Honey is one of the major products of the area. Local families have 20-30 beehives and bring their honey to the large brick co-operative building on the edge of the town for bottling. Many single variety honey are produced, including chestnut and avocado. Anything with less than 90% of that flower is sold as Mille Fleur. Most of the honey is sold while still runny.
Near it is the Museum of Honey. All the information is in Spanish. It covers information about bee anatomy and bee keeping. There are examples of old beehives and bee keeping equipment. A video explains how the hives are made.
In a shed at the back of the museum is an old wax press, one of only three to survive. Only the pure, white and “virgin” wax was used for candles in churches and wax presses like this were very important.
The honey is removed from the combs by pressing. The heavy oak beam can be screwed down to increase the pressure. The wax left is then boiled in large vats and the impurities can be skimmed off.
The Museum is signed up off Avida la Alpujarras opposite the Tourist Information Office. In the summer, it is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10-14 and 16-18. It is not open weekday afternoons in the winter.
http://www.mieldegranada.com/Miel_de_Granada/Museo_de_la_Miel.html
I visited here as part of a “‘Flavours of Spain'”:http://www.solosholidays.co.uk/spain/discovery-tours/flavours-of-spain holiday arranged with “Solos Holidays.”:http://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/travel-service/168048-review-solos-holidays
My detailed trip report with all my pictures is
“here.”:http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/otherholidays/spain/index.html
