Late Wildflower

This honey varietal derived primarily from wild blackberry (Rubus bifrons), lotus (Lotus corniculatus), and other wildflower nectar was harvested in mid August in the Oregon Coast Range near Toledo. This honey has a molasses and lemon taste. It is available in 8 oz (BPA-free) plastic squeeze bottles.

Boone Island and the adjacent shallows was formed by an ancient oxbow in the Yaquina River near Toledo, OR. The area has interesting tideland marshes dominated by tufted hair grass, gumweed, yarrow, Douglas’ aster, sedges, and orach. Upstream of the saltwater exclusion gates, the honeybee habitat is primarily made up of non-native blackberry and lotus with lesser nectar coming from fireweed, pearly everlasting, and gumweed. Boone Island was a major navigational point on the lower Yaquina for tugboats towing log rafts from the turn of the last century until the 1960s.

Himalayan blackberry (Rubus bifrons) is a non-native, naturalized species that is widespread in the area. It fruits prolifically in the summer.

Non-native lotus (Lotus corniculatus) was widely touted during the heyday of small scale dairying in Western Oregon as “poor man’s alfalfa” because of its adaptability to our region’s growing conditions. Lotus is nitrogen fixing and tolerates waterlogged and/or heavy clay soils. Its high tannin content prevents bloating in livestock but also reduces the forage quality of the plant material. It blooms early and continues to produce yellow flowers on wet sites until the first frost. The extra moisture in this area created by tidal influence causes the plant to secrete more nectar than is seen in other sites. The bees work lotus for both nectar and pollen. 

We never heat our honey over natural hive temperatures, and we only filter it minimally, so it may include pollen, small wax particles, and the occasional bee bit. All natural honey will solidify eventually. To liquify, place the jar in a bowl of warm (not boiling) water. Our honeys are never flavored or infused with added ingredients. The varietal names indicate the primary nectar source plants the bees were foraging on at the time of surplus honey production. 

If you intend to buy this honey as a gift, please include a note for the recipient at checkout.

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about this or any of our other products, oldbluerawhoney@gmail.com.

Shipping: Honey will be mailed USPS Priority within 3 business days of purchase and should arrive 2-3 days later. 

At this time, we are unable to ship internationally.