Wilde Huajilla Honey, Montgomery, Texas

Huajilla honey (Wa-Hee-Ya) if from a wild shrub that grows exclusively in south Texas and northern Mexico. The Reed Family Ranch, which was established in 1897 and is a working cattle ranch (dotted with bee hives), is the source of the Huajilla honey that I have. It comes to me courtesy of Texas friends Robert and Monique. 

Flowering Huajilla Shrub

 
The Reed Family (http://www.beewilde.com/home1.html) offer a variety of raw, minimally processed, unfiltered and upasteurzied honeys under the name "Bee Wilde Honey" as well as beeswax candles and bees (if you want to start a hive of your own). Wendy and Kenny Reed, who run the operation, do it all: produce, package, and distribute, and they are passionate about what they do. "Bee Wilde, Stay Wilde" is their philosophy of bees and honey. They know their land, know their bees and take great pride in the quality of the honey they produce. To see what honey is currently available, check out the link to their website. 

The Huajilla shrub is a wild shrub that grows to 2-10 feet tall.  It is a member of the acacia family. It has fern-like leaves made up of 5-9 pairs of pinnae and 30-50 pairs of leaflets and packs some ferocious spines. Its flowers are white and resemble mimosas. It blooms in the spring and does best in dry, drought like conditions. Lucky for us, this past year has been a dry one for Southern Texas and the Huajilla honey harvest has been a good one.

 

Wild Huajilla Honey

Huajilla honey is white or very light amber. My honey is a clear watery lemonade color. When I twirl it on a toothpick, it has very little color at all, just a hint of yellow. It is a relatively thick honey and granulates quickly. In face, I can already see the granules starting in mine, and I know it was harvested relatively recently. It has a thick texture, but it isn't creamy. It is viscous with granules that melt quickly. It has a delicate, simple flavor with a clear sweetness and a subtle hint of something floral. Given its texture, it is a good choice as a spreading honey. Given its clear taste with no overpowering flavors, it is also a good choice for teas.

 



  
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