Hello,
Our recent honey harvest was a success; the extraction was quick and easy, and the honey tastes great.
However, when you take a spoonful of it (not much), it burns your throat, almost to the point that everyone eating the honey needs a glass of water or something nearby. Anyone have an idea as to why the honey is like that?
I haven’t treated the hive yet this year, and the honey box used for the harvest was completely new, not tainted by mite meds or anything. The hive is in central Maryland, if that helps. I’ve heard of the taste of honey burning because of certain flowers being foraged from.
Thanks!
What is flowering within 3 miles? Weeds, trees, shrubs, plants of any sort?
I did a quick Google and this popped up…
Grayanotoxin-containing honey may cause a burning sensation in the throat , and honey with bitter or astringent taste should be discarded.Jan 12, 2018
We have black locust, cherry blossoms, and lilacs in the spring. Later on, we get a lot of dogwoods, hibiscus, lavender, clover, cherry laurels, holly, and hydrangeas blooming.
I looked at a long list of plants that naturally have the grayanotoxin, but I don’t see any of those plants growing around here…
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Perhaps contact a local university. They might have an insight or even be willing/able to test the honey and find an answer.
