How to make organic loquat honey
How to make organic loquat honey
The production of Japanese medlar honey (Eriobotrya japonica, Thunb. Lindl. 1821) in Italy is not widespread and is limited to some areas of Sicily.
It is a honey that can be obtained between October and February (depending on the cultivation area and the flowering period of the plant). Today the cultivation of Japanese loquat, once widespread in the areas of the province of Palermo and a bit ‘in Calabria, is decreasing; yet the possibility of combining this fruit with the production of honey, in an area where in the period in question there are no other flowerings, can allow to produce a honey with sufficient purity.
To make it possible to produce honey that is free of pesticide residues or synthetic products, it is advisable to start with a new medlar plant that respects some rules: not too tight planting (5 x 6), use of replanting fertilization with mature manure , techniques of pruning and removal of infected leaves and fruits (such as scab and other plant diseases), no use of synthetic fertilizers, and especially nitrogenous, grassing of the plot where the medlar is cultivated, consorting with arboreal and shrub species or herbaceous we have different flowering periods. Also the phytosanitary treatments must be carried out with natural insecticides, possibly prepared in the company, as described in other pages of the website.
If the extension of the nespoleto reaches at least that of half a hectare (about 160-170 plants) then one can think of producing a discrete production of honey in good purity (the greater the extension will be the purity of the product).
Medlar honey is almost colorless, or at least light amber, when it is in a liquid state; it assumes coloration from pearly white to light beige, with not very bright shades, when it is crystallized. Its crystallization is spontaneous and occurs in fairly rapid times, forming a soft mass of fine and melting crystals. It has a very floral smell that recalls the sweet scent of some cosmetics or toilet fragrances; in the mouth it is refreshing, of medium intensity, it can remember the bitter almond or the apple pits, with a floral note of lily. They call it Christmas honey because the medlar sprouts in this period. It takes on particular qualities if produced by the Sicilian black bees. It is rich in flavonoids, which protect the capillaries.