One of my biggest market surprises in 2023 was the overwhelming popularity of comb honey products. These products only represented a small fraction of our sales, but they sold out quickly and generated a lot of interest. If you became a fan of our comb honey products in 2023 or before, fear not, I am planning a massive expansion into my production of all of the comb honey products for 2024 to try and meet your needs. I wanted to take a few minutes and describe the products we have and how they are made and that is why I am writing this post.
General
Comb honey is a beautiful product visually and represents the most natural way to enjoy honey. You are able to enjoy honey with the least possible amount of processing outside of sticking your arm into a bee tree and grabbing a comb. The lack of processing involved with comb honey allows you to get all of the benefits from honey’s natural bouquet. All of the great enzymes are intact and any pollen or propolis that incidentally makes it into the cells is still there. By it’s design, comb honey requires new combs for each harvest (this is part of the reason it is so special and the entire reason it takes longer to produce). For this reason, there is absolutely no concern about the potential incidntal build up of chemicals from the environment over time.
Since producing all types of comb honey requires the bees to start from scratch, producing it is a bit of an art (especially some of the specialty products that we will talk about later). The two main ingredients required are a large bustling colony and a strong honey flow. I select my most vigorous colonies to produce our comb honey products and most of the comb honey is produced during the strong prolonged clover nectar flow that our area experiences from late May through early July. This is, in my opinion, one of the best honeys produced in southwest illinois adequately sweet with a noticeable floral nose and complexity. I will try and trick the bees into producing some comb honey during our black locust flow in early May- that will be a real work of art, but if successful be on the lookout for that sweet, light honey in a comb honey product during June or July.
I will have several different products available in season. I will have our most popular cut comb as well as the classic old world basswood sections of honey. I will also have Ross Round sections and the visual masterpiece of chunk honey (which is comb honey inside of a jar of extracted honey).
Cut Comb
Cut comb honey is one of my fastest sellouts every year. Cut comb is the most economical way to enjoy comb honey as it is the easiest to produce. Comb honey is simply sections of honey comb that are cut from the frames, drained and placed into clamshell containers. Cut comb honey can be eaten with a spoon, added to tea or oatmeal, cut into chunks for a salad, or used on a charcuterie board. This product is the easiest for the bees to produce so it will be the first available. Look for both 12-16 oz sections and our new 8 oz sections at farmers markets and online around July- but be aware this will likely be sold out by September as it is a very popular product.
Basswood Sections of Comb Honey
Basswood sections of comb honey are a real treat. This product is a 4 inch square frame of basswood that the bees build comb honey. This is a traditional, old world style of honey product. It is not as popular in the United States as it once was; mainly because it is more difficult to produce and therefore demands a higher price than some other comb honey products. It’s not just the beekeeper’s efforts that cause this product to cost a bit more though, the sections are thicker, heavier, and don’t have as noticeable of a center due to foundation. We dedicate a couple of hives towards making this product to compete in honey shows and the rest is available for sale – usually beginning in July. As it takes a bit for bees to get up to speed and size to produce this honey, ours typically reflects a more summer honey profile that is light amber in color with heavy clover influence in the flavor.
Ross Round Sections
This year will be my first attempt at Ross Round sections. They are similar to basswood sections in that the beekeeper manipulates the bees to build small sections of honey comb in a container. But unlike the wooden squares of basswood sections, ross rounds are built in smaller, round plastic sections. These sections will weigh approximately 8 ounces and like their basswood cousins- run a little more expensive than cut comb products.
Chunk Honey
Chunk honey is a really visually beautiful product. It is a combination of comb honey and extracted honey. We began making this product to compete in honey shows and found that it is a niche product that quite a few of our customers really enjoy. I produce two sizes, one pound and two and one half pound – both in glass jars. Look for this beautiful treat beginning in July. This product typically reflects a summer honey profile, however if I am successful at producing comb honey early enough to snag some light spring honey, I think it will fair very well in the honey shows and be a delectable treat to lucky customers who grab when available.
Comb honey is a product that I really enjoy producing. It is the purest and most natural form of honey that you can find. I sell out of it very quickly each year; so in addition to being pure and natural, when you eat ours you can count on it being fresh- which makes a huge difference in the flavor! Whether you’re curious to try comb honey for the first time or looking to restock; come and see me at a market or order online this summer when we are able to harvest this delicious treat again.
