How Seasonal Desert Honey Tells the Story of the Land
Winter settles into the Big Bend of Texas in a quiet, unhurried way. The mornings are cool and quiet, and the light moves across the desert in a softer way. Evenings are especially peaceful at Alpine Bed and Breakfast. Deer step into the yard to graze and drink from the small trough near the fire pit and hot tub, and the stars begin to brighten overhead long before the night is fully dark. It’s during these quiet moments that the small details of life out here stand out the most. Even the ingredients we use in the kitchen carry the character of this place, including the local wild honey we serve each morning. Like wine, honey can reflect the land it comes from, and this desert shapes it in remarkable ways.
Our honey comes from Big Bend Honey Company, which is part of Desert Ghost Distilling Company in nearby Marathon TX. Big Bend Honey Company carries a history that reaches back to the 1930s and was brought back to life to connect today’s honey to the region’s past. It also happens to be the perfect topping for our homemade yogurt.
If you enjoy historical rabbit holes, you can read a 1950s article about the Hatch Brothers of Marathon TX, identical twins who began the original Big Bend Honey Company. Clicking the link will download the magazine’s PDF. The article starts on page 14: Lufkin_Line_1950_09_September_October_OCR_reduced.
Over the past year and a little more, we’ve enjoyed several seasonal batches of Big Bend Texas Comany’s wild honey. Each one has been completely different. One season carried warm cinnamon notes. A later season developed a deep, subtle cocoa tone. Honey from the Chihuahuan Desert has a way of surprising you. The mix of flowers, shrubs, and late-season blooms can create warm, familiar notes that can’t be attributed to any one plant.
Creosote, copyright Wynn Anderson
This past season has brought the darkest honey we’ve seen yet. It’s sweet, but not floral. Instead, it has an earthy depth with a subtle, distinctive edge that reflects the desert itself. Creosote grows throughout this region and gives the honey much of its character. After a rain, creosote releases the scent many people think of as desert rain. The bees gather nectar and pollen from these plants, and the honey carries a gentle trace of that same grounded desert quality.
This year’s long monsoon season shaped the honey even further. Three months of steady rain brought out a wide range of blooms across Marathon and the surrounding desert. Wildflowers lasted longer than usual. Some plants bloomed twice. Creosote stayed active well into fall. The bees had what can only be described as a seasonal buffet. Whatever bloomed most intensely at any moment became the strongest influence in the honey at that moment.
Prickly pear blooms
The bees forage throughout the desert plains surrounding Marathon, including the native plants that grow between Marathon and the Glass Mountains. Creosote, mesquite, prickly pear, acacias, and seasonal wildflowers all play a role in shaping the flavor of the honey each year.
Some years, whitebrush also blooms later in the season and adds its own influence. It’s a tall, fragrant shrub that can reach nearly ten feet, and it often peaks after warm desert rains. When it blossoms, the tiny white flowers draw bees in immediately, offering a sweet, abundant nectar source that can brighten and lighten the honey in certain years. Its long bloom season adds value to local wildlife to make it one of the quiet contributors to honey from this part of the desert. Tom and I hiked the Lost Mine Trail during a whitebrush bloom and heard an intense, steady buzzing long before we even saw the plant. When we found it, the bees were flocked around the flowers, calm and focused, and the sheer volume of sound made it unforgettable.
Other plants can also strongly influence the honey depending on the season. When mesquite blooms heavily, the honey can turn pale and mellow with a smooth, caramel-like sweetness. In strong rain years, prickly pear cactus adds depth and richness that darken the color and lend a soft fruit note. This season brought a small hint of berry that lifted the darker, earthy sweetness created by the long stretch of rain and the surrounding creosote.
A major part of this floral diversity comes from Gage Gardens in Marathon, a beautiful public space filled with blooming shrubs, trees, and plants that support the local pollinator community. The gardens are open to visitors and are well worth a walk if you are exploring Marathon. Along with the native desert landscape, they help create the wide range of flavors that appear in this honey from season to season.
Fresh, homemade yogurt with Big Bend Honey and pecans
We keep some things simple and traditional in the kitchen at Alpine Bed and Breakfast. Each morning, we swirl this local honey over our homemade yogurt and finish it with chopped pecans. Guests often pause after the first taste. Some are surprised by how dark the honey is. Others are caught off guard by the complexity of the flavor. Many have no idea that honey can change so much with the seasons, even when it comes from the same hives. Everyone orders it again.
This is one of the quiet pleasures of living in the Big Bend of Texas. The land shifts in subtle ways, and the food reflects those changes. You taste the rain, the soil, the plants, and the rhythm of the year in every spoonful.
Desert Ghost Distillery
If you visit Marathon, you can explore the landscape that shapes this honey in a few easy ways. Gage Gardens offers a peaceful walk through the flowering plants and shrubs that support the local pollinators. You can also stop by Desert Ghost Distilling Company, where the same wild honey is used to create their Honey Bourbon and craft cocktails. Together, these local stops give you a fuller sense of how the flavors of this region come to life.
Winter inThe Big Bend of Texas has its own flavor. If you’re ready for cool mornings, sunny days for exploring, and evenings in the hot tub or by the fire pit, we would love to welcome you to Alpine Bed and Breakfast.
Come stay with us!
Contact Us
For more information or to inquire about availability, please contact us at:
Phone: (432) 538-7032
Email: innkeeper@alpinetxbnb.com
Website: www.alpinetxbnb.com
We look forward to welcoming you to Alpine Bed and Breakfast, where unforgettable memories are made.
Sharon & Tom
Alpine Bed and Breakfast
