| Come and Taste the Best Honey Produced in Our 3-County Area By Debbie Griffith & Leigh Wilkerson What’s the best-tasting honey in Mitchell, Avery and Yancey County? Local residents are invited to help decide the winner at the Eleventh Annual Mayland Black Jar Honey Contest, Oct. 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Homeplace Beer Co. in downtown Burnsville. Sponsored by the Toe Cane Beekeepers Association, you are invited to do a free blind taste test of honey varieties entered by area beekeepers. Those who want to be official judges and cast their vote to pick the winners can do so with a $10 donation to raise money for the educational efforts of the bee club. In addition to the honey samples including sourwood, linden, locust, aster, goldenrod and others, there will be a Silent Auction featuring a variety of goods and services donated by area merchants, as well as honey-related items. Follow the event on Facebook for updates on the Silent Auction. As always, you also can enjoy brews by Homeplace Beer Company and pizza and sandwiches from Hog Hollow Pizza. All honey entered in the contest is judged on taste alone. Entries are wrapped in black coverings to allow a blind taste test. It will be a tough decision as authentic honey flavors are as unique as wines. Any area beekeeper can enter their honey produced in 2026. For full details on how to enter amd more information. All proceeds will benefit educational work on behalf of bees and bee habitats in our region. Drop by anytime between 6-8 p.m, just give yourself enough time to taste, talk about bees, vote and enjoy handcrafted beer from Homeplace Beer Co., our host. If you’re a beekeeper and think YOUR bees made the winning honey this year? Enter two one-pound glass queenline jars of your best for this event. Entries must be dropped off at the Yancey County Cooperative Extension office, 30 E U.S. Hwy. 19E in Burnsville by noon on Tuesday, Oct.13, before 4 p.m. . No entries will be accepted on the day of the contest. Label your jars as you usually do and fill out the entry form available at the extension office or download. Entry is free for active TCBA members. Non-members are welcome to enter for $15.. Honey must be produced this season by your hives located in Yancey, Mitchell or Avery Counties. Contact beek@toecanebeekeepers.net if you have questions, want to enter your honey, or would like to donate to the cause of honey bees and other pollinators. |
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