In addition to creating a natural sweetener, honey bees pollinate hundreds of locally-grown crops
Harvest: Honey
Learn all about the honey produced in Hillsborough County.
When is Hillsborough County honey available at local groceries and farm stands?
Throughout the year
What varieties of honey are produced here?
Wildflower, Orange Blossom, Brazilian Pepper, Saw Palmetto, Gallberry, Blueberry, Blackberry, Mangrove, Sea Grape, and others
Where is honey produced in Hillsborough County?
All over, especially where flowers are abundant.
How extensive is Hillsborough County's honey crop?
Sales have grown from an estimated $225,090 in 2012 to $342,000 in 2017, the most recent year for which sales figures are available.
How many pounds of honey are harvested annually?
108,709 lbs. in 2017
Fun fact
Florida is one of the top five honey-producing states in the nation. In creating the sweet commodity, honey bees simultaneously pollinate more than 100 agricultural crops.
Local insight
Raw honey, produced locally, is the most desirable. That's because it contains lots of beneficial enzymes, nutrients, and pollens. Many people believe raw honey, culled from the nectar of flowers, eases the effects of allergies caused by pollen from those flowers.
Homegrown Hillsborough is also the name of the food system program coordinated by our Extension Services department.
Homegrown Hillsborough is a network of community members with the mission to grow a strong food system. The vision is to create an integrated food system that is diverse, reliable, and creates opportunity for active participation.
Homegrown Hillsborough will act as an educational and community development initiative with a focus on community nutrition, food entrepreneurship, and agricultural production that will strengthen the relationship that Hillsborough County residents have with their food.