Honey Guide – Phoenixville Honey

Our bees reside in stationary hives that never move locations, so all of our honey is technically wildflower honey. The bees forage on whatever might bee available in their radius so we don’t produce a true varietal honey. However, because we extract in small batches, we can typically tell what the predominant floral sources are during each week’s batch of honey. Here’s this year’s list of batches, the apiary locations, and their brief descriptions!

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2023

Batch	Date	Location	Description
A	May 14, 2023	Phoenixville	Our first batch of the 2023 season! Slightly darker than a usual spring honey, this may contain some residual honey from the fall, but it tastes like a spring honey - sweet and floral. This is probably primarily honeysuckle nectar.
B	May 15, 2023	Kimberton	About the same as batch B in terms of color, flavor, and nectar origin, but this one made me think of cotton candy.
C	May 19, 2023	Phoenixville	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly honeysuckle.
D	May 20, 2023	Kimberton	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly honeysuckle and black locust.
E	May 24, 2023	East Pikeland	Light and sweet, classic spring honey. Likely a mix of honeysuckle and black locust. Some residual sugars from the winter, though it affects color more than flavor.
F	May 26, 2023	Phoenixville	Light and sweet, classic spring honey. Likely mostly black locust.
G	May 27, 2023	Kimberton	Light and sweet, classic spring honey. Likely mostly black locust.
H	May 31, 2023	East Pikeland	Light and sweet, classic spring honey. Likely mostly black locust.
I	June 2, 2023	East Vincent	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly honeysuckle and black locust.
J	June 3, 2023	Phoenixville	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly honeysuckle and black locust.
K	June 4, 2023	Kimberton	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly honeysuckle and black locust. Also a more viscous/thick honey since the moisture content is lower than normal due to a severe lack of rain all May.
L	June 6, 2023	Phoenixville	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly honeysuckle and black locust. Also a more viscous/thick honey since the moisture content is lower than normal due to a severe lack of rain all May.
M	June 8, 2023	Kimberton	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly honeysuckle and black locust. Thicker and more viscous due to a lack of rain in May, so the moisture content is much lower than normal.
N	June 9, 2023	East Pikeland	Light and sweet with a little less of a floral character. This is the first batch with just a touch of white clover, so it's on the divide between our spring and early summer honey
O	June 14, 2023	Kimberton	Light and sweet, delicately floral, probably mostly black locust and honeysuckle again.
P	June 18, 2023	Phoenixville	Light and sweet and delicately floral. Probably mostly black locust and honeysuckle.
Q	June 20, 2023	East Pikeland	Sweet, but with a touch of that white clover depth and richness. Probably still a good share of black locust and honeysuckle in here but not nearly as floral.
R	June 21, 2023	East Vincent	Richer, probably mostly white clover, and definitely one of our classic wildflower honeys from early summer.
S	June 23, 2023	Kimberton	Light but mild, probably a blend of black locust, honeysuckle, and white clover.
T	July 2, 2023	Phoenixville	Lighter and sweeter, but definitely has a fruity note to it. Probably still mostly black locust and honeysuckle, with other June wildflowers tucked in.
U	July 3, 2023	East Pikeland	Richer classic summer wildflower honey with notes or red apple. Likely a good share of white clover in this one.
V	July 10, 2023	Kimberton	Richer. Probably still a good share of white clover and other summer wildflowers.
W	July 17, 2023	Phoenixville	Probably mostly white clover, but with notes of candy apple in the flavor. Good blend of summer wildflowers.
X	July 19, 2023	East Pikeland	Really rich, probably mostly white clover, but no molasses in this batch just yet even though it appears much darker.
Y	July 25, 2023	Kimberton	Rich and sweet, and just absolutely perfect - one of my favorite batches of the season. Probably mostly white clover, but a good blend of everything blooming in a spectacularly rainy July.
Z	July 30, 2023	East Vincent	Richer, probably one of the last batches before that late summer molasses notes kick in. Likely mostly white clover.
AA	August 2, 2023	Phoenixville	Classic summer wildflower honey. Hard to pin down a distinct varietal, but it's a delightful blend of everything blooming throughout July.
BB	August 5, 2023	East Pikeland	Light molasses flavor, possibly part buckwheat since the bees packed on QUITE a bit of this rather quickly. Usually means someone planted a field of the stuff nearby. It's not a heavy molasses note, just enough to know it's there.
C2	Spring 2023	Phoenixville	Our first comb honey! Mostly from spring flowers - while the comb was collected and cut later in the season, this was from honey collected in May and June that was finally capped off in late July. Probably mostly black locust and honeysuckle honey inside the wax comb.

