Honey Journal #26
Name: WC Kester Apiaries Meadowfoam Honey
You can buy it: At the Farmers Market in Salem, Oregon or on the Internet here.
Country: Oregon, USA
Color: Maple Syrup
Flavor: Sweet vanilla with a hint of clove at the finish
Consistency: Medium thick
Fragrance: Box of raisins
Notes:
I'm in Oregon a lot because my parents and brother and sister live there. And, of course, I'm always on the lookout for honey. My mother makes a trip to the Farmers Market in Salem every week and when I was there a few weeks ago, I went with her. That's where I found this delicious nectar.
Meadowfoam is a very hardy herb that grows in dry soil, mostly on the West Coast, though especially in Oregon. It produces a fragrant flower that creates a cloud-like canopy, a foam, if you will, of white. During the spring and summer flowering, the bees find it to be a very tasty treat.
WC Kester Apiaries has a long history in the bee and honey business, going back to 1941. In addition to harvesting their own honey, they ship their bees all over Oregon, California and Washington to help pollinate the cherry and almond crops. Like everyone else in that line of work, they've been struggling with the sudden decimation of their bee colonies (Colony Collapse Disorder or CCD), but, according their own reports, they seem to be holding their own.
There have been some promising developments on the CCD front, but as I've written before, it's doubtful scientists will find a magic cure to this problem. The over "farming" of bees -- shipping them long distances multiple times a year -- has stressed their immune systems to the breaking point . Better bee management rather than a new anti-biotic or anti-fungal treatment is going to be the long term solution.
People often ask me how I eat my honey. Mostly, I take it straight, that is, scoop it out of the jar with a tea spoon. I like it to retain the nectar in my mouth for a little while to savor the flavor. But I use honey in other ways, too. When I was staying at my parents, I used this honey to sweeten the plain yogurt I put on top of my oat meal. I have to say, it made my breakfast.
If you're looking for an everyday honey that you might use to sweeten coffee, tea, cereal or even cook with this bee creation from the foaming flowers of Oregon is certainly worth a try.