Thyme Honey ( New Zealand )

Thyme is member of the nectar-producing mint family, Lamiaceae, the source of other flavourful honeys such as mint, sage, oregano, and lavender. A very fine version is produced in New Zealand. It was brought to NZ by gold miners during the gold rush in the late 1800s. It escaped from a herb garden and soon entrenched itself in the countryside of Central Otago where it became a forage plant of choice for the bees. A very pure honey because of its NZ origin. There are some valleys full of wild growing thyme shrubs.

Thyme honey is a very strong, aromatic honey with herbal and savory flavours. It  is delicious, its taste is persistent and lingering in the mouth. It is a very pure honey with a light amber to amber colour when liquid and beige to brown when crystallized. It crystallizes in a short time into medium fine grains.

Health benefits of Thyme honey. The active ingredients of Thyme are the biocides, Thymol and carvacro extracted from the oil of Thyme. It has excellent anti-bacterial and antifungal properties. It is used to cover burns and scalds and for treatment of sore thoats due to cold or flue.