In Veneto honey is produced everywhere, but especially in the hilly areas, where there are many tree-lined areas and meadows, even if they are not mown, all areas that exert a very strong attraction for bees. The Montello then – thanks to the numerous wooded areas, the presence of a huge quantity of acacias that multiply by themselves, invading also the cultivated areas, and wide meadows rich in herbs, also aromatic and spontaneous flowers – represents an ideal habitat for bees. In fact, mainly along the panoramic road that passes through Santa Croce and Ciano, and entering the internal roads that cross it along the sockets, it is easy to find rows of beehives well placed on the edge of the meadows or under the acacia groves.
And it is the acacia honey that is most typical of this area, an almost colorless or even straw yellow honey, very interesting and pleasant. Other types of honey produced in Montello are the spring “Millefiori”, with a very light amber color and the summer “Millefiori”, dark amber in color, with a more marked smell than the first.
In this area you can also find, in spring-summer, dandelion honeys, linden honeys and chestnut honeys.
This wide variety of honeys characterizes the Montello area as one of the most interesting in the Province of Treviso, so much so that it is considered, as regards the production of honey, one of the most valuable in the entire region. In addition to being excellent in scent and above all in flavor, those produced throughout the Montello have a value that should not be underestimated. This area, although quite worked from an agricultural point of view, is characterized by a very low level of pollution, so that the honey is, in this respect, pure and very healthy, without any residue of unhealthy substances. To offer consumers the widest quality guarantees, Montellian producers subject their honey to accurate analyzes, proud to put on the market a very healthy product, with very high organoleptic characteristics and with a demand that is constantly growing.
Territory interested in production
The Municipalities of Montello, in the province of TREVISO: Nervesa della Battaglia, Giavera del Montello, Volpago, Crocetta del Montello and Montebelluna.
History
Man has started using honey since prehistoric times, realizing its high food value and its properties. Today beekeeping in Italy is well established and there are an estimated ninety-five thousand active beekeepers. In Veneto there are about five thousand, placing the region in the top national positions. During the nineteenth century the production of honey was mainly a component of the family business, although there were limited productions for confectionery crafts. Only after the Second World War did beekeeping on Montello start to become a real productive and commercial activity, initially addressed to the pollination of fruit trees and subsequently to the production of honey of various qualities, including those of chestnut, of black locust and spring and summer wildflowers as well as honeydew (obtained from the excretion of the insect Metcalfa pruinosa). For over 25 years, the Bee Producers Association has been operating in the entire province of Treviso, with the main purpose of disseminating and teaching beekeeping using traditional methods.
Product description
Honey is a food product made up of water, simple sugars, enzymes, vitamins, mineral salts and hormonal substances and is semi-liquid, viscous, transparent, with the consistency of a thick syrup. The honeydew, on the other hand, does not originate directly from the nectars (floral or extra-floral), but comes from vegetable secretions or from the excretion of certain insects (aphids, cicadellids, coccidia) which feed on plant sap, expelling a liquid from the food duct. sweet that is collected by bees. Depending on the origin of the nectar and the seasonality of the sugary substances sucked, the honey has different shades of color: yellowish, semi-transparent, viscous, which over time tends to become opaque and grainy, if it comes from several species of plants (woody or herbaceous); light brown when taken from chestnut flowers; transparent blond because it comes from cherry blossoms. For meadow honey, the color is intense blond. The smell is commonly pleasant with a special flavor and aroma. Chestnut honey has a marked taste with a pleasant bitter aftertaste.
Production process
Honey is a product that bees naturally produce by transforming the nectar of flowers or honeydew, which is formed from the sugary juices present in certain leaves or certain trees. It is a product that requires a few steps; after the extraction of the honeycombs from the hive, they are uncapped and centrifuged to extract the honey.
Subsequently, filtration is carried out with sieve filters, maturation in special stainless steel containers, foaming and pouring into glass containers.
Availability
Montello honey is available throughout the year from local producers and retailers.
Uses
Honey is mainly composed of glucose and fructose, which are simple sugars that are easily assimilated by the body. It is particularly suitable in the diet for children as, unlike sugar, it favors the fixation of mineral salts. It has healing and therapeutic properties and is often used, by dissolving it in hot milk, to relieve throat irritations. However, its main use is in confectionery for the preparation of sweets and sweets.
