Tupelo Honey

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Are you a Foodie?

Are you a Van Morrison fan?

I love, love, love many of the old Van Morrison tunes, including Tupelo Honey.

Here are the lyrics of the first verse in the song:

You can take all the tea in China

Put it in a big brown bag for me

Sail right around the seven oceans

Drop it straight into the deep blue sea

She's as sweet as Tupelo Honey

She's an angel of the first degree

She's as sweet as Tupelo Honey

Just like honey from a bee.

Have you ever tried Tupelo Honey?  Do you even know what it is?  I'm sure most of my southern readers are familiar with it.

I might be the only person on earth who was clueless?

I'll be honest, I hadn't ever thought twice about it.  Who thinks about honey?  Hearing Van Morrison sing about Tupelo Honey was the extent of my knowledge.  Living in California, it's not something we often (ever?) see here.

For the holidays, we received a bottle of Tupelo Honey and a box of raw honeycomb.

  
I baked some fresh biscuits for breakfast the day after Christmas.  My family smothered the hot-from-the-oven biscuits with butter and honey.  They oohed and aahed and told me it was the best honey they've ever had.  

Since then, I've learned a little about Tupelo Honey.  To make Tupelo Honey, the bees need nectar from Tupelo blossoms.  I guess that makes sense, but I didn't even realize there were Tupelo trees.  (I do have several palm trees at my house, however.)  The Tupelo trees, apparently, only bloom for a very short time each year making Tupelo honey in very short supply.

The special nectar from the Tupelo blossoms gives the honey a unique flavor, and unlike other honeys, it won't ever crystallize.  Honey-makers (is that what they're called?) worldwide consider Tupelo Honey the "gold standard" of the honey industry.

Who knew?  Everyone but me?

(And now I've got the Tupelo Honey lyrics stuck in my head for the day!)

© Twenty Four At Heart

Comments

[Joanne]

I have a jar of coveted Tupelo honey. I bought it at the county fair, at a honey shop in the agriculture area. They had some for sample, and one whiff of that awesome honey and I bought a big jar!! I suppose I will go look up Tupelo tree and see what those flowers look like. Here in Fl, everybody buys orange blossom honey (which I cant stand) I was raised on clover honey, but Tupelo...... I know what he means in that song now!! MMMMMMMMM

[Maureen@IslandRoar]

No, I had NO idea. I love that song. I probably would've thought it was a town or something.
I love the whole idea of those rare blossoms making the honey for that song.
Thank you. I've now learned at least one new thing for today.

[Erin]

a good morning.
there are many varieties of honey actually. our personal favorite is clover. it's a taste/flavor thing...some are sweeter than others.
have a fab day.

erin

[Jan]

I keep a large jar of clover honey in my pantry for baking bread - clover honey is mild-flavored, and the most common (and inexpensive) of honeys. Every state in the country produces honey, but some - like Tupelo honey - are more rare because the blossoms from which the honey is made is restricted to a certain geographic area and/or growing season. I've had Tupelo honey, orange blossom honey (it's common in Texas as well as Florida), alfalfa honey and blueberry honey. In California, they produce sage honey, which is supposed to be really good, but I've never tasted that.

Good heavens, I didn't know I was such a honey geek.

[Kelly]

I've always heard Tupelo honey is the best too but I've never had a chance to try it. I just buy the ordinary clover honey in the grocery store. Clover honey for the masses! hahaha

[di]

Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey album is the first one I ever bought when I was a teen-ager. Now I have the CD and love all the songs just as much today as way back than. As for Tupelo honey... hmmmm, can't say that I've ever tasted it, but I'll bet it's yummo.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal

[missy]

I too love Van Morrison and really never gave Tupelo honey a second thought. I have never seen it in the store so who knew. Your readers are so well informed 24.

[Midlife Slices]

I've never heard to Tupelo honey either. I usually buy local honey because they say it helps with allergies since it's made from local nectar.

What will you do with the honeycomb? I like to chew on a small piece every once in a while. A sweet indulgence.

[Cyn]

I was singing that song the other day, wondering the very same thing! Love Van Morrison!

[Momma Pixie]

Interesting! I learned something new today...Now I'll have to try som Tupelo honey.

[Issa]

I've heard the song, but I'd never even thought about it. Have always been a HUGE Van Morrison fan.

Yummm..honey. ;)

[Ginger]

I'm southern as they come, but I've never heard of Tupelo Honey! But it sure does sound yummy!