Honey, Do

By Warren Rojas

Veteran beekeeper Larry Kelley knows Virginia honeys quite intimately thanks to the “couple hundred hives” he tends in Fairfax, Fauquier and Loudoun Counties. His apiaries yield regional favorites, including: clover, thistle, wild flower and tulip poplar.

But Kelley most closely guards the sourwood, a prized Southeastern U.S. varietal that’s deep amber and has a lingering, licorice-like flavor.

“It’s just the mystique of the honey,” he said of the spicy-sweet strain, adding, “Most of this honey is consumed within 50 miles of the Blue Ridge Mountains.”

Kelley’s honeys are available locally at Krop’s Crops in Great Falls, Potomac Vegetable Farms in Vienna and Stoneybrook Farms in Hillsboro. For wholesale orders, call 540-635-1440.

(September 2008)

Tags: Chew on this, honey, relish