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Originally Posted by Archaea
What controls the sweetness and quality of the honey?
The strain of bees, climate, nesting material, or the type of flowers polinated? Or all of the above?
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The nectar source.
Clover honey is considered to be the standard, and what people are used to. But there are many other sources of nectar, each leading to a different kind of honey, both in flavor, density, and appearance.
Some honeys are considered by some to be unpalatable, and are used for cooking only. As an example, my father doesn't like youpon honey. I like it ok. Some honeys that you may have heard about are tupelo and orange blossom.
I don't know what my honey will be. Probably just a generic "wildflower" honey.
One of the important nectar sources in the south during the later months is the Chinese Tallow tree, which is basically an invader weed tree that some people have in their yards. A lot of honey is produced from these trees, but I understand the sugar content is low, so you have to be careful with this kind of honey going bad.