Newbie question

[ibfestus]

I have a small orchard that has 25 peach trees and 20 more other fruit trees. A beekeepper asked me if he could leave a couple of hives and then later he gave me30 pints of honey that he says was too dark or had other issues that kept him from selling it.




Is this honey junk or can I ferment it into mead? thanks in advance.

 

[vcasey]

How's it taste?
Personally I would make a mead using the fruits from your trees. A true Estate Mead, not many of us can say that.

 

[ArdenS]

As Jack Keller said, 'If it isn't moving, ferment it.'

 

[Wade E]

If it has a lot of floaties in it I would bring it up to almost a boil as that will help strain all the junk out but color is no issue as long as you dont mind the color.

 

[grapeman]

It should be fine to use.
That certainly is different than when I used to run an orchard. We always had a great local population of bumble bees so never lacked for natural pollination. I rented another orchard from a guy. He told me a local beekeper kept hives on his other property and did I mind if he set out 10 hives in one or two blocks of the orchard. I said sure, but they aren't needed so I am not renting them. He agreed and a few days later the guy set out 10 hives of bees. After pollination he came and retrieved them. End of story, right? Not quite, a few weeks later I got a bill for $1000 for rental of 10 hives of bees. Man I was mad. Never let anybody do anything without the terms of it in writing.