2022

Batch	Date	Photo	Location	Description
A	June 2, 2022		East Pikeland	Our first batch of the 2022 season! Very light in color, this type of honey is super sweet and has very delicate floral notes. Pairs perfectly with your favorite herbal tea, and is fantastic drizzled over fresh strawberries.
B	June 3, 2022		Kimberton	Very light in color, this honey is likely from Black Locust trees and honeysuckle flowers. Slightly different than Batch A, I think this one is slightly fruity with a hint of green apple.
C	June 11, 2022		East Pikeland	Sweet and floral, probably mostly Black Locust and Honeysuckle.
D	June 11, 2022		Kimberton	Sweet and floral, classic spring honey. Probably mostly the same as the above 4 - Honeysuckle and Black Locust. Maybe a little tulip popular in here as well.
E	June 16, 2022		Glenmoore	This honey was collected in partnership with Camphill Soltane in Glenmoore. The beehives help to support their mission to cultivate and strengthen inclusive communities by advocating alongside people with disabilities. For more information, check out camphillsoltane.org! The honey is very light in color, a classic Chester County spring honey with delicate floral notes.
F	June 17, 2022		East Pikeland	Sweet and floral with a touch of a green, fresh cut grass character. Probably Black locust and honeysuckle, tulip poplar, maybe a little clover creeping in too.
G	June 19, 2022		Kimberton	Another light, sweet and floral spring honey. Probably a little clover in here in addition to all the big spring blooming trees.
H	June 21, 2022		Phoenixville	The first honey this year from our Phoenixville Community Garden hives! This is a culmination of the entire spring so it'll have everything from Black Locust to Linden and Tulip Poplar, plus probably a little clover since the color is just a touch darker than the rest of our spring honeys.
I	June 25, 2022		Kimberton	Light in color and probably a bigger share of yellow clover in here since it has those grassy, green, fresh notes.
J	June 25, 2022		East Pikeland	Our last batch of lighter honey for the season. Probably a bit of yellow clover in here since it has that grassy, green fresh note to it.
K	July 11, 2022		Phoenixville	A gorgeous, mid-amber honey, typical of this time of year as the colors of honey start to shift and the flavor starts to change to that classic wildflower honey. This honey is basically all of what's blooming throughout June, probably mostly sumac and clover.
L	July 15, 2022		East Pikeland	A perfect wildflower honey. Again probably a good share of sumac and white clover in here since the color shift from the last batch is pretty dramatic!
M	July 16, 2022		Kimberton	The first darker honey from our Kimberton hives. Definitely more of a classic wildflower honey, and again, probably mostly sumac and white clover.
N	July 18, 2022		Phoenixville	Another mid-amber batch from Phoenixville. This is probably more Sumac and white clover, but really is likely a good blend of everything blooming in all the gardens of Phoenixville.
O	July 25, 2022		Kimberton	A classic wildflower honey from our Kimberton hives. Has a light touch of that late summer molasses note, but it's not too strong. Likely primarily white clover and all the summer wildflowers.
P	July 28, 2022		Phoenixville	The first of our Spotted Lanternfly honeys. This one isn't 100%, but it does have that darker, smoky flavor indicative of Spotted Lanternfly honey. Spotted Lanternfly waste is basically just sugar water, so the bees turn an invasive insect's destructive waste into a really delicious honey. This one isn't quite as strong - still has a good wildflower/clover base.
Q	July 30, 2022		East Pikeland	A classic wildflower honey. Slightly on the darker side, but definitely doesn't have that malty, molasses sort of flavor.
R	August 6, 2022		Kimberton	A darker later summer wildflower honey with notes of molasses and maple syrup.
S	August 7, 2022		East Vincent	A great late summer honey with notes of molasses.
T	August 15, 2022		Phoenixville	Another spotted lanternfly honey! There are definitely smokey notes along with molasses and maple syrup that let me know it's probably majority spotted lanternfly honey.
U	August 18, 2022		East Pikeland	Notes of molasses and just a touch of a smoky flavor, so it's probably part spotted lanternfly honey - not as strongly smoky as batch T
V	August 28, 2022		Kimberton	A classic late summer honey with notes of molasses and maple syrup.
W	September 11, 2022	W	Phoenixville	Very lightly smoky, so probably partly spotted lanternfly, but also has a nice fruity character.
X	September 16, 2022		East Pikeland	A subtle molasses character, but mostly just a classic wildflower honey. This is the end of the season batch when we pull all that's left on the hives, so it will likely contain honey from throughout the whole season.
Y	September 14, 2022		Glenmoore	This honey was collected in partnership with Camphill Soltane in Glenmoore. The beehives help to support their mission to cultivate and strengthen inclusive communities by advocating alongside people with disabilities. For more information, check out camphillsoltane.org! This is an interesting batch from the last half of the season and came out really fruity and delicious!
Z	September 22, 2022		Phoenixville	Definitely spotted lanternfly again! Strong notes of molasses and maple syrup along with a touch of smoke.
AA	September 22, 2022		Kimberton	An end of season honey which may have honey in it from throughout the season. When we clean off the hives for the winter, we get bits and bobs from throughout the year. Has a light molasses note.
BB	September 28, 2022		East Pikeland	A gorgeous end of season honey with no molasses notes - more of a classic wildflower honey.
CC	September 28, 2022		East Vincent	Very light molasses note for this end of season honey.
DD	September 29, 2022		Phoenixville	The end of the season batch from Phoenixville. Came out with a touch of molasses and an interesting fruity note - very complex!
EE	October 22, 2022		Glenmoore	This honey was collected in partnership with Camphill Soltane in Glenmoore. The beehives help to support their mission to cultivate and strengthen inclusive communities by advocating alongside people with disabilities. For more information, check out camphillsoltane.org! This is an interesting batch from the last half of the season and came out really fruity and delicious!
FF	October 24, 2022		Various	This is our end of season honey, combined from various locations and times. It's probably more like a classic wildflower honey (no strong molasses/maple syrup flavor) and is a fun blend of the whole year and all locations in one bottle!

