Journal · 5 min
What makes Tupelo honey different?
A two-week bloom, hives on boats, and a river swamp most people will never see.
White tupelo grows in one narrow band of river swamp along the Apalachicola and Chipola rivers in the Florida panhandle. It blooms for about two weeks in late April, and if it rains too much, or the wind blows wrong, there is no crop that year.
Beekeepers strip their hives clean before the bloom and set them on platforms in the swamp, reachable only by boat. When the tupelo finishes, they pull the honey before the bees can mix in anything else.
The result is buttery, pear-like, and — because of its sugar balance — almost impossible to crystallize. Certified tupelo is tested to prove it. It costs what it costs.
