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how sweet it is.
Im a snob. My honey, I want it fresh from the hive- hell, just hand me a honeycomb and Ill extract it myself. Dont mess with it. No processing or filtering or whatever it is folks do to make honey more palatable to the masses- I dont care if there are little bee legs or pieces of debris suspended in it…really, Id prefer it. Lucky for me, there is a local honey farm that hand bottles right from the hive. Unfiltered. Unheated. Unprocessed. Honey. Granted, there are no insect parts to be found (which Im okay with I suppose) but this stuff is the real deal- delicately sweet, wonderfully rich and perfectly pure. Sweet As Can Bee Honey Farm has secured my business from here on out, seriously, no other honey will do. “Fresh” is a word I usually reserve for fruit, vegetables, cheeses and meats- its rare that it enters my vocabulary in regards to something that comes out of a jar…except in this case. There is a freshness to the flavor of Sweet As Can Bee Honey that Ive never come across before. Its beyond compare really- a phenomenon that one has to taste to fully appreciate.
I was given the privilege to partake in a taste test of seven different types of Sweet As Can Bee honey- Cranberry, Fireweed, Marion berry, Vanilla, Wild berry, Wildflower & Cinnamon. Saturday morning I sat with a mug of coffee in hand, a couple pieces of toast at the ready and a small army of little jars splayed out in front of me. I meticulously tasted each flavor on its own, then with toast, then finally in combination with peanut butter a top toast. The peanut butter and honey would be the clincher, as it is the form in which I consume honey most often. Honestly, every single flavor was delicious in its own right…but my favorite? Vanilla Honey. The flavor is soft- not cloying in the slightest. The first thing that came to mind upon sampling it was vanilla wafers- this honey has that same sort of wonderfully pleasant mildness to it. Ive never been one to eat the stuff straight off the spoon…until now- Vanilla Honey has made me into a bona fide glutton. And all this time I didnt think I had a sweet tooth? I was wrong…so so wrong.
Sweet As Can Bee Farm is not limited to spectacular honey- they also produce skin care and bees wax products plus other honey related gifts & services. Look for them online as well as at a large number of area farmers markets.
Posted on July 31, 2010 ()
Seattle is home. It has a lot to offer- grocery co ops, inviting cafes, charming bookstores, friendly folk....
My time is spent... Horseback riding- a big passion of mine. There's nothing like a day at the stables and the bliss of a good long solo trail ride.
Running- a lot. I also maintain a regular yoga practice.
Writing, reading...some of my favorite books- Welcome to the Machine (Derrick Jensen), I Know This Much Is True (Wally Lamb), East of the Mountains (David Guterson), Whores and Other Feminists (Jill Nagle), Cunt (Inga Muscio).
I am drawn to...
The Southwestern portion of the US- cacti and desolate dry sprawling earth.
Photography- pictures of people mainly, black and white.
Music- country, bluegrass, folk, etc. And of course, anything that I can dance to.
Foods that I never tire of- blueberries, figs, squash, radicchio, avocado, red grapes, salmon, mussels, heirloom tomatoes, tahini, olives, walnuts, asparagus, barbecue chicken, pulled pork, eggplant, cherries, kale, apple butter, pears, mango, mushrooms, melon, brussels sprouts, collard greens, peaches...
I abhor factory farming. To know my food is of utmost importance-where its been, how it was raised...I respect the earth and myself too much to plead ignorance. The family farm is collapsing under the weight of big business. I want to take responsibility for my food and I feel our current system fails to do that. I fully applaud those folks that are still living off the land and providing for their families. Having worked on small farms in the past and seen firsthand what sustainable farming (animal & vegetable) looks like- its apparent that our current conditions are far removed from the original respectable idea. It shows in our tasteless food, our declining health, our damaged environment.
I'm a fan of spicy foods- Indian and Thai cuisine.
My drinks- red wine, dark beer and a good gin neat.
Dessert- nice dark chocolate in small amounts, a fresh piece of fruit. I don't have much of a sweet tooth.
Coffee- good ol' fashioned drip, an espresso or an americano...always black.
Cooking, eating, interviews, road trips and photographs- I share my adventures here. I feel fortunate as hell and immensely grateful for the opportunity to visit farms, sample restaurants and meet the truly lovely folks behind it all.
Questions/comments? Email me at: cherie@cheriepicked.com
