What is Sourwood Honey?
Sourwood honey is made from the nectar of native sourwood trees, which only grow here in the forests of the southeastern United States (no applied fertilizers, GMOs or pesticides). The tree (Oxydendrum arboreum) is called sourwood because the leaves are bitter, but the nectar from the blossoms is extremely sweet as it contains one of the highest concentrations of sugar of any nectar in the world. When the sourwoods are in bloom, honeybees feed exclusively on the blossoms, not mixing the nectar with that from other plants. The beekeeper who goes to the extra effort to remove all honey from the hives just as sourwood begins to bloom, and then harvests again after the bloom, ends up with pure sourwood honey. Working together, the honeybees and the beekeeper produce the best tasting honey in the world!
McDowell County is
The Heart of
Best Honey in the World
Sourwood honey from the southeastern United States is the only honey in the world that has won the title Best Honey in the World four different times at the World Honey Show, which is held every two years in various countries around the world.
McDowell County sourwood honey has won numerous local, state and regional awards. It just doesn't get any better than sourwood honey!
Honey you can trust
Pollen analyses by world expert Dr. Vaughn Bryant of Texas A&M University finds extremely high sourwood purity in our McDowell County honey. Dr. Bryant reports that 94% is the highest he has ever found in any sourwood honey!
The color of our sourwood honey varies considerably, perhaps due to soil chemistry rather than nectar. They all taste great and each clearly exceeds the +51% sourwood purity called for by the voluntary NC Honey Standards.
Sourwood honey from various beekeepers throughout McDowell County