Floral Sources Orange Blossom Orange Blossom honey is often a combination of citrus floral sources. Orange is a leading honey source in southern Florida. Orange trees bloom primarily in March and April resulting in a white to extra light amber honey with a distinctive flavor and the aroma of orange blossoms. Saw Palmetto Saw Palmetto is one of the characteristic understory plants of the low pinelands throughout the state of Florida. Saw palmetto is usually a good nectar producer, yielding a light amber table honey. Wild Flower A mix of floral sources honey bees gather when the main nectar sources of orange blossom, palmetto and Brazilian pepper are not in bloom. Wild flower may include one or more of a variety of nectar sources depending on time of bloom and hive location. These sources consist of golden rod, cabbage palm, rag weed, spanish needle, willow and any other nectar producing plant. Gallberry Is one of the understory shrubs of the flatwoods, throughout the state of Florida, blooming from March to May. It is a good nectar source, producing one of the best grades of honey in the state. Mangrove Mangrove fringes the coastal areas from Levy County on the west, through the Keys to Volusia County on the east coast. In St. Lucie County, mangroves are abundant along the banks of the Indian River Lagoon. It is a good nectar producer nearly every year from the months of May to July. Hives located within proximity to the Lagoon's mangrove plants collect nectar and pollen especially in July following the palmetto bloom. The honey is white and granulates very quickly after extracting. Cooking Tips Honey retains moisture to a greater extent than does sugar. Substituting honey for sugar gives a longer shelf life to cakes and cookies. Goods baked with honey remain moist longer than those baked with sugar. One cup of honey contains 1/4 cup of liquid. Deduct 1/4 cup of liquid from the recipe when using 1 cup of honey. One cup of honey is equal to 1 cup of sugar. Honey carmelizes at a low temperature and causes baked products to brown quickly. Use low to moderate oven temperature for baking. Usually bake at 25 degrees less than suggested in the recipe to avoid over browning. Storage Tightly cover honey because it loses aroma and flavor and absorbs moisture when exposed in air. Honey also darkens slowly after many months, but is still useable. Keep honey in a warm dry place (where you would keep salt) at room temperature 70 - 80 degrees is best. All forms of honey, including liquid honey, will crystallize naturally over a period of time. The crystals can be dissolved by placing the jar in warm water, or by microwaving 1 cup of honey in a microwave safe container on high for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. Nutritional Value As a carbohydrate, honey is a good supplier of energy at 64 calories per tablespoon. Honey contains small amounts of minerals, enzymes and traces of pollen. The carbohydrate is in the form of fructose (a form of sugar that the body uses to immediately convert to energy). History and Facts Bees make honey form the nectar of flowers, which gives honey its delicious flavor. To produce one pound of honey, bees might travel as far as 40,000 miles and visit more than 2 million flowers. There are more than 300 unique types of honey. Several common types of honey are liquid honey (free of visible crystals), creme or spun honey (finely crystallized), comb honey (honey in the comb - both are edible), and cut comb honey (chunks of comb in the jars). Most honey in the United States is sold in the liquid form. Raw Honey Products Click on link to view product. 