the best chance of enjoying a distinct wildflower honey taste, we recommend selecting a honey that is also raw and unfiltered. Raw, unfiltered honey comes directly from the beehive without being pasteurized, filtered, or otherwise processed. Keep in mind that the labels wildflower, raw, and unfiltered refer to different characteristics of honey. “Wildflower” refers to the origin of the nectar, whereas “raw” and “unfiltered” describe the process of getting the honey from the hive to your table. A given wildflower honey can be a raw, unfiltered wildflower honey or a processed wildflower honey.
Raw, unfiltered honey offers some benefits that processed or “regular” honey does not. It’s often described as having a more robust flavor, and it contains more beneficial enzymes, amino acids, and antioxidants than regular honey. Raw, unfiltered wildflower honey takes this a step further. According to Raw Honey Guide, wildflower honey’s antioxidant content measures between 3,000 and 8,000 ORAC, whereas monofloral honeys like clover and acacia can be as low as 1,000 to 3,000 ORAC. Darker honeys like buckwheat and manuka can have much higher antioxidant content, but they come with darker, more distinct flavors. Choosing a multifloral honey will allow you to reap the benefits of antioxidants without limiting yourself to an intense flavor profile that could overwhelm your other ingredients.
How to Use Wildflower Honey: Pairings and Everyday Ideas
One reason wildflower honey is so fun and versatile is that it offers seasonal honey flavors that complement different recipes year-round. We’ve had cheese boards top of mind throughout this post because they are a great way to showcase the flavor profile of your favorite wildflower honey. We recommend pairing complex, lighter wildflower honey with milder cheeses and more intense wildflower honey with stronger cheeses such as aged cheddar or blue cheese. Best practice is to match up the intensity of the honey flavor with the intensity of the cheese.
Beyond cheese boards, wildflower honey can be used as a sweetener for baking, though it’s generally recommended to use less honey than you would sugar. Try to match the flavor profile of the honey with your baked good of choice. For example, a spicier wildflower honey would work well in granola or pumpkin bread.
Wildflower honey can also work as a sweetener for tea or coffee, but for best results, we don’t recommend adding honey to boiling hot liquid. As with baking, consider the flavor profile of the honey and pair it with a tea or coffee blend that matches.
Choosing and Storing Wildflower Honey
In order to test out all the different wildflower honey uses, it’s important to choose a high-quality honey and store it properly. When selecting a honey, read the labels carefully. We recommend raw, unfiltered honey from a local producer who is transparent about the honey’s origin. Ask which flowers the bees had access to and whether the honey represents the flavor profile of a specific region or season. The label should be able to answer these questions.
When it comes to storing your honey, best practice is to keep it sealed in a cool, dry, dark place like a pantry. Avoid storing it in the fridge, too close to the stove, or in direct sunlight. Over time, you may notice some crystallization. This is normal for raw honey and isn’t a sign that anything is wrong. You can restore honey to its liquid state by gently heating the open jar in a warm water bath and stirring.
Ready to try wildflower honey for yourself? Order our California Spring Wildflower Honey today!
