Honeybee_ Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - C. Marina Marchese [81]
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over goat cheese and fresh apricots, and serve with pinot noir or prosecco. Used to make ciders and meads.
47. MESQUITE
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A small deciduous shrub or scraggly tree with droopy branches of feathery foliage bearing spikes of yellow beans or pods. Long clusters of fragrant yellow-orange flowers.
BLOOMS: April and again in June.
BOTANICAL NAME: Prosopis glandulosa
COMMON NAMES: Honey mesquite, honey pod, haas. Called mizquitl in Nahuatl, the Aztec language.
PROVENANCE: Native only to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and the Chihuahuan Desert of Mexico.
TERRIOR: Shallow, loamy, sandy, desert prairies. Prefers well-drained soil and full sun. Tolerates heat and is drought resistant. Abundant rain and then hot periods are ideal for nectar flow.
HONEY COLOR: Medium amber with a brown tint.
TASTING NOTES: Sweet, yet warm, smoky, woody, citrus flavors. Light, delicate, and aromatic. Granulates quickly.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over goat cheese with sliced fresh mango, and serve with champagne or Sauternes. Mix with lime for barbecue sauces and rubs for smoked ham or ribs. Spread on blue-corn pancakes, whole-grain breads, and corn muffins.
48. MILKWEED
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: A perennial herb with global clusters of purplish to pink flowers that are an important nectar source for bees. The flowers are called pinch-trap flowers because insects often get their feet or antennae stuck in the slit where the pollen is found. When the honeybee leaves, it often carries away parts of the flower in addition to the pollen.
BLOOMS: July through August.
BOTANICAL NAME: Asclepias syriaca (Asclepias comes from the name of the Greek god of medicine, Asklepios).
COMMON NAMES: Butterfly flower, silky swallow-wort, silkweed. (The name milkweed refers to the milky white sap that seeps out of the stems and lance-shaped leaves when they are broken.)
PROVENANCE: Native to Oklahoma and the southern peninsula of Michigan.
TERRIOR: Full sun. Prefers moist loam or clay sand prairies, but tolerates a variety of soils.
HONEY COLOR: Water white with a light yellow tinge.
TASTING NOTES: Very heavy in body, fruity, quincelike, slight spicy tang. Slow to granulate
PAIRINGS: Adds a touch of spice to salad dressings and vegetables.
49. ORANGE BLOSSOM
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: The small flowering tree, known as sweet orange, bears the citrus fruit that is actually considered a berry. This small evergreen tree has oval leaves and white fragrant blossoms. The orange fruit is highly valued for its oils. Honey harvested from grapefruit, lemon, tangelo, tangerine, and orange blossoms are usually marketed in the United States as simply orange-blossom honey, with no distinction between the sources.
BLOOMS: March to April.
BOTANICAL NAME: Citrus sinensis
COMMON NAMES: Orange blossom, arancia, naranjo.
PROVENANCE: Native to Asia. Citrus groves flourish in Spain, Mexico, and Israel, and in the United States in California, Florida, Arizona, and parts of Texas around the Gulf of Mexico.
TERRIOR: Tropical to subtropical climate; regions free of frost. Light, loamy, moist soils. Secretes abundant nectar when the climate is very warm with no fog.
HONEY COLOR: Light to medium amber with bright orange tint.
TASTING NOTES: Classical citrus aroma. Acidic, distinctive fruity orange taste. Hints of rose and jasmine, as well as beeswax.
PAIRINGS: Drizzle over goat cheese and toasted pine nuts, and serve with sauvignon blanc. Use in glazes for pork chops, ham, or chicken wings. Ideal for use in marmalades, cranberry sauces, pico de gallo, and frosting for carrot cakes.
50. TURKISH PINE
PLANT CHARACTERISTICS: This fast-growing evergreen tree is host to a sapsucking aphid, Marchalina hellenic, that secretes a sugar called honeydew. Honeybees collect the honeydew and turn it into pine honey. The honey contains valuable minerals and vitamins.
BLOOMS: Produces cones that open slowly over a year