SWEET MYSTERY: BEES PRODUCE PURPLE HONEY
The sandhills of North Carolina are said to be the only place in the world where bees produce purple honey, an iridescent concoction that looks more like alien goo than the sweet nectar we know and love.
It sounds like fake news, something to lure honey and beekeeping aficionados from around the world, but this extremely rare liquid is quite real. Purple honey is said to be sweeter than the amber kind and has some subtle fruit notes as well.
Some photos of purple honey jars recently went viral and sparked a heated discussion on whether this unusual-looking treat was real or not. But, it turns out, to the people of North Carolina, it is a real, hard-to-come-by treat. It is hard to find purple honey, even in North Carolina, but its existence is irrefutable.
The color of honey, from light yellow to deep amber, depends on the type of flower that the nectar comes from, but in the case of purple honey, the cause is yet to be determined.
Some swear that it comes from fruits like blueberries or huckleberries, although scientists and beekeepers will tell you that bees do not have strong enough teeth to bite through the skin of such berries. Others say that the flowers of the kudzu plant produce the unusual color, while a few are convinced that it is from the southern leatherwood tree. In reality, no one really knows for sure.
According to Professor John Ambrose from North Carolina State University, purple honey might be the result of a chemical reaction between the acid in the bees’ stomachs and aluminum. The flowers in coastal North Carolina contain more aluminum than anywhere else, which might explain why this rare honey is only produced in North Carolina.
Many of those lucky enough to have tried purple honey claim that it actually tastes “purple,” with a subtle taste of grapes or berries.
“It is sweet, but it has a fruity undertone to it,” beekeeper Donald Dees said. “It kind of goes with the unusual character of the honey’s being purple. It is a fruity flavor that really no one can identify.”
Purple honey is a rare treat that usually commands a higher price than the amber kind, but with all the attention it has been getting online lately, demand has increased even more. North Carolina beekeepers are reporting orders from all over the world.
“I have it on waitlist,” Dees said. “I could not keep up with the orders. I mean, I had to shut the website off, so I could get caught up with the orders to make sure I did not sell more than I had.”
So, if you want to experience purple honey, you will have to be very patient.
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