Honey tasting at UC
Davis; Left: The UC
Davis honey wheel
Locally, we savor honey. Check any number of local markets,
bars and bistros, and you’ll find them well stocked with this
78 South Bay Accent
superfood that’s chock-full of health benefits.
compliments the saltiness of the cheeses, and a chewiness that
contrasts the silky, milky textures. The fresh, unprocessed honey
matches the fresh, clean flavors of the cheeses. Our chef, Mike
Jarrett, likes the subtle, mixed-flower aromas that enhance,
rather than compete with, the rest of the items on the board.
And simply, it is beautiful.”
BEE WHISPERERS
“People have this idea of varietal honeys, which is wonderful
when you can have lavender honey, or orange-blossom honey,”
says Santa Cruz Bee Company’s Bondor. “But the fact is that
it’s pretty rare. The bees are foraging on everything, unless you
have a monoculture, where the bees are just foraging on orange
trees. We treat honey just like wine—the same focus on vintage
and terroir.”
Boutique beekeepers tend proprietary hives interspersed
throughout the state. “Our hives span from Napa to Gilroy,”
Andrea Henson, operations manager and beekeeper at Bay Area
Bee Company, explains. “We’ve also expanded into Palo Alto, Los
Altos, Mountain View and Santa Clara. Our varieties are both
blends—our most popular blend is the Bay Area Blend—and
then we have honey taken from specific hives. We harvest lots
of different varieties, and we do it by region, rather than by the
type of vegetation.”
A MATTER OF TASTE
Honey’s connection to wine seems apt, since both require balance,
stimulate our senses and invite expert analysis.
It’s hardly a coincidence, then, that UC Davis, famed for its
wine curriculum, hosts an entire department devoted to close
inspection of the sweet stuff. A sample course—“Taste This: The
Connoisseurs Guide To Tasting Honey”—is taught by Amina
Emily Bondor of
Santa Cruz Bee
Company
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: COURTESY OF UC DAVIS HONEY AND POLLINATION CENTER (2), COURTESY OF SANTA CRUZ BEE COMPANY