Sweet, aromatic, and flavorful; nothing beats honey — on cornbread, mixed with mustard in a salad dressing, or drizzled over cut fruit and yogurt. Did you know that North Dakota, and especially the Fargo area, produces more honey than any other state in the United States? The summer climate in the Fargo area is perfect for honey bees to forage and make honey, and beekeepers enjoy selling their special sweet honey to delighted customers. Fortunately, there are lots of places in Fargo to purchase local honey, and these are our top picks.
Three Bears Honey Co.
Just outside of Fargo up in the Red River Valley, you'll find Three Bears Honey Co. For over 35 years, this family-owned business has supplied its pure, unfiltered honey to its regular customers. The beehives are located in select areas of the Red River Valley near Moorhead, Minnesota, and the bees forage and gather pollen from various wildflowers, sweet clover, and basswood flowers.
One of the things that makes Three Bears Honey stand out from commercialized honey producers is that the raw honey goes straight into the jar. Raw honey, rather than heated and pasteurized honey, retains more of its nutrients and flavor, which you'll notice when you eat the honey. Because their honey is unfiltered and unpasteurized, it has a thick, crystalline appearance, just as it would in the hive.
You can purchase different sizes of Three Bears' honey, from an 8-ounce jar in a squeezable honey bear container, to a large 44-ounce jar. If you would like a larger quantity of honey, simply contact the team at Three Bears Honey Co. and they can fill your order.
Wondering where you can find their delectable honey? Stop by their stand at 908 63rd Ave. N. in Moorehead or pick some up at various stores near Fargo such as Horbacher's, Cash Wise Foods, Family Fare Supermarket, and at seasonal farmers markets. In addition, you can order Three Bears Honey Co. products online and have them delivered to you.
A Touch of Honey
A Touch of Honey, at 8149 Highway 83 in Linton sells not only tasty, sweet honey, but also skin care products made with honey. The mother and son team that owns A Touch of Honey keeps their beehives in Emmons, Logan, and McIntosh counties during the summer when the flowers are in full bloom. During the cold winter months, the bees get trucked to Texas and California where the weather is warmer and the bees can stay strong and healthy. The next spring, the bees get shipped back to North Dakota.
The store where you can buy A Touch of Honey products is right next-door to the extraction shop, so once the honey is processed and made into products, it goes straight to the store or gets distributed throughout the state. A portion of the extracted honey even gets shipped out in bulk to be sold out of state. All of the honey is raw and never heated over 118 degrees Fahrenheit to help retain its nutritional benefits.
One of the most popular products that A Touch of Honey sells is creamed honey that takes nearly a week to make. The creamed honey comes in 13 different flavors such as strawberry, blackberry, or cinnamon. You can spread the creamed and flavored honey on toast, scones, or mix it with nut butter for a tasty and nutritious snack. You can also buy raw, un-creamed honey in a 12-ounce squeezable honey bear container, a 1-pound, or 2-pound jar.
Because honey helps the skin retain moisture, honey skin care products can help to restore dry and cracked skin. Honey also has trace amounts of immune-boosting antioxidants along with anti-bacterial properties. A Touch of Honey has a skin care line that adds their honey to lotions and lip balms with decadent fragrances such as vanilla bean, pomegranate, and apple mango tango. Look for A Touch of Honey at local North Dakota grocery stores, boutique shops, and specialty markets. You can also order honey and products online through their website.
TJL Farm
TJL Farms in nearby Bagley, Minnesota, offers Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) memberships that include honey from their farm. The bees that live on the farm help to pollinate their fruits and vegetables while providing natural honey that the farm sells. Other products included in their CSA baskets include organic chickens and eggs, seasonal produce, and flowers. TJL Farm CSA memberships run from early June through late September, so you'll want to stock up on honey to get you through the winter and to give as gifts over the holidays.
Dash Apiary
Dash Apiary at 11776 73rd St. SE in Verona raises its bees in the prairies of North Dakota. This family-run honey farm, founded in 2014, provides raw, unfiltered honey that tastes delicious on toast, in hot chocolate or tea, and added to fruit pies. Their creamed honey comes in three sizes: 8-ounce, 1-pound, or 1.5-pound jars. Pick up easy-to-use raw honey bear containers that look adorable on the kitchen table or counter (and they also make fabulous holiday gifts).
While it's a breeze to order Dash Apiary honey from their website, you can also find their products in local stores such as the Dakota Store in Jamestown, Eagles Nest Bookstore in Valley City, Gallery 4 in Fargo, and at Arrowhead Plaza in Bismarck. Never run out of honey when you subscribe to Dash Apiary's monthly boxes. Each box comes with a variety of honey products, so you can decide which of the subscription boxes best fits your needs.
Whether you like a spoonful of honey in your tea, spread on buttered toast, or added to desserts, we hope you take advantage of how easy it is to find fresh, local honey to take home. What's your favorite type of honey? Where do you normally shop to find this sweet, natural delight? If you know of other places to buy local honey near Fargo, please let us know and we'll add the establishment to our list.
