Help us spread the word. October 15 is the last day for receipt of entries to the 4th annual Black Jar Honey Contest, a contest that judges honey solely on its taste. Last year’s Grand Prize winner came from an island off the coast of the Cape of South Africa, the only place its nectar source grows! The chef judges described it as “like butterscotch.” 

This year’s Grand Prize winner will receive $1000, and the category winners (Best Local, Most Exotic, etc.) will walk away with $150. Not only is this contest a fundraiser for the Center for Honeybee Research, it also helps the Center educate the public about the relationship between pollinators and plants.  When honey bees find a rich floral source, they tell their sisters and collect as much nectar as possible from that species. That’s what scientists call “floral constancy,” making honey bees beloved pollinators by farmers who need their crops pollinated to produce fruits, nuts and vegetables.