What Is Tupelo Honey?
What Is Tupelo Honey, And Why Is It So Special?
In 1971, the Irish singer-songwriter Van Morrison released the album “Tupelo Honey.” In the chorus of the title song, he lovingly sings:
“She’s as sweet as tupelo honey. She’s an angel of the first degree.”
While the reclusive artist has never explained these lyrics, a big clue is found on the album cover, which features his wife Janet Rigsbee astride a white horse. So many believe that this song is nothing more complicated than a sweet love ballad to his wife and companion.
Why did Van Morrison compare his wife to tupelo honey? Did he ever try some of this magical honey? We don’t know, but we can guess that if he did, it left a strong impression on him. This is not unusual. Some of the comments we have received about tupelo honey from our customers include:
There may be better honey than your Tupelo somewhere on this earth, but we’ve never found it.
I tasted this honey from someone who thinks it is food from the gods . . . and Wow! He was right.
For the love of all things delicious! I just got my first taste of Tupelo Honey! Now I know what the buzz is all about.
It’s hard to describe the flavor of tupelo honey. Tupelo honey has an amazing flavor profile. It starts with a bright floral burst that dissolves easily on the tongue, and then has a very pleasing and warm finish that lingers for a while. When tasting it for the first time, folks tend to break out into wide smile and exclaim: "Wow! I never knew that honey could taste so good."
This magical elixir comes from the flowers of the while tupelo tree (nyssa ogechee). Tupelo trees are native to North America, and the greatest concentrations of these trees are found in and around the rivers and wetlands of the Florida panhandle. Tupelo trees bloom in mid to late April. The green and white blossoms are notoriously fragile, and favorable weather is needed to produce a good crop. In the best years, the season is over in 3 weeks. Because of an incredible flavor, and unpredictable harvests, tupelo honey is highly prized by honey lovers everywhere. If you have never tried tupelo honey before, then you are missing out on one of nature’s greatest gifts.