Description
What makes Vanilla Fir special?
- It also has a much lower level of sugars than other honeys, being particularly low in glucose meaning it usually never crystallises.
- Vanilla Fir only comes from the region of Mount Mainalo in the Peleponnese in Greece, no where else in the world.
- It isn't produced every year. 2019 is a good year but other years there is little or none available.
- This honey is exceptionally low in moisture - just over 14% (we had our batch analysed).
- It is the only Greek honey with Protected Designation of Origin - this is the only place in the world you will find this honey.
This is a honey that I thought we would never find - it is very rare and very highly valued and stock is normally snapped up in advance. However, this year has been a good year for honey (so there is more available) and Thomas has persuaded his cousin/friend Giotis (never quite sure of the distinction in Greece, Thomas seems to have a lot of cousins!).
Giotis lives close to Mount Mainlo and has agreed to supply some Vanilla Fir via Thomas. So that is how we are able to introduce Vanilla Fir to you from the Black Fir tree that grows on Mount Mainalo in the Peleponnese in Greece. I wouldn't normally sell honey from a beekeeper I haven't met but Thomas has vouched for him and I have had the honey analysed (and that's all good, no heating and it has all the key characteristics of a Vanilla Fir). This honey has been granted Protected Designation of Origin, because of its uniqueness and rarity. It comes from no where else in the world apart from the area around Mount Mainalo.
Flavour: Thomas' Raw Greek Vanilla Fir honey Vanilla fir is a thick, earthy, creamy honeydew honey which has a flavour with hints of vanilla and caramel.
Colour: When runny, the colour of this honey is quite light, with shades of pearl or caramel.
Where it comes from: This honey only comes from the fir forests of Mount Mainalon in the Peloponnese in the region of Arcadia, no where else in the world. This is where the rare Black Fir tree grows.
More on honeydew honey: Fir tree honey is known as a honeydew, because it is from the sap and resin of the tree not from flower nectar. Honeydews are high in oligosaccharides, which are known for their prebiotic qualities- aiding digestion.
About the beekeeper: It was brought to us by Thomas and his cousin, who has the hives for the Vanilla Fir honey. Thomas is a young Greek beekeeper, who is planning to take over his family's hives, which are in secluded forest glades in and around mountains of central Greece. He has great enthusiasm for raw honey and natural hive products.
Please know that raw honey does crystalise and this is a natural process that occurs mainly due to the natural glucose in raw honey.