FROM THE APIARY
Honey
One harvest. No sugar feeding. The bees come first.
LOW VOLUME BY DESIGN
We harvest once, in the fall.
Dark Hollow honey is produced by a small number of colonies tended as part of our home and farmstead. We do not push the bees for repeated crops. We wait until the season is ending, assess what each colony needs for winter, and harvest only what is truly surplus.
That makes the amount available each year limited and unpredictable. It also means our production decisions begin with the health and continuity of the colony—not with a target number of jars.
The bees keep what they need. We bottle what remains.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT
A short list of firm practices.
Once a year
We make one harvest in the fall rather than taking honey throughout the growing season.
No sugar feeding
We do not feed supplemental sugar. The honey we harvest is made from floral nectar gathered by the bees.
Winter stores first
Before harvesting, we make sure the colonies retain the food reserves they need to enter winter.
Raw and unfiltered
The honey is bottled with minimal handling, preserving the character of the annual harvest.
Biodynamically raised and tended
Our bees are raised and tended within the biodynamic life of the farm, with close attention to colony, season, forage, and place.
No chemical hive treatments
We do not use chemical treatments in the hives or on the bees.
A SEASON IN A JAR
The flavor begins with what blooms.
Because the honey is gathered across a full growing season and harvested only once, every batch reflects a changing succession of flowers around Dark Hollow.
Early season
Spicebush, serviceberry, and dandelion begin offering forage as the landscape wakes.
Spring
Black locust, honeysuckle, fruit-tree blossoms, honey locust, and clovers add to the spring flow.
Summer
Wineberry, sumac, chicory, wild bergamot, jewelweed, and flowering mints carry forage through summer.
Late season
Goldenrod and asters provide important late blooms as the colonies prepare for colder weather.
The nectar does not come only from our 13 acres. Honeybees may forage several miles from the hive—sometimes up to about four miles—so every harvest belongs to the wider landscape around their home.
THE COLONY COMES FIRST
The harvest is the surplus.
The bees are tended as animals within the wider life of the farm—not as honey-producing equipment. We watch the colonies, respond to the season, and avoid routine conventional chemical treatments.
Some years will offer more honey than others. Weather, bloom, colony strength, and winter preparation all matter. We accept that variability because the harvest should follow the condition of the bees, not override it.
Low volume is not a scarcity tactic. It is the result of our husbandry.
WHY IT COSTS MORE
The price reflects what we choose not to take.
Our honey costs more because it is not produced for maximum volume. A single annual harvest, no supplemental sugar feeding, conservative harvesting, small-scale handling, and the unpredictability of the season all limit the number of jars we can offer.
You are buying raw, unfiltered honey from a specific small apiary and a specific year—not a standardized blend assembled to taste the same indefinitely. Color, flavor, aroma, and crystallization may naturally vary from one harvest to the next.
CURRENT HARVEST
Honey is available in limited quantities.
When the annual harvest is bottled, available jars appear with the other goods from Dark Hollow.
A FEW QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
About the honey
Do you ever feed your bees sugar?
No. We do not feed supplemental sugar. The honey we harvest is made from floral nectar gathered by the bees.
How often do you harvest?
Once each year, in the fall. We wait until the growing season is ending and evaluate the colonies before removing any honey.
Why is the supply so limited?
The bees’ winter reserves come first, and each season produces a different amount. We harvest only what the colonies can spare.
Is all of the nectar gathered at Dark Hollow?
No. Honeybees may forage several miles from their hives, so the harvest reflects Dark Hollow and the wider landscape surrounding it.
Is this a single-flower or monofloral honey?
No. It is a seasonal, mixed-flower honey. The exact balance of nectar sources changes with bloom, weather, and colony activity.
Will every harvest taste the same?
No. Color, aroma, and flavor can vary naturally from year to year. That variation is part of what makes a small annual harvest distinctive.
Why has my honey crystallized?
Crystallization is natural in raw honey and does not mean it has spoiled. Set the closed jar in gently warm water if you prefer it liquid.