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. 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. 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. 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. Sweet Clover Brazilian Pepper 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 Real raw honey will never spoil. However, you should tightly cover the honey because it loses aroma and flavor and absorbs moisture when exposed to air. Honey also darkens slowly after many months in storage, it is still good. 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 best way to return raw honey to liquid is to place the container in the sun until the crystals dissolve. It can also be placed in a warm pan of water. Raw honey begins to lose some of its natural properties above 140 degrees. For best nutritional value do not heat raw honey in the microwave. We also recommend that you transfer raw honey to a glass container for long term storage. 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. 12 lb. One Gallon Jug Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto, Wild Flower and Brazillian Pepper. -- $ 55.00 6 lb. Half Gallon Jug Available in Orange Blossom, Saw Palmetto, Wild Flower and Brazillian Pepper. -- $ 28.00 3 lb. Quart Jug One quart - 3 pounds of honey. -- $ 15.00