Florida’s climate is perfect for producing a wide range of blossoms for honey bees to create some of the best honey in the world. Consumers can enjoy the lightly colored honey, from the legendary Tupelo trees in the northern part of the state to the dark and savory honey produced from the tropical fruits of South Florida.

With approximately 205,000 honeybee colonies, Florida ranks third in U.S. honey production behind California and North Dakota. Yielding an average 98 pounds of honey per colony, Florida produced more than 20 million pounds of honey in 2004. To experience the taste of Florida honey, try one of these Fresh From Florida recipes.

Honey bread pudding with fresh fruit

8 large eggs
3 1⁄2 cups whole milk
2 1⁄4 cups sugar
1 1⁄2 cups whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1-pound loaf cinnamon-swirl bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
1⁄2 cup Florida honey

Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Add milk, sugar, cream, Florida honey and vanilla; whisk to blend well. Stir in bread. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pudding uncovered until puffed and golden, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly (pudding will fall). Serve warm with Fresh Florida Fruit. Great for Thanksgiving Dessert. Serves 12

Honey Vinaigrette

1⁄2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1⁄4 cup Champaign vinegar
1⁄4 cup Florida honey
Salt and white ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and wisk until it has binded together. Great with Florida blue Lump crab meat and Florida citrus products.

Print these Recipes