Honey: what bees collect throughout the year

Honey is created when bees collect nectar from flowers or honeydew from trees, enrich it with their own enzymes, remove water, and store it in honeycomb cells. According to honey regulations, nothing may be added to honey afterwards – what is in the jar is what the bees have made. Color, aroma, and consistency depend on where and when they collected it. In this category, you will find six organic varieties, from the first spring honey to the dark sweet chestnut honey.

Blossom honey and honeydew honey: two sources, two characters

Blossom honey comes entirely or predominantly from the nectar of flowers. It is usually light to golden yellow, tastes floral, and becomes solid sooner or later depending on its composition. Honeydew honey is made from the sweet secretions of insects that feed on coniferous or deciduous trees. The best-known representative is forest honey: darker, spicy, less sweet, and liquid for a long time.

If a honey comes predominantly from one plant and tastes, smells, and looks accordingly, it may be named after it – as a varietal honey such as acacia, lime, or chestnut honey. Harvest honeys, like spring or summer honey, on the other hand, mix whatever happens to be blooming at that time of year. Since June 2026, honey blends from several countries must list all countries of origin with their percentage on the label; our varieties come from German migratory beekeeping.

Why honey becomes solid

Honey consists primarily of fructose and glucose. The higher the glucose content, the faster it crystallizes; high fructose content keeps it liquid. That is why acacia honey stays clear for months, while spring honey usually becomes solid quickly. If it is stirred regularly during crystallization, fine crystals and a spreadable consistency are formed – this is creamed honey. Honey becoming solid is therefore a natural process and not a lack of quality.

Six varieties from a migratory apiary

Die Honigwanderer are an organic migratory apiary in Germany: the bee colonies move from location to location with the flowering phases, resulting in varietal and seasonal honeys. The honey is spun gently, then filtered and bottled without heating.

Our bestseller is the spring honey from the first blossoms of the year – fruit trees, dandelions, meadow herbs. It is light gold, delicately sweet, and creamed, a family honey for breakfast toast. Also very popular is the summer honey from blackberries, linden, clover, and summer herbs; it is more robust, fruity-spicy, and warmer in hue.

The forest honey comes from the honeydew of spruce and fir trees and tastes spicy, slightly caramelly with subtle resinous notes. Conversely, the acacia honey from the nectar of the black locust, commonly known as acacia, is light and mild. The lime blossom honey brings a minty-fresh note, almost like menthol. The most robust is the sweet chestnut honey: dark, tart, and spicy, one of the most characterful varieties in our organic line.

If you want to compare the varieties, place three or four jars side by side and taste them with a small spoon at room temperature, from light to dark: first acacia, then spring and lime, followed by summer, forest, and finally sweet chestnut. A sip of water or a piece of white bread in between helps. This way, you will quickly notice how different honey from the same apiary can taste.

Honey in the kitchen and on the table

Spring honey belongs on buttered toast and in yogurt; acacia honey is for sweetening tea, muesli, and salad dressings because it dissolves smoothly and has a subtle taste. Lime honey goes well in herbal tea, summer honey with pancakes and in grilling marinades. Forest honey pairs well with hearty bread and black tea. Sweet chestnut honey should be served with a cheese board featuring Pecorino or blue cheese, or stirred into a sauce for game or duck. For baking, the robust varieties are suitable for gingerbread and honey cake, the mild ones for light doughs.

Buying and storing honey correctly

• Variety by taste: Light usually means mild; dark means robust and tart. To get to know them, it is worth getting one mild and one dark jar.
• Liquid or creamed: Acacia and forest honey stay liquid for a long time; spring honey is creamed and does not drip off the knife.
• Storing: tightly sealed, dry, and dark at room temperature. Honey absorbs moisture and odors, so the lid should always be on.
• Making it liquid again: Gently warm the jar in a water bath while stirring; never use the microwave.
• Small children: Honey is unsuitable for infants in their first year of life.

More for breakfast

Honey is part of our Breakfast & Spreads category. For fruity spreads, check out Jams & Preserves, featuring hand-cooked preserves from Styria and organic fruit spreads from Leipzig. And under Muesli & Cereals, you will find sprouted organic muesli that you can sweeten with a spoonful of acacia honey.

Order honey online

Whether a mild jar for the kids or a dark honey for a cheese platter: at Leni & Hans, you can order honey online, and your package will arrive within 1–3 days.