Honey Blog

Honey Journal -- Entry 6

Name:  Rare Hawaiian Organic Winter Honey

Buy it:  At fine food groceries or here.

Country:  Hawaii, USA

Purchased:  November 2007

Color:  Light butter scotch.

Flavor:  Rich, creamy butter scotch with a suggestion of banana and pineapple.  Want to know what Hawaii tastes like? Dip into this ambrosia.

Consistency:  As dense as Kiwi shoe polish (I’m describing the texture, not the taste!) and smooth.  You peel it rather than scoop it out of the jar.  

Fragrance:  Honey candle.

Notes:  This honey is the product of the Volcano Honey Company.  Their  bees live on the Big Island of Hawaii. According to the company literature, the honey is collected from a variety of wildflowers that bloom in winter at 2200 feet up the north side of Mauna Kea volcano.  The product organic ,unheated, untreated, un-anything, straight from bees living the good life in paradise. If human beings love living in Hawaii, I don’t see why bees would be different. They have expressed their appreciation by producing this fabulous tasting honey.  

I received this honey as a gift from my nephew, Dan, who is studying in San Luis Obispo with a view toward the wine trade.  In this he takes after my brother (of blessed memory), Mark, who founded and nurtured the boutique wine sensation, Red Car Wine.  At a young age Dan has already developed a discerning palate and a taste for fine food. His choice of this honey is a case in point.    

Honey Journal -- Entry 3

Name:  Honey Pacifica Creamy Wildflower (Cold-packed)

You can buy it here:

They say they have some very Ritzy customers.  I believe them. This outfit makes a quality product.

Origin:  Long Beach, California, USA

Purchased:  June 2007

Color:  Vanilla candle

Flavor:  New York cheesecake with a generous dash of vanilla. Very sweet.  Slight Play-Doh aftertaste. (Of course, you would have had to have eaten Play-Doh to know what I’m talking about. I ate a lot and enjoyed every scrap.)

Consistency:  Thick and creamy.  This is a spreadable honey.  You can apply it to any method of conveyance – bread, cracker, etc – without having to worry about it running off the side. 

Here’s a recipe! Spread toast with chunky peanut butter then apply a healthy dollop, say a full teaspoon, of this honey.  For a fast, filling and healthy breakfast or lunch, it can’t be beat. I have it a few times a week.   

Fragrance:  Close your eyes and you can smell the wildflowers on a wet field just after a rainstorm.

Notes:  Susie and I buy this honey at the Sunday Farmer’s Market in Hollywood. If you haven’t been to a Farmer’s Market, you should really go out and experience one. Not only are they fun, but you can buy fabulous, fresh produce right from the farms that grow them. Today for example we bought some fuyu persimmons, figs, blueberries, peaches (the very last of the season), apples, and some absolutely delicious green plums.

 

10/12/07             

Honey Journal -- Entry 2

Name: Natura Prime UMF 16 Manuka Honey. You can buy it here.

Country: New Zealand

Purchased:  April 2007

Color:  Rich, dark brown

Flavor:  Not sweet by  honey standards. Tastes of raisins. Also has medicine-like tinge, not surprising given its purported anti-bacterial qualities. Has a grainy texture.

Consistency: Thick. You can turn the spoon upside down. It’s not going anywhere.  

Fragrance:  Like a fresh box of raisins and dried apricots. A bit on the musty side, but pleasantly so.

Notes: 

People take this honey very seriously.  Gathered by bees from the Manuka tree, a white-flowering shrub native to New Zealand and Australia, Manuka honey is purported to have medicinal qualities.  Indeed, serious scientific research is being done on the subject.  

You can’t officially call your product “manuka honey” unless you receive a certain rating. The higher the rating, the more curative the honey. You can read all about Manuka Honey here. 

I first discovered Manuka honey which I was doing some research on my acid reflux.  I figured if I have to take medicine why shouldn’t it be honey? This isn’t my favorite honey for taste – not even close – but I still enjoy it.  Has it helped me? I can’t prove that it has, but I like to think so.  If it’s a placebo, it’s a damn pleasant one. 

One New Zealand Story: When Susie and I were there in 2005, we rented a car for a day.  New Zealanders, like the Brits, the Aussies and the Irish, drive on the wrong (left) side of the road.  Also, we sit on the left side of the car when we drive;  the Kiwis sit on the right. It takes a little getting used to, to say the least.  The problem I had was with my depth perception for the left front bumper.  I couldn’t quite get a handle on how close or far I was to the curb.  Aside from some near-accidents, and Susie shrieking “Watch out!”  and turning white with fear three or four times,  I thought I did okay. But when we stopped at a zoo outside of Wellington, I noticed that the hub caps of my left front and rear tires were missing.  I had “lost” them on the way.