Honeybee_ Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - C. Marina Marchese [71]
PAIRINGS: Spread over cornmeal and spice breads
5. AVOCADO
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: Tree or shrub with greenish yellow flowers with deep yellow to brown heavy and sticky pollen. Avocado trees bear an egg-shaped fruit, which is technically a berry. An important honey and nectar plant for honeybees.
BLOOMS: Spring and again in summer. Grown mostly for fruit.
BOTANICAL NAME: Persea americana
COMMON NAMES: Alligator or butter pear, midshipman’s butter, vegetable butter, avocatier, aguacate, aguagate, palta.
PROVENANCE: Native to California, Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, Israel, Chile, Argentina, and many African countries.
TERRIOR: Survives in diverse soils, red clay, sand, volcanic loam, lateritic soils, limestone. Requires humidity and a tropical or near tropical climate, especially during flowering and fruit setting.
HONEY COLOR: Very dark amber.
TASTING NOTES: Robust, spicy aroma. Rich flavor with hints of molasses and caramelized sugar. Heavy body. Slow to granulate. This honey is full of minerals and vitamins.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over Emmental or Gruyére cheeses and sliced almonds, and serve with dessert or port wines. Pour over pancakes, waffles, or chocolate ice cream.
6. BASSWOOD
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: Flowering tree with clusters of yellow or cream-colored, very fragrant flowers yielding large quantities of nectar very quickly. A popular honey source in the eastern United States where it is called the bee tree.
BLOOMS: Late June and July.
BOTANICAL NAME: Tilia americana
COMMON NAMES: American linden, lime, linden tree, white or American basswood, Tilleul, Tilia.
PROVENANCE: Native to northeast and central United States and Central America.
TERRIOR: Prefers deep, moist soils in limestone regions, and cold winters and warm summers. Humid air promotes nectar secretion.
HONEY COLOR: Water white to extra white amber.
TASTING NOTES: Warm aromatic, herbal notes. Spicy, green ripening fruit. Sweet, biting, astringent flavor with a strong medicinal finish.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over goat cheeses and sliced green apples, and serve with chardonnay and sauvignon blanc. Mix into honey mustards and squash soups.
7. BLACKBERRY
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A prickly shrub with pale pink or white-lavender flowers with clear, dull, greenish white pollen. Requires pollination by the honeybee.
BLOOMS: Late spring and early summer.
BOTANICAL NAME: Rubus fruticosus
COMMON NAMES: Bramble, dewberry, goutberry, rovo, ronce, zarzamora.
PROVENANCE: Native to Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well as Oregon, Washington, and Mexico.
TERROIR: Tolerates poor soil wastelands, woods, and hillsides.
HONEY COLOR: Ashy or smoky light to extra light amber.
TASTING NOTES: Delicate, sweet, fruity, deep raspberry flavor. Full body. Slow to granulate.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over sharp white cheddar and sliced fresh peaches, and serve with Syrah. Great for making jam jellies and preserves. Serve over pancakes and corn muffins. Used in wine making.
8. BLACK MANGROVE
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: An evergreen shrub with small white flowers with yellow centers.
BLOOMS: May to July.
BOTANICAL NAME: Avicennia germinans
COMMON NAMES: Blacktree, blackwood, mangrove, mangle negro, courida.
PROVENANCE: Native to Belize and Ambergris Caye. Found on the the banks of the Indian River Lagoon and Gulf Coast of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.
TERROIR: Thrives in the shallow, muddy, brackish wetlands of tropical regions. Requires full sun.
HONEY COLOR: Very light amber with a greenish tint.
TASTING NOTES: Thin bodied. Swampy aroma, with a mild, sweet, but brackish flavor. Granulates rapidly.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over Camembert and sliced fresh pineapple, and serve with chardonnay. Mix with brines for pickles and sauerkraut.
9. BLUEBERRY
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A flowering shrub with bell-shaped, white or pinkish flowers. The fruits are edible when they change from pale green