NORWAY | No1, Summer | No2, Honeydew | No3, Bell Heather | No4, Mountain Heather | No5, Raspberry | No6, Mountain | No7, Multiflora | No8, Forest Berry | No9, Coastal Heather | No10, Heather |

No8, Forest Berry Honey (Vaccinium species, berry heather)

The honey

This honey won first price in the Norwegian championship 2024 in the category Berry Honey.
Color: From saffron to cognac with a blue-red tinge.
Aroma: Medium intensity. Characteristic and subtle, complex and elegant. Bark notes, woody with deep vanilla and cinnamon, some bitterness with a light bitterness. A marzipan-like sweetness, from a sour-sweet light freshness with a light bitterness. Notes of honeydew melon and sugar and fresh herbs (lemon balm). Medium length.

The nectar sources are Blueberries (Vaccinium myrtillus), like most heather species, live in symbiosis with a rich heather mycorrhiza. Blueberries grow best in shady and damp places, often in forests dominated by spruce, but are also found in birch and pine forests. Flowering starts as early as May (Eastern Norway). Blueberries produce a lot of both nectar and pollen, but for blueberry nectar to turn into honey, the sun must be warm enough.

Lingonberries (Vaccinium vitis-idaéa) are also common and well-known in this country. Adults enjoy them with game meat, while children feast on them in their custard. The plants like more open terrain than blueberries, often around knolls in the soft undergrowth of pine trees, we find them in the mountains and on logging lands. They like drier soil and bloom somewhat later than blueberries, often until late June. Cranberries produce a lot of nectar, slightly less pollen.
This honey is crystallising very slow, it takes from months to years.

The Beekeeping

The Vehus Bigard (est. 1943) is located in Åmli, in Agder county in the south of Norway. This is a family run beekeepers operation, Jon Olav is second generation - the operation was started by his father; Gunvald Vehus.
On the premices Jon Olav has build the World Largest Beehive, open to visitors, to spread information and enthusiasm about beekeeping and honey.
Jon Olav has been Jon Olav appointed "Beekeeper of the Year, 2023" , as one of three beekeepers in different cathegories, for his efforts for spreading knowledge of beekeeping and Norwegian honey.

Vehus Bigård: www.facebook.com/vehusbigaard