Raw Wildflower Honey, Golden Meadow (Reseska Apiaries), Holliston, MA

Holliston in Massachusetts (in red)

I got this local honey in a nearby grocery store. It is harvested and packaged by Reseska Apiaries out of Hollison, MA, just an hour or so from Boston. Reseska Apiaries is a family business that started on a very small scale in 1996. The operation expanded significantly in the first four years, and in 2000 the Reseskas had enough hives to make it a full time business. Andy Reseska is the founder and owner. He works alongside his wife, Addie, son Evan, and assistant apiarist, Nick Delaini.They currently manage several hundred colonies. They initially distributed their honey under the Golden Meadow and Boston Honey Company brands, but have since consolidated brands. Now all of their honey is packaged under the Boston Honey Company name.

Purple Loosestrife

Reseska Apiaries produce raw, unfiltered (and Kosher) honey harvested in Eastern Massachusetts (wildflower, clethra, Japanese knotweed, black locust, and basswood),  and Georgia (gallberry, tupelo and orange blossom).

In Massachusetts the honey is gathered from the revolutionary battle sites of Lincoln, the farms of Concord, public lands in Sudbury, and other sites in and around the greater Boston area.  It is truly steeped in New England history. Their operation in Georgia is also quite large with several hundred hives. Apart from collecting nectar from southern floral sources, the Georgian bees are brought up north in spring to pollinate apple trees in New England. Since the winters are easier and spring comes earlier in Georgia, the Georgian bees are in full swing for the early New England pollination season.

basswood

The Reseskas take great pride in their stewardship of their colonies and the self-sustained nature of their apiary. They raise their own queens, foster strong bee lineages, and generally take looking after their bees very seriously. If I were a honey bee, I'd like to be looked after by the Reseskas. They also take great pains in making sure their honey is of the highest quality. For instance, their monofloral honeys are done in small batches by hand. In addition to honey, they also produce comb honey, bee pollen, candles, lip balms and soap. Check out their website for all their products. You can also order from them online.

Goldenrod

I have their wildflower honey and according to their website, the sources for this honey include, among many other flowers, Buckthorn, Black Locust, Purple Loose strife, Goldenrod, Linden, Japanese Knotweed, and Basswood. Of note and of interest, most of these are considered invasive species in New England. Seeing that they produce a good quality honey makes me wonder if there might be some role for them other than as a species to uproot and destroy!

Japanese knotweed

I've had this honey for a while and it has started to crystallize. (Of interest, I learned from the Boston Honey Company website that honeys high in fructose are slower to crystallize than those high in glucose.) The wildflower honey is a rich orange/yellow color with red highlights. It is a medium to thin honey in its liquid form. It is complex in flavor, with a somewhat medicinal taste made up of hints of menthol, licorice, and floral sweetness. It is difficult to describe but a very interesting and tasty honey! Perfect right out of the jar or on hot buttered toast. It might also be interesting in a dark tea or paired with some mild cheeses.

Raw Wildflower Honey from Reseska Apiaries