I’ve been collecting honey—20 kinds—from small Valley of the Sun beekeepers. They’re all different. Honeys are seasonal and distinctive, each a unique signature of flower bloom, terroir, climate, weather and beekeeper. For example, beekeepers might carefully move their hives at night to catch the March nectar flow in Gilbert’s orange groves—a monofloral honey—and then move the hives 100 miles away to capture Rabbit Bush or Camelthorn nectar in a different flow. Beekeepers stay tuned in to their working colonies—the weather, the seasons, the changing climate. Some beekeepers never move their hives and collect polyfloral honey they repeatedly harvest or age in the hive and harvest once a year.

No matter where they are, when the bees emerge in the morning they go to work. There may be 80,000 bees in a hive taking care of bee business, collecting nectar and pollen for the colony. At the same time, they pollinate a wide variety of flowering plants, including more than 130 types of fruits and vegetables—creating a mutually beneficial relationship.

A supersaturated liquid—honey contains more sugar than the water can typically hold—regularly forming crystals. Depending on the chemistry of the natural sugars, some honeys form fine or coarse crystals and others never crystalize at all. If you experience crystalized honey, there is nothing wrong with it—it’s probably raw, not old, and doesn’t need to be discarded.

To find raw honey in the greater Phoenix area, look for small-scale, local, hive-to-table producers—and get to know your beekeeper!

Payne Gulch Honey: Beekeeper Bill Payne grew up in Cave Creek and his fascination with honey started as a child when he first tasted a mixture of honey and peanut butter. As a teenager, in the 1970s, he met some elderly Arizona beekeepers. “These guys were in their 90s,” Bill says, “I just loved them—their vocabulary and stories. They were rich in the knowledge of old beekeeping ways. They moved their bees every four to six weeks to follow the nectar flows. That’s what I learned. Nobody handles bees the way those old guys did. If you want bees to make enough honey for harvesting, you need to move them.” Bill’s mission is to bring people the ephemeral essence of specialty honey.

He explains, “Weather has a big effect. The nectar flow depends on temperature and rain. After the citrus, the palo verdes start blooming. The bees make the transition. I take advantage of the Sonoran foothill topography and move my bees to a higher elevation to wait for the Cave Creek nectar flow. If it gets too hot and dry, that nectar flow stops. But hot and dry helps the mesquite bloom. Mesquite likes heat. And, if it rains, the native catclaw will make surplus nectar. Arizona beekeeping is different from anyplace else. It takes years and years to learn.”

Bill Payne talks about how he works with the bees for three different Payne Gulch honeys:

“Until now, every honey that my girls and I have made this year has been light to ultra-light. That changes with Alfalfa/Tamarisk. We can depend on light amber to amber. This bee location is nearly on the north bank of the Gila River, overlooking a forest of tamarisk, with alfalfa pastures and fields for miles around. I have to carefully shade all the bees here, or the girls will spend all their time hauling water to cool their home.” Alfalfa/Tamarisk, Gila River, Summer 2024

“Just at the beginning of the first nectar flow of my bee year, I remove all of the honey I left on the bees that they didn’t consume over the winter. This honey has aged in the combs since last summer, and has acquired the taste of the hive.” Overwinter Honey, Spring 2025

From Cave Creek Canyon, at the highest reaches of the northern Sonoran Desert, many native nectars contribute to the Sonoran Foothills, Spring 2024. Palo verde, mesquite, catclaw, ocotillo, brittlebush and ironwood are the main leafy plants. Varieties of cholla and prickly pear as well as giant saguaro and humble hedgehog offer nectars from the cactus world. Enjoy this light, complex honey mindfully. After a short few weeks, the first hot spring wind will blow it away for a year.

To order Payne Gulch honey, email paynegulch@yahoo.com or call 480-458-7549. Or visit The Desert Maven—Frontier Town, 6245 E. Cave Creek Rd., Suite 12, Cave Creek.

Stin does not move his bees. He keeps them in the same spot, while they forage up to six miles. He says, “This is a great area with tons of flowers and mesquite trees. The bees love those trees and produce a lot of honey. It’s very popular and produced only in Arizona.”

During the two- to three-week orange tree bloom period, Stin’s bees gather nectar and produce orange blossom honey. The third major nectar flow is desert wildflower. A mix of wildflowers bloom through the fall, spring and winter. The hot, summer months aren’t good for nectar collection, so Stin covers his hives and allows the bees focus their energy into cooling.

Stin Risterif’s honey is never processed, never pasteurized, and straight from the hive. He offers raw, local flavors along with honeycomb, pollen and beeswax. Nothing added but sunshine and love.

Find Arizona Honey Bee Co. products online at arizonahoneybeeco.com or visit the honey stand at the corner of Gilbert and Chandler Boulvard on weekdays: 9am–5pm. Find Stin at Queen Creek Farmers Market every other Saturday. Info: 2669 E. Indian Wells Pl., Chandler, AZ, or call 480-356-2966.

Honey Hive Farms: Tim and Connie Moore