Last week I visited Tony Bachelder, Maine's sole commercial beekeeper
     who doesn't move bees south for the winter.  Tony operates 600  hives
     and was still extracting this year's El Nino crop.  He had a 100
     gallon tank of a particular honey that he requested I taste.  I tasted
     the honey and he asked, "What does it taste like?"  I have never
     tasted any honey like it and commented that it had a nut taste
     somewhat like walnuts.  The honey is amber, thick and somewhat oily.
     He told me that it was produced on Stricked Mtn during the last week
     of August-1st week of September when acorns were falling from the
     trees.  He and another hobby beekeeper on the mountain produced about
     a super/hive of this unique honey.  Tony said that during this period
     the weather was warm and fine threadlike strands of sap hung from the
     trees like cobwebs and made vehicles parked under the trees sticky.
     He said that the bees were all over the oak trees, apparently working
     the twigs where the acorns had fallen from.  This honey isn't made
     from honeydew.  I have never heard of such a honey.  Anyone on the
     list ever experienced "acorn honey"?  In 1997 it was the year of korn
     honey...1998 the year of Acorn honey!
      Despite the ice storm, dry summer, and wet spring, the El Nino honey
     crop has been one of the best in a decade.