16/05/2023
Description
Salt marshes are clayey-sandy soils that characterise some areas close to the Venice Lagoon; they are brackish areas that are almost entirely submerged during high tides. The salt marshes are covered with vegetation, including limonium. It is from the limonium, called 'ea fioreta de barena' in dialect, that this honey is obtained after its flowering, which occurs in early summer. The hives are located among the salt marshes or are brought to the site by the beekeepers; when the honey is ripe, the frames are taken out of the hive and honey is extracted. The product is filtered, left to rest for a month and finally put into glass jars.
Barena honey has a medium consistency and a very opaque yellowish colour. It is very balsamic and slightly salty as it contains a lot of iodine; it is also used as a sweetener and enjoyed on bread. Despite small efforts to continue the production of saltmarsh honey, today this activity is becoming increasingly difficult for various reasons such as the difficulty of positioning hives in these places and the constant reduction and degradation of salt marshes caused mainly by wave motion.
Seasonality
Throughout the year
The period when the hives are brought to the banks is mid-July. The bees visit the Limonium in the period when flowering is at its peak until it is exhausted, the honey being collected in the honeycomb cells, which are closed with a layer of wax. Once flowering is over, the frames with honey are extracted and honey is extracted. The honey is then filtered and placed in stainless steel drums and left to rest for 30-40 days. After this period it is potted without undergoing any kind of treatment.
Production area
This product is typical of the municipalities along the lagoon shore where the salt marsh borders on brackish water.
