In a quiet corner of North Carolina,
bees produce a purple-colored honey so rare and unusual that even experts can't explain such a phenomenon - and that's what makes this product magical.
In North Carolina's Sandhills region, between the capital city of Raleigh and the Nascar Hall of Fame in the sports-crazed city of Charlotte, tourists may not even realize what a rare ecological niche they've entered. Once here, the Atlantic Ocean met the centuries-old Uvarri Mountains 145 kilometers inland; when the ocean receded, it left behind the sand that gave the region its name.
This region is one of the last habitats for unique flora and fauna such as the southern hook-nosed snake (or southern hog-nosed snake) and Gofer's frog (or gopher frog), both of which are endangered.
But it's also known for making university researchers, foodies and conspiracy theory buffs puzzle over the rare and coveted honey's rich shade of eggplant purple, and no one knows exactly what gives it that hue.
Entertainment and tourism
The Sandhills region is traveled mainly for the adrenaline-pumping outdoor fun and laid-back rural charm of corn mazes, trout fishing and country-style American fair.
It is home to the prestigious Pinehurst Golf Resort, commonly referred to as the "cradle of American golf" (tourists are advised to visit its famous No. 2 course), and the Southern Pines Riding Center, with its abundance of equestrian trails and backcountry hikes. Kayakers and canoeists flock to Droning Creek, attracted by the scenic route from Turnpike Road to Highway 401, more than 20 kilometers long.
Hunting for classic southern game such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey and wood ducks is popular in these parts, and extensive wildlife preserves have been established to support hunting. The pine forests are beautiful in their own right, but animal-watching enthusiasts also come here to search with binoculars for Virginia American partridges, bald eagles and - the main attraction - endangered cockaded woodpeckers.
But travelers also come to this region in search of something even more unusual than endangered species and unique biomes. Here, if the conditions are just right (a mystery even to experts) and the timing is perfect (a secret only bees know), beekeepers will visit their hives and find not only frames filled with a slow and viscous river of liquid gold, but perhaps one that sparkles with purple luster.
Photo: bbc.com
"Nobody really knows what causes purple honey to appear," says Paige Burns, who has a degree in horticulture and works with farmers and foresters as Richmond County Extension director. "Theories abound, both folkloric and pseudoscientific, and everyone here has their own."
Reasons for the special treat
Burns highlights a few of the most popular assumptions. The alkalinity of the soil changes the color of the honey, as in the case of hydrangea, from blue to pink. A second possibility is that it's wild berries surrounding the bees' territory; and, most controversially among locals, that it's the dark purple flowers of the invasive (and wildly hated) kudzu (pueraria loblata) vine.
Beekeepers living in the area have reported finding gem-colored honey in their hives for years, but even so, its appearance is so irregular and dependent on the whim of chance that the moment never ceases to amaze.
Don Dees, who owns and operates Dees Bees Apiary in neighboring Aberdeen, North Carolina, posted an offer for purple honey on his website, and it was immediately snapped up. Pre-sale preparation for this year's crop is impossible because no one knows how much or what color the honey will be. Instead, the apiary owner invites people to check out his Facebook page for updates from mid-July. His pure raw honey costs $16.5 for 900 grams.
Purple honey, if Don has it, sells for $75 for an 85-gram glass jar, because extracting this honey could be called a treasure hunt: a limited release in every sense of the word.
How does Deese feel about this phenomenon? He refutes rumors that aluminum in the area plays a role and insists that kudzu is not part of the cause, saying that his apiary would produce it every season if it did.
Purple honey is more likely to appear in drought conditions, he said, and Deese believes the blue-black berries, which grow on shrubs rooted in thirst-resistant clay, feed bees that can't find traditional, more water-dependent flowers.
Photo: bbc.com
But Rusty Burlew, a master beekeeper who heads the Washington State Native Bee Conservancy, says much circumstantial evidence points to the black and purple kudzu flower and doubts the bees have the jaws needed to pierce the fruit in search of nectar.
Burns says she has never been among those lucky enough to harvest this sweet purple-colored treasure: "One of the beekeepers I work with lives a couple of miles from me, if you judge by the flight of the crow. I'm on the creek, she's on the creek. Obviously we are in very similar environments. She gets purple honey on a regular basis and I never." Laughing, she adds that it's a surprise even to beekeepers when they open a hive and find it, "Some years you get it and then for 10 years you don't."
Nature's mystery is a traveler's paradise
Many of the state's natives don't even realize that such a wildlife wonder exists. It turns out that some secrets aren't just hidden, they're hidden in plain sight. That's the beauty of traveling: it's not just the scenery that makes you speechless, or the food that changes people's tastes, but the stories you can stumble upon along the way. The ones that don't have clear explanations or simple answers. There aren't many of those left.
There's something incredible about standing under a sky undisturbed by city lights, surrounded by the hum of an apiary, and knowing that even beekeepers who spend their days up to their elbows in this stuff can't be said to unlock the mystery of why this honey doesn't conform to nature's color wheel. Perhaps it will never be known. Or maybe that's the point.
Photo: bbc.com
Some places keep their secrets - and that's what makes them worth traveling to. And some tips for travelers:
- If you wish, you can purchase a jar of amethyst treasure if you keep an eye out for availability online near the end of July. Dees Bees Apiary usually sells in small batches so more people can try it.
- At other times of the year, you should check out local stores and farmers markets to sample the different varieties of honey produced here, from sagebrush to apple blossom to woodland nyssa and, if you're lucky, purple.
- You can also go on a honey tour with Honeybee Bliss, where outfitted guests play "honey sommelier" and take turns pulling out honeycomb filled with bees oozing golden slurry.
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