2021

Batch	Location	Description
2021 Batch A	East Vincent	This batch is a combination of honey leftover from last year that the bees didn't consume over the winter and fresh honey from this year's new season. Since honey has an infinite shelf life, this is a fun blend of two years' worth of honey from all seasons. Mild flavor, not quite as light as the earlier spring honeys.
2021 Batch B	Kimberton	This lighter and sweeter honey is our second batch of the 2021 honey season! This honey is a pale yellow color and is very sweet with a fresh and lightly floral flavor. Primarily from Black Locust Trees.
2021 Batch C	Kimberton	This honey is a pale yellow color and is very sweet with a fresh and lightly floral flavor. Primary floral source is Black Locust Trees
2021 Batch D	Kimberton	This honey is a pale yellow color and is very sweet with a light flavor and delicate floral notes. Primary floral sources are Black Locust trees and Tulip Poplar.
2021 Batch E	Glenmoore	This honey was collected in partnership with Camphill Soltane in Glenmoore. The beehives help to support their mission to cultivate and strengthen inclusive communities by advocating alongside people with disabilities. For more information, check out camphillsoltane.org! As for the honey, this is a light, Spring honey - very sweet with light floral notes. There was a tiny bit of Fall dark honey carried over winter that snuck into this batch, so you might find some malty, molasses notes hiding in there as well.
2021 Batch F	Kimberton	A very light, floral spring honey for Batch F - probably mostly Linden and Tulip Poplar.
2021 Batch G	East Vincent	A light, floral spring honey for Batch G - probably a good mix of everything blooming in June.
2021 Batch H	Kimberton	Batch H marks our transition from those light, floral spring honeys into our midsummer clover honeys. It's ever so slightly darker than the previous batch with a touch of clover.
2021 Batch I	Kimberton	Primarily clover, Batch I is going to be a little richer than our spring honeys. Upon first taste, notes of crisp red apple jumped out at me in this one! It definitely has more fruity notes than the more floral spring varieties.
2021 Batch J	Kimberton	This is probably a good variety of everything that blooms in July from clover to sumac and everything in between. On the darker side of the mid-amber colored honeys.
2021 Batch K	East Vincent	Bottled only in the 4oz Muth Jars, this classic wildflower honey is on the darker side of the middle range, and is probably predominantly clover with a little bit of buckwheat.
2021 Batch L	East Pikeland	Batch L is the culmination of a full year of honey from new beehives started this year. Typically, new hives don't produce a lot (if any) honey, but these two little hives produced a decent excess! It's definitely weighted heavier on the darker fall honey and has notes of molasses and maple syrup. This is the darkest honey our bees produced this year.
2021 Batch M	Phoenixville Community Garden	Batch M is the culmination of a full year of honey from the new beehives at the community garden. Typically, new hives don't produce a lot (if any) honey, but they produced just a little honey to share this year! It's definitely weighted heavier on the darker fall honey and has notes of molasses and maple syrup. Exclusively from the Phoenixville Reservoir Park Community Garden.
2021 Batch N	Kimberton	Batch N is the last of the honey collected before winter prep from our main production hives. It's a good mix of just about everything throughout the season which makes it a classic, middle-of-the-road, wildflower honey.
2021 Batch O	East Vincent	Bottled only in our 4oz muth jars, this is the honey that remained on the hives before fall/winter prep and is probably a mix of a little bit of everything throughout the season. Truly a classic mid-amber wildflower honey.
2021 Batch P	Glenmoore	This honey was collected in partnership with Camphill Soltane in Glenmoore. The beehives help to support their mission to cultivate and strengthen inclusive communities by advocating alongside people with disabilities. For more information, check out camphillsoltane.org! This is the remainder of what was left on the hives before fall/winter prep so it's a bit of a blend of everything the season had to offer. The hazy appearance is probably due to this containing a little extra pollen than normal batches of honey - it's definitely not a bad thing! It's pretty much a classic wildflower honey in the not-too-light and not-too-dark goldilocks zone.
2021 JA1	Friends at Jardine Apiaries	From our friends at Jardine Apiaries and their apiaries in Chester County, this delightfully light honey is likely from honeysuckle and early spring wildflowers and is a very pale yellow color
2021 JA2	Friends at Jardine Apiaries	From our friends at Jardine Apiaries and their apiaries in Chester County, this honey was collected at the end of the season and contains honey from the whole season for a delightfully complex honey! It's not quite as dark as fall honeys and is a little darker than mid amber in color.
2021 JA3	Friends at Jardine Apiaries	From our friends at Jardine Apiaries and their apiaries in Chester County, this honey was collected at the end of the season and contains honey from the whole season for a delightfully complex honey! It's not quite as dark as fall honeys and is a little darker than mid amber in color.