Honey of the Marches
Beekeeping is an ancient tradition of the Marches which is still today widespread in the region. In the past, honey – a precious product rich in enzymes, vitamins, and mineral salts – was the sugar of the farmers and was used to prepare sweets and as sweetener in children's drinks. Bees were kept in a special beehive called "marchigiana beehive" placed next to the rural buildings. Today, more advanced systems are used and beekeeping is widespread in the hills of the Marches extensively cultivated with alfalfa, sainfoin, and lupin, excellent nectar-producing plants where bees find their ideal habitat. The quality and particular features of the honey of the Marches is also linked to the presence of spontaneous vegetable species, in particular a weed called Stachys annua or Annual Hedgenettle. There are different varieties of honey given by the nature of the nectar of origin. In any case, the product obtained has an excellent quality, is not very aromatic, and has a light color. Besides mixed flower honey, also single-flower honey is produced: among the others, acacia honey, chestnut honey, sunflower honey, sainfon honey, and honeydew honey. Mixed flower honey is the most widespread and appreciated thanks to its surprising and varied personality acquiring aromas and tastes changing from season to season and from slope to slope. Honey organoleptic features, and therefore the proportion of the nectars collected and mixed by the bees, vary according to the flora, giving birth to an ever different product.
