The "Sweet Honey for a Sweet Honey" Story

The blossoms of the Black Locust tree.

It was an ordinary day.  Carol and I decided at the last minute to take a trip to North East, Maryland to visit a few of the really neat shops that are along Main Street in the town which sits at the head of the Chesapeake Bay.  We parked in the city's free parking lot and meandered throughout the shops, buying a few gifts for friends and family at the speciality shops that feature everything from hand-made soaps to altered Polaroid prints made by yours truly.  Eventually we tired and while heading back to our car, we made one more stop at one of the antique shops along Main Street.  5 & 10 Antique Market has always been one of our favorite stores along Main Street with many purchases over the years at the store.  As we walked into the store, there on a swiveling rack were various sizes of plastic bottles which held honey.  Not just your common honey, but Locust or American Acacia honey.  Carol was interested in buying a bottle of honey for her friend Marge for Christmas and when we saw the display, she knew she had found the perfect bottle of honey.  

The bottle of honey.

The bottle was shaped like a little bear, the perfect touch for a bottle of honey.  The honey in the bottles is commonly sold in Europe as Acacia honey while in the United States it is sold as Locust or American Acacia honey.  The honey is obtained from the False Acacia or Black Locust tree.  The tree is found in Eastern North America and Europe.  The tree grows up to 70 feet high and blossoms in May to June with beautiful white blossoms.  It is a very aromatic, sweet smelling tree.  Bees are drawn to the blossoms which are filled with nectar.  The bees return many times during the day for nectar to return to their hive and deposit it.  The honey is a very light colored, lemonish white or yellow-green.  The flavor is very sweet and slightly acidic with hints of vanilla.  It is said to be tasty on yogurt, fruit, ice cream and ideal for cheeses.  The countries that produce the most Acaia honey are Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Canada, China, France, Italy as well as the United States.  Carol is anxious to present her gift to Marge this Christmas and see if she enjoys this sweet treat.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of ordinary guy.