jlane said:
Hello all,
I've been a beekeeper for years and I just started trying to make mead. I extract mostly clover/wildflower honey and goldenrod honey. I noticed most of the recipes call for orange blossom, buckwheat, ect. How much of a difference will substituting clover honey make in most of the recipes. Thanks for the help!
It will, and it won't make a difference in the recipes.
Honeys vary according to floral source (I know you know this, but I'm writing for others who might be less familiar with the subject), and this depends on the local source. An orange blossom, buckwheat, or clover honey in one part of the country will be different from honeys of the same name, but from different parts of the country. The differences may be small, or they may be great. Wildflower honey, of course, is an open case!
Sure, if you use your local honeys as substitutes for honeys listed in recipes, the final product will be different. That's not a detriment, in fact, you might come out with something even better than the original recipe, just by using your own local honeys.
I'd suggest experimenting with various blends of your honeys. See what works. Take a look at generic descriptions of clover honey and goldenrod honeys and see how they compare with your honeys. Taste the wildflower honey you've been extracting and try and get a sense of where it might fit in.
Hope this is helpful -- keep posting if this wasn't helpful enough.
