My horse’s name is Tupelo Honey. People of a certain age and those who listen to classic folk-rock music understand the reference. Others, when I say his name, tilt their heads to one side with that “huh?” look that dogs get when they hear an unfamiliar sound.
“Tupelo Honey” is a love song by Van Morrison, released in 1971. In the chorus he sings “She’s as sweet as tupelo honey, just like honey from the bee.” Honey made from the flower of the white tupelo tree is considered to be the sweetest and purest in the world. In fact it is so sweet and pure that it never granulates.
Tupelo honey is produced in the remote wetlands of the Apalachicola and Ochlockonee river basins in Georgia and the Florida panhandle. Tupelo trees only bloom for a few weeks each year. To make pure tupelo honey, beekeepers must strip the existing honey from the hives, place them in a tupelo swamp (often via boat) at the precise time of the bloom, recover the hives as soon as the bloom ends, and harvest the honey before it becomes contaminated with honey from other flowers. Any threat to the bloom, such as bad weather, can lead to a poor harvest.
Given the tiny area where white tupelo trees grow and the rigors of placing beehives there, the honey made from this flower is precious, rare, and highly prized for its sweetness. Few people outside of the southeastern US would have even heard of it, if not for Van Morrison’s song. An extremely popular song in the 1970s, “Tupelo Honey” (which I listened to on vinyl of course) was part of the soundtrack of my youth. Perhaps I also liked it because there is a horse on the album cover!
They say you should not name a horse until you have met him or her, but for decades I knew that someday I wanted to have a horse named Tupelo Honey. When I finally did meet my first horse, I knew the name would fit – he has a very sweet disposition. But more important than that, the name reflects how I feel about him. He came into my life after many, many years of waiting, his personality is perfectly suited to me, and the more I get to know him the more I love him. He is exceptionally precious to me.
Just like honey made from the rare tupelo flower.
~Monica
Thank you for the explanation of Tupelo Honey, both origin and your Honey.
I believe you stopped by the Dales Pony Conservancy of NA booth at EA and handed me your post card. Honey is from lovely breeds.
Deb T
Great horse!!! Great woman!
I didn’t know that was his full name. How cool!!!