HiveTracks Honey Story

Welcome to the Honey Story of

Faith Mountain Farm - Lower Deep Gap

Summer 2025

Our Story

Faith Mountain Farm is a family farm owned and operated by James and Shannon Wilkes in conjunction with their children, their spouses, and grandchildren. Depending on the time of year and our current interests and energy, we bake, keep bees, and grow flowers and vegetables, supplying the high country area with various baked goods, sourwood and wildflower honey varieties, and sunflowers, dahlias, and zinnias. Honey bees are a big part of the landscape with hives on the farm as well as apiaries throughout the High Country region and the North Carolina foothills. We produce several wildflower mixes depending on elevation and nectar sources, but our primary focus is quality sourwood honey, a highly sought-after varietal honey. The Lower Deep Gap apiary location is our oldest and most reliable sourwood honey location. Located at the base of the mountains, the bees have access to a wide range of elevations in undeveloped foothill and mountain forests.

Hive Location

Maple Springs, NC

Type of Honey

Sourwood

Harvest Date

7/30/2025

Harvest Amount

450 pounds lbs

The Honey

Sourwood honey is a highly sought after varietal honey with a unique flavor profile produced from the nectar of sourwood trees in the Appalachian mountain and foothill regions. Honey from this tree generally has a light amber color with rich gingerbread and caramel undertones and a subtle anise or spicy finish.

The Plants

Also known as “Appalachian Lily tree,” its blooming period begins in mid to late June and blooms through July. The blooms are visible as white "fingers" on the ends of limbs in the canopy or along the forest edges, especially roadways.