Ernest
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Thyme honey (December 2007 vintage)
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Thyme honey (December 2008 vintage)
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Clover honey (January 2008 vintage)
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White Clover honey (February 2007 vintage)
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White Clover honey (February 2009 vintage)
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Thyme Honey (February 2010)
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Honey is in the blood of Central Otago beekeeper, Ernest , who comes from a long line of apiarists. Beehives have been kept by the Adamson family since the turn of the century when the family kept hives to pollinate local raspberry crops in South Canterbury. In 1935 Ernest’s mother and father moved to Wedderburn in the Maniatoto in the South Island to produce white clover honey which was regarded at the time (and still is) as amongst the best white clover honey in the world.
Now Ernest and his brother Walter continue the family tradition. Walter in Wedderburn and Ernest further south in Earnscleugh just outside of Alexandra in Central Otago. Earnest collects two very distinct styles of New Zealand honey — White Clover and Wild Thyme honey — for J.Friend and CO: NZ Artisan Honey.
The rugged landscape of Central Otago is characterised by extreme weather, mountainous ranges and valleys, and wild countryside. In this setting, wild thyme thrives. It has been a predominant feature of Central Otago since the days of gold mining by early settlers. Each spring (Sep-Nov) the rolling golden hills are overtaken by a vast purple carpet of fragrant wild Thyme flowers — the subject of many a picture postcard.
White Clover grows in abundance in the region as a wildflower and on pastures, adding important nitrogen to organic soil and tasty food for insects. The clover in Central Otago creates some of the purest White Clover honey around and it is still regarded as some of the best in the world.
Amid this arid landscape, Ernest manages around 900 hives with the help of his son Reece who lends a hand each summer for the harvest. The honey harvest will depend greatly on what the weather has in store. To keep the bees happy, the hives often have to be moved to different sites to combat the extreme weather conditions. The weather plays a big part in the yield each year and how much honey is available for harvest.
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