Wild honey is further divided into cliff honey (nested on cliffs), cave honey (nested in tree cavities deep in the mountains), and hanging honey (nested on tree branches) depending on where the wild bees build their nests.
In my past life, there were often people selling wild honey by the roadside, laying out a plastic sheet with a large clod of dirt on top, claiming it was a wild honeycomb.
In fact, 90% of these wild honeys are fake. This is because wild bees rarely build nests in the soil; in fact, they practically never do.
Wild bees currently living in China include wild native bees, large apiaries, Northeast black bees, and small grass bees.
Wild honey has a faint fragrance, which, though not strong, lingers in the air for a long time.
Because wild bees build honeycombs that are not as regularly shaped as those built by domestic bees, honey extractors cannot separate high-concentration wild honey from the honeycomb. Therefore, the most traditional pressing method can only be used.
When the entire wild beehive is physically crushed, all the larvae and pupae inside will be crushed to death, and the beeswax will also be extracted into the honey.
Therefore, if the wild honey you buy is not semi-solid or solid, it is definitely not real wild honey.
Before Li Xiangdong were rows of wild, large honeybees, the largest of which were about a meter in diameter, and the smallest were about 20 centimeters in size!
Li Xiangdong suggested, "Uncle, why don't we take all these big honeycombs away? The bees have all been burned to death anyway!"
The most significant characteristic of naturally ripened honey is that it can be stored indefinitely without spoiling!
This is because honey has relatively little water content, making it impossible for bacteria to survive in a highly concentrated sugar environment. For example, the honey discovered by Americans inside the Egyptian pyramids was still edible after 3,300 years.
Of course, most of the honey consumed by people in later generations was adulterated with white sugar, and its shelf life was only between 2 and 3 years.
After hearing Li Xiangdong's words, Luo Yonggang was also tempted. Sugar was expensive these days, and honey was even more expensive!
If I brought these giant honeybees home, I could definitely sell them for a lot of money.
There's just one immediate problem: how do we get the honey on?
Looking up, the two of them were seventy or eighty meters above the ground, equivalent to the height of a thirty-story building!
Li Xiangdong thought for a moment, and since there were a lot of people here today, he decided to "get it done first!"
The two carefully climbed up the branch of the beehive tree, using both hands and feet. Luo Yonggang used the long knife in his pocket to cut off a part of the beehive and handed it to Li Xiangdong, who then transported the beehive to a wide spot on the tree trunk.
They first harvested the large honeycomb trees, which were one meter in diameter, and then divided them into six large sections before they finished harvesting!
As the sun gradually set in the west, the tree trunk, which was more than two meters wide, was piled with cut-up wild beehives, and thick honey was flowing out.
Li Xiangdong dipped his finger in honey and put it in his mouth to taste it. A refreshing aroma exploded on his taste buds.
It truly tastes far superior to any honey blended in later generations!
Li Xiangdong was so exhausted from crawling around that his arms and legs were weak. Now, the only way to get to the ground and find someone to transport the honey is for Luo Yonggang.
He was a man who grew up in the mountains and was in his prime. After catching his breath, he grabbed the rope and climbed up.
Li Xiangdong sat on a tree trunk, eating honey from a piece of honeycomb while carefully observing the surrounding scenery.
This appears to be a basin in the mountains, surrounded by steep cliffs, with wild grass and shrubs growing in the middle. Near Li Xiangdong's side, at the bottom of the valley, there is also a shallow pool of water.
Now that he was safe, Li Xiangdong took a closer look at the black wood and couldn't help but feel a strange emotion.
Even if these pieces of wood are old, rotten wood that were dumped in the pool, how come they don't look rotten at all?
On the contrary, Li Xiangdong inexplicably felt that the wood was hard, and one piece of wood even reflected a luster in the not-so-strong sunlight!
Li Xiangdong's heart pounded violently. Had he run into...?
"Xiangdong! Put the honey in the bamboo basket!"
The faint voice of someone above interrupted his thoughts. At the same time, a bamboo basket, tied with a rope, was lowered down, swaying precariously.
Li Xiangdong snapped out of his thoughts and quickly put the honey into the bamboo basket. As for what was at the bottom of the pool, he would come back to take a closer look tomorrow after he was ready!
Transporting all these large honeybees up there was no easy task, and the people who dug the traps came to help.
Bai Yulong even climbed down the hillside and tied the rope around Li Xiangdong's waist, saying, "You go up first! I'll collect the honey from the bottom!"
Li Xiangdong did feel sore all over, but he didn't hold back and climbed up using both his hands and feet.
Luo Yonggang and the man with the gap in his teeth reached out and pulled Li Xiangdong up. He collapsed onto the soft grass and closed his eyes to rest.
While they were at it, the more than 400 kilograms of honey had been transported up.
Seeing that more than thirty large bamboo baskets were filled, the villagers' faces showed envy. They sometimes found wild honey when they went into the mountains, but they had never seen so much!
Someone secretly broke off a piece of honeycomb and put it in their mouth—it was so sweet!
Li Xiangdong wasn't a stingy person, and besides, the large honeycomb still needed these people to transport it down the mountain. He whispered a few words to Luo Yonggang.
Luo Yonggang cleared his throat and said loudly, "Uncles and patriarchs, Xiang Dong said that each person will receive two jin of these honeys. Everyone who sees them gets a share!"
Everyone was overjoyed, and the person who had just stolen the wild honey was a little embarrassed.
Actually, whatever is found in the mountains should belong to whoever brings it down.
Li Xiangdong and Luo Yonggang took such a big risk to harvest these hundreds of kilograms of honey, and they even gave each of them two kilograms. That's already quite generous of them!
The group prepared the trap pit, carried the large honeycomb on their backs, packed up their gear, and prepared to go home.
The boy with the gap-toothed tooth helped carry the fritillaria bulbs and asked Li Xiangdong, "What's the use of this?"
Li Xiangdong: "It's a traditional Chinese medicine for treating coughs. I'll take it home and soak it in water to drink."
The man with the gap-toothed man nodded. "So this can cure diseases. We used to eat it raw when we came across it; it's powdery and crunchy."
Bai Yulong also said, "It's just that it's too small, there's not much to eat."
"If you still want it, I'll dig it out and save it for you if I find it again."
Li Xiangdong thought this was a good idea. "If you see any plants that have completely sprouted stems, dig them up, wash them clean, and dry them for me to keep."
"I won't let you work for free, you'll get five cents a pound!"
The gap-toothed boy, who had only mentioned it casually, perked up immediately upon hearing that it was five cents a pound. "No problem! I know a place where this fruit grows in large patches!"
Li Xiangdong repeatedly emphasized, "I'll only take it if the stem has been removed!"
Despite carrying heavy loads of honey and having done a full day of physical labor, the people walked lightly, their hearts were filled with joy, and they were full of anticipation for a better future!
As Li Xiangdong walked in the middle of the group, passing through the dense forest they had come from, a brightly colored pheasant suddenly fluttered down to his feet!
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