Recipe Corner: Honey

I once met a Queen Bee. Not the kind you might see shopping in Bloomingdales, but the real boss of buzzing thousands - a certified member of the Apidae family.

The day I met her, I was visiting my friend Maria Emmer-Aanes, a marketing maven and the most adventurous woman I know. At the time, Maria was spreading the word about Great Harvest breads. I was visiting her, munching on a freshly baked slice, and commenting on the superb honey my taste buds detected. Before I had a chance to swallow, we were on our way to the apiary that supplied the sweet elixir - the Smoot Honey Company in Power, Montana.

Shortly after the friendly Mr. Smoot welcomed us to his small family-owned operation, we donned special protective garb and went to meet the bees. Mr. Smoot waved a smoke-maker around the stacked hives to keep the bees tranquil as he lifted one super after another in search of the queen. Once he found her, Mr. Smoot told us that she lays about 2000 eggs every day! We learned that while some bees take care of the queen and the brood, others are out gathering pollen and nectar. I suddenly understood the origin of our expression "as busy as a bee."

Sad to say, despite endless toil, one worker bee's lifetime of honey-making amounts to only a 1/8 of a teaspoon of honey. Since learning that startling fact, I now make sure to use every last drop of honey in the jar - and you should too!

Cooks might also might want to pay attention to the special taste qualities of varietal honeys. Their unique taste depends on the blossoms feasted upon by the bees. For example, if you use lavender honey, you may detect subtle floral notes while orange blossom honey will suggest citrus. Other honeys, such as buckwheat and chestnut, have a characteristic muskiness that is loved by some and detested by others. (For more on the fascinating subject of honey varieties, see Covered in Honey by Mani Niall and benefits-of-honey.com/honey-varieties.html.)

You might want to consider organizing a honey tasting. Ask each of your guests to bring a different variety. Taking one honey at a time, slip a tiny bit onto your tongue, close your eyes, and experience the complex taste of a varietal honey.

Then for dessert, try this delicious honey cake to celebrate the hardworking life of bees. I have adapted it from a September 2003 issue of Gourmet magazine by using whole wheat pastry flour instead of white, and by adding the cranberries and crystallized ginger. You'll find whole wheat pastry flour in any well-stocked health food store.

Lorna Sass is a widely published food writer and an award-winning cookbook author. Her Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way cookbook won the 2007 James Beard Foundation award for the best cookbook in the Healthy Focus category. Visit her listing on our website.