Harvest 2010

A friend got me interested in beekeeping a little over a year ago and another friend gave me hops, which got me interested in homebrewing. My homebrewing took off like gangbusters this winter. I just got my first honey harvest and made a basic mead today. Here's the first harvest (3.5 gal). I have about the same amount left and the bees are still busy Thanks for the tips and I'll post the progress.

wow, that's a variety. I imagine that some of the lighter stuff is tupelo, judging by your location. What's the dark stuff?

Thanks! The color is deceptive. It's all about the same color although a few frames did have darker honey. The blue topped containers to the left have a blue tint plastic that makes the honey look darker than it actually is. In our area of NC the bulk of the nectar flow is poplar, but we have a lot of holly and clover. There is also a large area of Japanese Knotwood nearby that must have spread during some flooding a few years ago. That blooms all summer and is suppose to make a dark flavorful honey.