Dear Dave and Janice,
 
I don't know if I ever had pure goldenrod honey before but I have had
excellent flows of wild aster.   I think that the reason it is not
considered table grade is a couple of characteristics.  One is the
perchance for crystallizing.  I have had drops start to crystallize on
the tailgate of the truck by the time I returned home after a half day
in the field.  Even after heating it will crystallize much faster than
other honey's.   The other is the smell.   It has a very stong odor for
about a year.  After that it loses most of the odor but it is still
evident.  In a good flow it does come in with a very light color.  In
fact I have had flows where it was as light as any clover honey.
 
A man in Indianapolis who handled bee supplies and bought and sold honey
had a good walk in trade for wild flower honey.  He liked the Aster
honey and would store it for a year and then blend it with other
flavors for his customers.
 
In southern Indiana where I lived before moving to northern Indiana,
aster honey was considered a good honey to winter hives on.  In spite
of the crystallization it was good food for the bees as long as it
was well cured.
 
The smoothest honey that I have ever tasted was made from wild Morning
Glory.  The locals called it bluevine.  In the river bottoms before the
use of chemicals the river would overflow killing out patches of corn.
If the corn was large enough the farmers could not get into the areas
to replant and there would be areas free of corn and the morning glory
would grow unchecked.  That is when there would get a strong flow of
bluevine honey.
 
Many years ago when I was a small boy my father had bees next to buckwheat
and I know what you mean by the dark, thick honey.  I did'nt particularly
like it.
 
Good luck in your survey.
 
Charlie
 
Charles R. Bradley
Extension Educator
Marshall County Extension Office
112 W. Jefferson Street Room 304
Plymouth, IN 46563
Phone:  219-935-8545
Email:  [log in to unmask]