Honey

I am currently drinking the very last of my very special Amaro Wine. Megan was so kind as to give me a bottle of Refrosco. The wine is simply divine. It does make me homesick for Las Cruces—where I was always near a good glass of wine for any emotional occasion. 

I’m not as sad as I thought I would be. Mostly I get weepy when I Skype with the kids or when I’m in bed. The new room that I’m in…well I shared it at first. Now that it is all mine I have a complicated nostalgia for a time span that only lasted a few days. I have to view this as a motivation to get my own place. Not that I don’t adore Cher and Pabs and their house and hospitality (because I totally do). I just, can’t roll over in bed without thinking about the absence of warmth. Not a great feeling. Hence… wine time. 

To answer the great Honey Question of 2012! Will Louisiana honey be as tasty as New Mexico honey?! 

 

So far I have only found Bernard’s Acadiana Honey. It is very light, more yellow than amber. The honey is sweet, with no flavor. It’s just… sweet. When I macked down on a spoonful it made my throat sugar-itchy, rather than the smooth and soothing effect honey ought to have.  The label doesn’t indicate that is it 100% honey, which makes me question if it has syrup in it because, again, it is really sweet. I found a “raw” version at the co-op—it was comb in positively transparent honey. No crystallization at all. I take this as an indication that it has been heat treated.  Labeling like this can occur because comb is raw, but to make a great "display" you have to sell it in treated honey to people can see the comb. 

The bottles and all of the website information I’ve found doesn’t describe which type of flora the bees might be nibbling in to create the honey, so the honey must be mass batched-- taken from a large area (Acadiana) and mixed together (also heat treated?) to maintain consistency, which might explain the lack of definable flavor. Bernard’s Honey also claims to be kosher but if it’s not raw and labeled as 100% honey (which the bottle I have is not labeled as) then it’s not kosher.  Not that I'm planning on keeping kosher... just sayin'.

I’m not a fan. But I have more research to do with other honey providers. 

I could be wrong. Maybe the raw honey has a different crystallization rate that I’m used to. Perhaps the labeling standards aren’t as strict or informative as I’m expecting them to be.  It could be that the flora here just doesn’t help the bees make a thick, juicy, amber, flavorful, throat soothing… delicious… 

The honey doesn’t have the complexities of what I’ve had from Sun Mountain but thankfully I still have half a 3 pound bottle of Valley Blend to tide me over until I get a care package (which reminds me… ahem… I could use care packages that include NM honey… and red and/or green chile, Truck Farm pre-made mixes of any type, cajeta, and generally anything from Pros Ranch Market.) 

No. Seriously. I’m out of wine. A week without Southwest yummies. And I have only 1.5ish pounds of NM honey. 

My taste buds could very well be on the verge of self-destruct. You don’t know.