Scotch Broom & Dewberry

$ 11.00

This honey varietal derived primarily from Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) and dewberry (Rubus ursinus) nectar was harvested from an apiary in Harris near Philomath, OR. This honey has a smokey, dried apricot flavor. It is available in 8 oz (BPA-free) plastic squeeze bottles and 22 oz glass jars.

This apiary is located near the Marys River upstream from the Harris Covered Bridge between the community of Harris and the town of Blodgett. The Harris Covered Bridge opened in 1936 and continues to this day as a functional and scenic landmark. Harris Road is a popular bike route, and nearby Harris Bridge Vineyard brings a lot of visitors out to the area.

The apiary is on the eastern edge of the Oregon Coast Range, so it’s in more of an oak-fir mixed woodland as opposed to our more western locations that are fir-, alder-, and hemlock-dominant. The spot also has a significant population of snowberry, knapweed, poison-oak, and minor wildflowers. 

Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) is a non-native, invasive species originally introduced as a nitrogen-fixing agroforestry cover crop. It turns out that Scotch broom actually exudes a chemical into the soil that retards the growth of other species, and scientists and landowners have been trying to eradicate it and/or manage its spread for decades. Scotch broom flowers are proportionally best suited to bumble bee pollination, so they can be somewhat injurious to honeybees. As honeybees exit the nectar cavity, the flower bumps them in the back and dumps a load of pollen on them so that when they get back to the hive, they’re a little beat up and look like they’re covered in Cheeto dust. The scotch broom pollen is likely the strongest flavor element in this honey varietal.

Dewberry (Rubus ursinus), also knows as trailing blackberry or trip briar, is a low-growing native blackberry that produces edible fruits later in the summer. The dewberry bloom is one of the principle spring nectar flows for bees in the Pacific Northwest.

Honey is never heated 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 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.

Bottle Size

Quantity

Shipping Cost

8 oz. 

1-3

$8.50

8 oz.

4-20

$13.50

22 oz.

1-6

$13.50

At this time, we are unable to ship internationally.

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