18-05-2025
Wewahitchka beekeepers celebrate sweet success at Tupelo Honey Festival
GULF COUNTY, Fla. (WMBB) – Tupelo honey comes from the White Tupelo Gum Tree found in Northwest Florida and Georgia, and the Apalachicola River basin. But it's hard to come by.
The tupelo tree only blooms for two weeks out of the year.
'Usually starts around April 20th. And some years, you only get a day or two, depending on the weather. So you make it or you don't,' Lanier's Tupelo Honey owner Glynnis Lanier said.
During that period, beekeepers move their bees towards the river. However, they have to act fast to get quality honey.
'You have to get your bees in and out really fast before you get wildflower and other things into your pure tupelo honey,' Awesome Blossom Honey owner Emily Flowers said.
Tupelo honey doesn't harden, age, or crystallize.
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Visitors had the chance to taste-test the 'liquid gold' delicacy from vendors like the Lanier family. They have been producing tupelo honey since the late 1800s.
'This is one of the only places in the world where it grows and sufficient enough quantity to produce the quality of honey that we make here,' Lanier said.
Wewahitchka is home to generations of beekeepers, who carry on their family's legacy.
'It is a big deal to be a beekeeper in this area. So, Tupelo is a big deal for this area, particularly because the Tupelo tree is a swamp tree. So it's not everywhere,' T's Honey employee Jasmine Dailey said.
Besides honey, there was food, entertainment, and craft vendors. The buzz continued after the festival with a 'Miss Tupelo Pageant' at Wewahitchka High School.
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