Honeybee_ Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - C. Marina Marchese [80]
TASTING NOTES: Strongly scented, citrusy, bright, tart, sour, aromatic. Good source of vitamin C.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over ricotta or Taleggio cheeses, and serve with chardonnay. Spread over poppy-seed breads. Blends well with thyme, garlic, basil, and ginger dressings. Used to make limoncello.
43. PURPLE LOOSESTRIFE
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: Invasive wetland plant with dense, spiky, purple or pink flowers producing a yellow to green or violet pollen. A favorite pollen and nectar source for honeybees.
BLOOMS: July to October.
BOTANICAL NAME: Lythrum salicaria
COMMON NAMES: Rebel weed, spiked loosestrife, spiked lythrum, riparella, salicaire, salicaria, qian qu cai.
PROVENANCE: Native to Eurasia. Found in the United States along the northern Atlantic coast and in the Midwest.
TERROIR: Shallow freshwater pond edges, marshes, and bogs. Fertile, neutral to slightly alkaline soils.
HONEY COLOR: Extremely dark purple; resembles motor oil.
TASTING NOTES: Rich, strong, unappealing. It has a delicately sweet flavor and is said to be highly aromatic. Heavy body.
PAIRINGS: Strictly bakery-grade honey used for cookies and spreads. Good choice for making wine or mead.
44. MACADAMIA
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: The name refers to the exotic and rare round edible nut that is highly nutritious. This evergreen tree has creamy white, pink, or purple flowers that grow in long clusters.
BLOOMS: February to April (Australian summer).
BOTANICAL NAME: Macadamia integrifolia
COMMON NAMES: Queensland nut, bush nut, maroochi nut, bauple nut; indigenous Australian names include gyndl, jindilli, and boombera.
PROVENANCE: Native to New South Wales and Queensland in Australia. Found in the United States in Hawaii, Arizona, and San Diego, California.
TERRIOR: Plantations in tropical, mild, high-rainfall, and frost-free climates. Fertile, well-drained soils.
HONEY COLOR: Medium amber to dark, deep amber.
TASTING NOTES: Exotic, rich, not too sweet, with delicious tangy, musky floral undertones. Hints of velvety butterscotch and nuts.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over ricotta or goat cheese with sliced fresh pineapples or passion fruits, and serve with sauvignon blanc or zinfandel. Enjoy with dark or white chocolate and coconut desserts. Drizzle over banana cakes, vanilla ice cream, fruit salads, and waffles. Used to make honey butter.
45. MAUKA
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: An evergreen bush with prickly leaves dotted with oil glands. When bruised, these leaves give off a gingery, peppery smell. Its white or pink fragrant flowers have white pollen.
BLOOMS: September to June (Australian summer).
BOTANICAL NAME: Leptospermum scoparium
COMMON NAMES: Tea tree, New Zealand honeysuckle, broom tea tree, manuka in the local Miori language.
PROVENANCE: New Zealand and southern Australia.
TERRIOR: Found in sandy coastal woodlands with well-drained, infertile acidic soil and full sun.
HONEY COLOR: Medium to dark amber with an orange tint.
TASTING NOTES: Intense medicinal flavors with overtones of burnt sugar. Also gingery, peppery, earthy, woody flavors. Heavy body. Often sold crystallized.
PAIRINGS: Manuka honey is known around the world for its healing properties and is taken mostly as a natural-health remedy.
46. MANZANITA
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: An evergreen shrub with clusters of bell-shaped white flowers and red-orange bark. The edible berries look like tiny apples and are white when new, then turn red-brown as the summer progresses. Popular nectar source for butterflies, hummingbirds, and honeybees.
BLOOMS: Early in the year, sometimes as early as January.
BOTANICAL NAME: Arctostaphylos manzanita
COMMON NAMES: Common manzanita, whiteleaf manzanita. (The word manzanita is the Spanish diminutive of manzana, meaning apple. A literal translation would be “little apple.”)
PROVENANCE: Native to California, where it can be found in the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada foothills.
TERROIR: Chaparral slopes and low-elevation coniferous forest ecosystem. Cool nights stimulate nectar flow. Full sun. Clay or sandy soil.
HONEY COLOR: Dark, golden amber.
TASTING