AUSTRALIA | Au1, Grey Box | Au2, Jarrah | Au3, Red Gum | Au4, Blue Gum | Au5, Leatherwood | Au6, yapunyah |
Au4, South Australian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus leucoxylon)
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The honey
Blue Gums (Eucalyptus leucoxylon) are scattered throughout South Australia growing from 15-30M tall flowering biannually from mid-August to late December producing a white to light amber honey. It’s unique to South Australia and is regarded as one of the top table honeys in Australia. Blue gum honey being produced in a warmer and drier climate means the moisture content is low giving the honey a smooth dense texture with sweet aromas and fruity eucalypt taste also the honey doesn’t usually crystallize.
Honey Extracted 23/11/23 The Beekeeping
This special honey was selected by the South Australian Apiarists Association and was produced by a second generation bee keeping family based in the Barossa Valley (South Australia) running 900 hives chasing seasonal honey flows and pollination opportunities.
Typically, Almond pollination starts the South Australian beekeeping season in late July until the end of August. Being highly migratory in Australia the beekeepers then usually shift onto canola crops to produce honey and provide a pollination service. Once canola is finished, they shift onto Blue Gums in the Barossa Valley, and then go to Citrus (Oranges) in the Riverland (Waikerie). By late November/December some bees are shifted to Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) in the Barossa Valley and some onto Christmas Mallee (Eucalyptus socialis) in the Mallee Region (Waikerie/Renmark) producing honey and providing bees with good pollen. In late December early January, we shift to the Southeast of the state (Keith) onto Lucerne (Alfalfa) crops providing a pollination service to lucerne seed growers while producing a nice light honey. Nearing the end of the season in March bees are shifted to Desert Banksia (Banksia ornata) for the winter until Almond pollination at the end of July. |