8 oz. bear Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower. -- $ 3.00 12oz. Squeeze Bear Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower. -- $ 4.00 14 oz. Angel Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto, Wild Flower and Brazillian Pepper. -- $ 4.50 16oz. Squeeze Bee Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower. -- $ 5.25 1 lb. Beeline Beeline Plastic Oval Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower. -- $ 5.75 3 lb. Quart Jug Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto, Wild Flower and Brazillian Pepper. -- $ 8.00 6 lb. Half Gallon Jug Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto, Wild Flower and Brazillian Pepper. -- $ 13.00 12 lb. One Gallon Jug Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto, Wild Flower and Brazillian Pepper. -- $ 24.00 2lb. Queenline Oval Plastic Oval Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower. -- $ 8.50 1 lb. Comb Honey Beekeepers select hand-cut comb. ORANGE BLOSSOM COMB HONEY limited supply now available . Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower also available. -- $ 8.50 1/2 lb. Comb Honey Beekeepers select cut comb. ORANGE BLOSSOM COMB HONEY limited supply now available . Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower also available. -- $ 5.50 2 lb. Comb Honey Beekeepers select 2 lb. hand - cut comb ORANGE BLOSSOM COMB HONEY Limited supply now available. Saw Palmetto and Wild Flower also available. -- $ 12.75 Glass Queenline 1 lb. Glass Queenline oval -- $ 6.00 Glass Queenline 1/2 lb. 1/2 lb. queenline glass Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto, and Wild Flower. -- $ 4.00 Glass Queenline 2 lb. Glass -- $ 8.75 Raw Pollen Select Hand picked Local Raw Pollen. -- $ 15.00 Hand-Rolled Candles Beeswax -- $ 7.50 Honey Lotion Bar Solid natural honey lotion bar for smooth skin any time. -- $ 5.25 Natural Honey Conditioner Our raw honey conditioner leaves hair clean and manageable. -- $ 6.00 Natural Honey Lip Balm Raw Beeswax as a natural sunblock combined with raw honey's natural moisturizing properties heals and protects the lips. -- $ 2.50 Natural Honey Lip Gloss Honey sweet lips with glossy shine. -- $ 2.50 Natural Honey Liquid Hand Soap The benefits of natural raw honey in a liquid hand soap. -- $ 5.00 Natural Honey Lotion Natural honey lotion leaves skin feeling enriched and silky. -- $ 1.50 Natural Honey Shampoo Natural honey n wheat germ shampoo -- $ 6.00 Natural Honey Soap Vitamin E and Glycerin based with raw honey added for healthy skin. -- $ 4.00 Natural Oat N Honey Soap Vitamin E and Glycerin based with raw honey and natural oats added. -- $ 4.00 Solid Beeswax Pillar Candle 100% hand poured Raw Beeswax. -- $ 9.00 Solid Beeswax Taper Candle Solid Beeswax hand-dipped Taper -- $ 7.50 Solid Raw Beeswax Votive Candle 100% pure raw beeswax hand poured votive -- $ 2.50 6 oz. flat panel bear New kid on the block! The flat panel 'baby' bear holds 6 ounces of Gruwell Apiary Raw (unheated and unfiltered) Honey. -- $ 3.00 Beeswax Hex Jar Candles 1.5 oz. Hex Jar Beeswax Candles -- $ 2.75 Beeswax Salve Natural Raw Beeswax Salve -- $ 4.75 Beeswax Raw unprocessed beeswax -- $ 5.00 Coming Soon ! Gruwell Apiary Honey Gummi Bears Gruwell Apiary Raw Honey Gummi Bears -- $ 0.00 Gruwell Apiary Creamed Honey Gruwell Apiary Creamed Honey in your choice of nectars : orange blossom, saw palmetto and wild flower -- $ 6.00 Hand crafted Honeybee memo clip A Honey of a Reminder ! Hand crafted magnetic clip -- $ 1.25 Honey Bee Decoration Honey Bee Potted Plant Stake -- $ 4.00 Honey Cuticle Cream Cuticle Cream -- $ 2.00 Honey Hand Healer Honey Hand Healer -- $ 2.00 Honey Night Cream Honey Night Cream replenishes skins moisture content -- $ 5.25 Honey Queen Bees Candy Honey Queen Bees candy have a honey filled center surrounded by a hard candy shell. -- $ 2.00 Orange Blossom Honey n Almond Topping Honey Almond Topping -- $ 7.50 Sterling Silver Bee Earrings Sterling Silver Bee Earrings post back -- $ 10.00 Sterling Silver Enameled Honey Bee Earrings Cute Sterling Silver Enameled Post Back Honey Bee Earrings -- $ 8.75 Sterling Silver Filagree HoneyBee Charm Sterling Silver Filagree HoneyBee Charm -- $ 15.00 Sterling Silver Diamond HoneyBee Pendant Sterling Silver Diamond HoneyBee Pendant -- $ 20.00 Beeswax Candle Tins Beeswax Candle in a round tin with lid. The perfect travel companion. -- $ 6.50