Product Description

New Zealand has a rich diversity of native flora. As a result of its geographical Isolation thousands of years ago, new Zealand developed a unique vegetation. In fact, 80% of its plants are endemic, found growing naturally only in new Zealand. It is world famous among botanists for this reason. In particular, new Zealand has an unusual number of flowering trees, such as the rewarewa, kamahi, Manuka, tawari, and pohutukawa. Prior to the introduction of the honey bee to new Zealand by European settlers about 160 years ago, these trees relied on birds for pollination and as a result, they produced abundant nectar sources. It is through the honey collected by bees that we can sample the remarkable subtlety of these flowering trees and plants – a taste of the very land itself.

From the Manufacturer

White Clover is a perennial legume of temperate regions, growing in a sprawling, prostrate manner. It was introduced into New Zealand by the early European settlers and has become the key to New Zealand’s successful pastoral farming. It has an ability to fix nitrogen in the soil, creating a balanced ecological system, reducing the reliance on artificial fertilizers. At the same time it adds quality to animal diets and increases livestock performance, particularly important for New Zealand’s dairy industry.

White Clover is extremely common in New Zealand, not only in grazed pastures, but also occurring as a wild flower in waste and cultivated areas, having adapted to a large range of soil types and climatic conditions.

The white flower, flushed with a pink throat, is densely packed into a spherical flower cluster. It begins to appear in pastures in New Zealand’s early Summer. However, it is not until soil temperatures are raised with the critical moisture level dropping, and the plant becoming slightly stressed, that the honey flow reaches its peak – usually around January, though this depends greatly on the locality and weather. Bees are vital for pollination, creating an important synergy between agriculture and apiculture.

‘Summer on the farm’ is traditionally associated with expansive fields of clover. The saying “up to your knees in clover” is associated with a blissful state of well-being – intoxicated by the sweet smelling flowers, the warm sunshine and the happy sound of busy bees.

White Clover Honey Characteristics

Colour ranges from very light, almost colourless like water, to a pale gold colour, depending on soil and climatic conditions. It can vary from 0-60 on the Pfund scale (which measures from 0mm, colourless, to 140mm, black). Lighter clover honey comes from the south of the South Island.
Flavour is clean, mild, sweet and delicate.
Aroma is suggestive of dry grass, with a hint of plums.
An ideal honey to add to hot drinks, such as tea, coffee and herbal teas, and to use in delicate tasting bakery.
This honey has been the traditional mainstay of New Zealand beekeeping, setting the standard for all other honey.