Honeybee_ Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - C. Marina Marchese [75]
TERRIOR: Acidic, sandy bogs in cooler regions of the northern hemisphere. Requires full sun.
HONEY COLOR: Medium amber with a rich reddish tint.
TASTING NOTES: Bright, fruity taste with strong, pungent hints of tart berries and deep, tangy plum notes. Crystallizes very quickly. This honey is high in vitamin C.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over brie and walnuts, and serve with zinfandel. A Thanksgiving favorite spread for turkey. Mix into apple butter and vinaigrettes. Enjoy with dark chocolate and over spice breads.
CORBEZZOLO
22. DANDELION
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: Known to most people as a weed, this perennial is an important plant for honeybees, producing an abundance of pollen and nectar. The flower, a single, golden yellow blossom, is known as a wishie. When the seeds mature they form snowy white puffballs that are blown off by the wind.
BLOOMS: One of the first spring nectar sources. Blooms again in the fall.
BOTANICAL NAME: Taraxcum officinale
COMMON NAMES: Lion’s tooth, blowball, yellow gowan, swine’s snout, telltime, priest’s crown, bitterwort, wild endive, Irish daisy, tarassaco, piscialletto, dent de lion, diente de león. (The english name dandelion is a corruption of the French dent de lion, meaning “lion’s tooth,” referring to the coarsely toothed leaves.)
PROVENANCE: Found worldwide. Native to europe and Asia.
TERRIOR: Northern temperate regions. Grows in pastures, meadows, and wastelands.
HONEY COLOR: Deep golden yellow.
TASTING NOTES: Rich body. Strong, bitter, sharp flavor. Hints of chamomile and white pepper. Granulates quickly.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over goat cheeses, figs, and pine nuts, and serve with sauvignon blanc. Used to make lemon vinaigrette, herbal jelly, and wine.
23. DZIDZILCHÉ
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A shrub or small tree with flowers that are fragrant and pale greenish yellow. An important source of nectar for bees.
BLOOMS: March to May.
BOTANICAL NAME: Gymnopodium antigonoides var. floribundum
COMMON NAMES: Canelita, aguanales, tzitzilche, tzil tzil che, tsitsilché, nangaña.
PROVENANCE: Yucatan, Mexico.
TERRIOR: Tropical forest with high humidity, intense rain, and dry seasons.
HONEY COLOR: Light amber.
TASTING NOTES: A high-quality, very fragrant honey with a unique flavor and aroma. Deep and tropical character, simultaneously wild and delicate. Must be used fairly quickly to avoid possible fermentation.
PAIRINGS: This honey is rarely exported and has traditionally been used for healing purposes.
24. EUCALYPTUS
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: An aromatic tree or shrub with distinctively fragrant flowers that can be cream, pink, or red. The leaves and bark are covered with a blue-gray, waxy bloom that gives this plant the common name blue gum. Known as the fastest growing tree in the world.
BLOOMS: Beginning in spring and flowers all season.
BOTANICAL NAME: Eucalyptus globulus
COMMON NAMES: Tasmanian blue gum, mallee, eucalipt, Eukaliptus.
PROVENANCE: Native to Australia, Tasmania, and New Guinea. Grown in Arizona, Texas, California, and the Mediterranean.
TERRIOR: Temperate rain forest regions. Requires full sun.
HONEY COLOR: Pale yellow to amber, and sometimes dark, depending upon region.
TASTING NOTES: Strong woody aroma. Cool menthol and balsam flavors. Fruity and malty aftertaste. Thin bodied.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over parmigiano reggiano, and serve with Chianti. Blends well with orange and lemon to make salad dressings and glazes or marinades for poultry. Used to mix martinis.
25. GREEK FIR
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: An evergreen tree with dark green, bluish, needlelike leaves. The needles grow in a spiral, giving the tree an almost perfect pyramid shape. The cones are brown and resinous. The honey is actually made from the resin secreted in July and August, which technically makes it a honeydew.
BLOOMS: Produced in July and August. (Secreted by insects rather than blooms.)
BOTANICAL NAME: Abies cephalonica
COMMON NAMES: Christmas tree, fir tree, dwarf Greek fir, melata.
PROVENANCE: Native to Greece’s Peloponnesos Mountains