I have become spoiled by honey; good honey, really good honey. Over the years I have stepped away from grocery store honey and learned what a special treat raw and unfiltered honey can be, I can't ever go back. Depending on where honey is purchased, and from whom, sometimes the beekeepers will allow tastings and suggest certain honey varieties for certain purposes. I am enamored by the rich and unique flavors produced by the different plant pollinators and time of year that the honeys are harvested at the small, local apiaries. I use honey in cooking, for sweetening and often in my tea. I discovered a honey brand that I just love, and I try to buy my honey varieties exclusively from him if I happen to be in the vicinity. I was talking to our daughter on the phone the other day and she suggested a honey specialty store about an hour and a half from our home; it's a pretty day-trip there, in the North Carolina mountains. She is as picky about her honey as I am, so I wasn't worried. I double-checked the website to make sure that they were open. Mr. Goodneedle and I took a drive up there on Thursday. You probably already guessed where this story's going. Yep-- they were closed (
the website failed to list that fact that they're closed during the week in the winter months!)!🙁 We bought some generic honey at the cheese store across the street and had an awesome barbecue lunch; the weather and the scenery were spectacular that day. I'll use that less-than-special honey in my cooking.
One thing that I use honey for is Granola. I make a big batch every other month or so and eat it every morning with a dollop of plain yogurt and a drizzle of honey over the top. Here's the recipe, in case you'd like to make some for yourself. I've been making this for the last fifteen years or so, ever since we stayed at this Inn, I substitute dried cherries for the currants.
My latest homemade obsession (and honey requirement) is Elderberry syrup. We take a TBSP every morning to boost our immune systems. I order the dried Elderberries from Amazon. Here's the
recipe- cheers!
In the meantime I am planning another day trip--
one to the location of my favorite honey, the really, really good one. 😉
How far will you go out of your way for something that you really love?
Life is Good!
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5 comments:
Thanks for this recipe. I have a granola loving hubby and will definitely make this. Also love your quilting...your work is wonderful. Loving the creams and reds.
My brother had bee hives and had the best honey.
An hour and a half is a nice drive - much more and I get car-tired (how far will I go). Honey is definitely unique to location - we learned that when we lived in northern Indiana. So different than the honey locally. GREAT post, BTW.
I don't buy the store bought honey these days, after hearing about the processing of it, and luckily "real" honey is available locally here too. I have friends with their own bee hives, although last season was so dry, and affected honey production. The honey from Kangaroo Island is very special because it is produced on the island, but unfortunately the recent fires that burnt over half the island, have destroyed many of the bee hives. I suppose that will drive up the price for unprocessed honey.
There are a few local honey dealers in our area, but a couple of years ago I became aware of a raw honey source from beehives near the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah. I order a case of it a couple of times a year and split it with my kids.
I used to go through honey a lot faster, but I don't bake as much since going gluten free--the baked goods don't keep as well. :(
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