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Food
Good as gold
This luxurious nectar is a marvel of diligent farming and a rainbow of natural Florida flavors.
By CHRIS SHERMAN
Published March 28, 2007
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[Times photo: Bob Croslin]
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Gerald King's blueberry honey made a fool out of me. One taste of it and you'll know you never really understood the birds and the bees. Oh, you've figured out the biology you think, but you may have missed the botany lesson. I thought I knew it all until I tasted a spoonful of that honey, thick and sweet but at the center distinctly tart and fruity. The bees collected nectar from flowers on acres of blueberry bushes, nectar that contained their essence. In the jar, the syrup seemed darker than the other half-dozen on the counter. Maybe it stood out because we're too bored with orange blossom honey to pick out the flowery notes. But the distinctions are there in nature, not make-believe connoisseurship. Current worries about missing hives won't cut off your honey supply, yet it's a good time to get more pleasure out of each spoonful. Honey from clover, goldenrod or palmetto should be different even if you don't know what those plants taste or smell like. You can imagine that eucalyptus honey is minty, that honey from Brazilian pepper has a spicy edge, and that avocado honey is as fatty as butter. Migrant worker bees We'd have understood if we called them farmer bees, not worker bees, for bees really do bring in specific crops. Like their beekeepers, they are small farmers, very small. Together they make one of Florida's best and most prolific artisan foods. They are hard workers. "They'll work everything in a 2-miles radius," says Beth James, whose family helped start Eden's Nectar, a co-op of local beekeepers, and has 40 hives of their own. It can take them only a week to make their harvest. Thus the flavor or varietal is set by when and where apiarists set out their hives. Some do it by crops or flowers. King, who started with his dad in Lake Alfred in the 1950s, used to collect orange blossom and gallberry honey here most of the year and then travel up to New York to set hives out for clover, goldenrod and basswood. Florida's finest honey comes from a very small stretch of the Panhandle where the tupelo gum trees grow in the river bottoms. Bees and their keepers have three weeks to get this light but remarkably unctuous honey. Today, many bees are migrant farm workers, and their beekeepers crew bosses. King's blueberry honey, for instance, comes from Florida bees that work annual crops in Maine and Michigan. Other hives head to California almond groves by the tractor-trailer load. That's the biggest effect of a new blight called colony collapse disorder, in which many bee colonies have vanished. Experts are anxiously searching for reasons. Some Florida beekeepers were hit hard, others not. Honey prices may go up slightly, but farmers of crops - some nuts, squashes and melons, for instance - will be hurt most, according to King. "People could live without honey, but they can't live without pollination," he said. Honey for your health Other honey is "multifloral" and not crop-specific: wildflower blends or whatever wild plants bees find, from palmettos to sea grapes, that grow without fertilizer or pesticides. Some are "local" honeys; Tampa Bay area beekeepers have taken the lead in creating seasonal honey. Autumn is especially spicy and perfect for oatmeal. Local honeys have gained new popularity from reported health benefits because they're seen as something of a natural allergy shot. Honey contains the ingredients of some allergens and may build immunity. Since honey keeps indefinitely, some people may keep spring honey made this year and take it next year a few weeks or months before that season's allergens bloom. Honey has been used for health, medicinal and cosmetic purposes for millennia. Its luxurious texture has sealed wounds, soothed throats, oiled skins and made masks, and its enzymes and acids have produced other benefits. In the kitchen and the mouth, its sweetness and flavor have been treasured as a richness that flows naturally and is ready to use. Chefs, ancient and as modern as Marty Blitz of Tampa's Mise en Place, use it in vinaigrettes and marinades, and as an ideal companion to cheeses and dairy, from Parmesan to yogurt. Health, taste and the marvel of bees' organization and productivity have given honey legendary and sacred status. For Jews, it's essential in charoset at the Passover table and tzimmes during Rosh Hashanah, and it's also revered by Buddhists and Muslims. Bees have amazed us for years. The birds I still don't get. Chris Sherman can be reached at (727)893-8585 or sherman@sptimes.com.
