Flinn founded Milk & Honey Orchard and Apiary in Indianola after a career in the military and loves to help people sample honey from her hives. Whether she’s at a farmers market, leading an event at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden or collaborating with chefs for honey-themed dinners, Flinn likes to talk up the properties that make her locally produced honey special.

“We take our hives to different areas when nectars are flowing,” she said. “We’re in our fourth season and, last season, we pulled eight unifloral honeys.”

Unlike commodity honey, which is combined from multiple sources and sometimes pasteurized, Flinn’s operation pulls and spins honey from hives of bees that feed on a singular type of pollen. Unifloral honey from dandelions, for example, or blossoming trees like locusts, lindens and chestnuts, each have unique qualities that a trained tongue can detect.

Have you ever attended a wine tasting? Sampling honey is similar. It’s often professionally evaluated in a wine glass, but when Flinn guided me through the steps, we made do with a small plastic container.

Holding the base of the vessel helps melt the crystals and sweeten the flavor. Then stir the honey to release the aromas. Notice the color and viscosity before taking a big sniff. The differences in the honey’s molecular structure influence its texture, Flinn said. Blueberry honey has medium-sized crystals that burst in your mouth. Dandelion honey’s ammonia scent can be off-putting at first.

When you taste a small amount, try to hold it on your tongue. Flinn said sunflower honey tastes like apricot jam.