Tupelo

Van Morrison’s popular song from the 1970s (and the album of the same name) alludes to the sweetness of tupelo honey, which may be the sweetest variety you’ll ever taste. It’s also one of the mildest and most expensive honeys in the world. Tupelo is produced in Florida’s and Georgia’s remote swamps, where harvesting it during its brief season of availability requires special equipment and a lot of labor, leading to its high cost. Tupelo honey has a distinctive light amber color with green undertones, and the high fructose content that makes it so sweet and buttery also gives it a very long shelf life before crystallizing. It is a favorite for barbeque sauces, and delicious just drizzled over ice cream.

As with wildflower honey, tupelo honey’s associated benefits are basically the antibacterial and antioxidant effects gained from consuming any type of raw, unfiltered honey.