Taste of honey Honeys reflect whatever crops, fields or forests bees pollinate, from California avocado to Canadian clover to Florida mangoes. They can be pale white, amber gold or molasses brown; darker honeys have more antioxidants. Since Florida is in bloom almost all year, the state's bees and beekeepers make many kinds: Tupelo: Made from a small Panhandle patch of gum trees, it is rarest and costs a premium. Light color; herbal, woodsy taste; smooth texture. It does not granulate and has more levulose than glucose. Orange blossom: Has a hint of citrus; amber color, delicate aroma. Palmetto: Light to dark amber, earthy taste. Seasonal honeys: Collected by Eden's Nectar's beekeepers in west-central Florida, these differ by what's in bloom. Imported honeys: These use trees, fruits and herbs grown in other countries: thyme in Greece, acacia in Italy or lavender from France. The National Honey Board maintains an extensive locator of honeys by source at www.honey.com. The good part Beyond breakfast cereal, desserts and drinks, honey makes easy glazes, marinades and vinaigrettes. Warmed slightly, it mixes easily with peanut butter, mustard, soy sauces. Wipe the inside of measuring cups with vegetable oil to make pouring honey easier. Honey is good on chicken, lamb and salmon and with carrots, squash, pumpkin and nuts. It's a great accompaniment to yogurts and cheeses. Honey has the same calories as cane sugar, but it is sweeter so you can use less. Its texture can also emulsify sauces as fats do. When substituting honey for sugar in baking, use half as much honey as the sugar called for, reduce liquids by a quarter-cup for each cup of honey used and add a half-teaspoon baking soda for each cup of honey. Reduce temperatures 25 degrees. Honey smarts - Comb honey is cut from the hive as made by bees. Many people prefer to chew the wax and honey of the comb in chunks. - Raw honey has not been pasteurized. - Do not feed honey, raw or pasteurized, to children under 1 year old. Their immune systems are not ready to cope with the bacteria and acid in honey. - If sealed and in low to moderate light, honey keeps at room temperature for years on a counter or shelf. - If honey begins to granulate or crystallize, the crystals will disappear if you warm it up in hot water. MAIN DISH Honey Grilled Shrimp 1 1/2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 cup lime juice 1/2 cup Florida honey 1 teaspoon white pepper - Thread shrimp evenly on wooden skewers. - Combine remaining ingredients and brush on both sides of shrimp. - Place shrimp on grill, 4 to 6 inches above coals that have lost their flame, have a red glow and a thin layer of white ash. - Grill 2 to 3 minutes, then baste top sides with honey mixture. - Turn shrimp and grill an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until shrimp are opaque. Makes 4 servings. Source: Florida Bureau of Seafood and Aquaculture. Dessert Babbo's Honey and Almond Cookies 3/4 cup sliced, blanched almonds 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 6 ounces (8 tablespoons) sweet, unsalted butter, softened 5 fluid ounces (about 2/3 cup) honey 1 egg 1 egg yolk Grated zest of 1 small orange For glaze and garnish: 1 cup confectioners' (10X) sugar 1/4 cup Italian honey 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice 1/4 cup sliced, blanched almonds, toasted and cooled - Place the almonds and the granulated sugar into a food processor and process for about 20 seconds, or until the almonds are finely ground. Set aside. - In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together and set aside. - In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment to cream the butter and honey together until smooth. - Beat in the egg and egg yolk, and scrape down the sides. - Beat in the dry ingredients, followed by the ground almonds and orange zest. - Scrape the dough onto a large piece of plastic; wrap and chill the dough until firm, about 4 hours. - Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. - On a floured board, divide the dough into 3 pieces, and working with each piece separately, roll them into rough logs. - Break off small bits of dough and roll into 1/2-inch balls. Flour your fingertips as needed to keep the dough from sticking. - Place the balls 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheets and flatten them slightly. - Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the sheet tray halfway through the baking time. The cookies are done when they are golden brown and somewhat firm. - Remove cookie sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool slightly before removing them to a wire rack to cool. - While the cookies are cooling, make the glaze. Place the confectioners' sugar, honey and orange juice in a bowl and whisk together until smooth. - Spread on cookies, top with almonds. Note: The restaurant uses Italian honey in this, either from acacia or orange blossoms. Source: Gina DePalma, pastry chef, Babbo, New York SIDE DISH Seven-fruit Charoset from Surinam 8 ounces unsweetened coconut or chopped walnuts or grated almonds 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon cinnamon 8 ounces raisins 8 ounces dried apples 8 ounces dried prunes 8 ounces dried apricots 8 ounces dried pears 4 ounces cherry jam Sweet red wine - Combine everything except the jam and wine in a pot. Cover with water and simmer over low heat. Periodically, add small amounts of water to prevent sticking. Cook at least 90 minutes. - When it is cohesive, stir in the jam and let stand until cool. Add enough sweet wine to be absorbed by the charoset and chill. - Makes 5 cups. Editor's note: Charoset, a fruit dish made into a paste to symbolize the mortar of the temple, is served at the Passover Seder. Jews around the world make charoset of different fruits. Source: The Jewish Holiday Cookbook, Joan Nathan CONDIMENT Honey Soy Sauce Glaze or Marinade 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 teaspoon grated orange peel 1 small clove garlic, minced - Combine. Mixture is excellent as a marinade or sauce to brush on chicken or pork. Yield: 2/3 cup. Source: National Honey Board
[Last modified March 27, 2007, 16:00:55]
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