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HONEY COLOR: Dark purple turning to deep wine red to black; opaque.

TASTING NOTES: Pungent and somewhat earthy with notes of burnt molasses, cherry, tobacco, and plum. Malty. Buckwheat honey has been found to contain antioxidant compounds, and it is also rich in iron.

PAIRINGS: Drizzle over blue and other strong cheeses, serve with cabernet sauvignon, port, or Madeira. A perfect replacement for maple syrup on pancakes, waffles, buttered corn bread, and gingerbreads. Good for mixing in barbecue sauces and for brewing dark ales.

14. CAROB SEED

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A leguminous evergreen shrub or tree with edible seed pods that are a substitute for chocolate. Small, numerous flowers are arranged in a spiral.

BLOOMS: September and October.

BOTANICAL NAME: Ceratonia siliqua

COMMON NAMES: St. John’s bread. (According to some Christian traditions, St. John the Baptist subsisted on carob seeds in the wilderness.)

PROVENANCE: Native to the Mediterranean region. Found especially in the Atlas mountain range in Morocco, as well as in southern Portugal, Spain, Malta, Sicily, Greece, and Sardinia.

TERRIOR: Well-drained, loamy soil.

HONEY COLOR: Dark autumn honey.

TASTING NOTES: Bittersweet honey flavor woven with strains of caramel and subtle chocolate. This honey is an exotic treasure.

PAIRINGS: Drizzle over blue cheeses with hazelnuts and fresh raspberries, and serve with port or muscat dessert wines. Spread on graham crackers or over vanilla ice cream.

15. CAT’S CLAW

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A thorny shrub with clusters of bristle-shaped pale yellow flowers. Its prickly spines give it the name cat’s claw. Important honey plant in the southwest United States.

BLOOMS: Twice between April and October.

BOTANICAL NAME: Acacia greggii

COMMON NAMES: Catclaw or cat claw, paradise flower, devil’s claw, wait-a-minute bush, uña de gato, tésota, gatuño, palo chino (Chinese stick), tepame, algarroba, tear blanket.

PROVENANCE: Southern California, Arizona, Southern Texas, and Mexico.

TERRIOR: Prefers poor, dry soil in desert arroyos. Likes full sun in desert conditions. Rainy seasons cause the blooms to drop.

HONEY COLOR: Water white to medium amber.

TASTING NOTES: Rich aroma. Sweet, mild, and buttery flavor with a hint of iron. Heavy body. Granulates smoothly and with a waxy grain.

PAIRINGS: Drizzle over ricotta cheese and sliced fresh cantaloupe with prosciutto. Used in crafted-ale brewing.

16. CHESTNUT

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A tree or shrub valued for its large edible nuts and for its wood. The flowers are burrish and yellowish green and give way to two or three egg-shaped nuts in late autumn.

BLOOMS: May to July.

BOTANICAL NAME: Castanea sativa (Castanea from the name of the town of Kastania in Thessaly, Greece.)

COMMON NAMES: Spanish chestnut, American chestnut, chinquapin, castagno, chât aignier, castaño.

PROVENANCE: Native to southern europe, growing in Turkey, Portugal, France (particularly in Corsica), Hungary, Italy, Croatia, Spain, and bosnia.

TERRIOR: Requires a mild climate and adequate moisture for good growth. Is sensitive to late spring and early autumn frosts, and is intolerant of lime.

HONEY COLOR: Extremely dark amber, with a hue similar to chocolate. Sometimes reddish.

TASTING NOTES: Aromatic, pungent, heavy, rich, robust. Distinct nutty flavors with hints of wood, tar, and dried fruit. Sharp and bitter aftertaste.

PAIRINGS: Drizzle over Gorgonzola or stinky blue cheeses and walnuts, and serve with cabernet sauvignon. Pour over poached pears, and chocolate mousse.

17. CLOVE

PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: An evergreen with clusters of white or crimson flowers that produce an aromatic bud when dried. Beekeeping in Tanzania is very primitive. Beekeepers, primarily women, harvest honey from wild bees living in trees. Many keep bees in hollow coconut logs or gourd hives, and management of colonies is nonexistent. Honey is removed with heavy smoke or by using fire, which often destroys the colonies. Barely filtered, the honey