Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Honey, not just for your Tea

Honey and tea has been a staple for as long as we could remember. Grandmother's swore that it would ease symptoms related to colds and flues. The latest buzz is that local honey helps seasonal allergies and our customer swear by this. They stop by daily, specifically to purchase our local honey.

Here at Red Bee Apiary, we use honey on just about everything and there is no food that has escaped the drizzle of our liquid gold, from home baked breads to a sweetener for our morning coffee. YES, I said coffee. Who ever thought honey could be the perfect "green" sweetener for your morning Joe? It's full of minerals and vitamins that you won't find in processed sweeteners.

To help you explore the possibilities of coffee and honey, we are hosting a Coffee Roasting Workshop here
in our gardens at Red Bee Apiary and posting three of our favorite honey recipes below. Coffee and Honey are the perfect accompaniments for home baked breads. We will be serving up all three of these tasty honey spreads with locally made Wave Hill breads and the freshly roasted coffee at the workshop.

Please join us for a Coffee Roasting Workshop with Peter and Junalyn Duveen of the Siberian Pipeline Coffee Company in NY. Learn how to roast your own coffee beans for a much fresher, robust flavor. Find out about pan-roasted coffee, and automatic roasting machines, and taste the result--freshly brewed coffee with delicious locally made Wave Hill Bread and Red Bee Honeys! Each guest will receive one sample sized bag of coffee beans.




Here's a sneak preview of what's on the menu at
Red Bee's Coffee Roasting Workshop

RECIPES:

Coffee Creamed Honey

Makes 1 cup

  • 9 oz. creamed honey
  • 1 Tablespoon instant coffee
  • 1 teaspoon hot water

In small bowl, bring creamed honey to room temperature. Combine instant coffee and hot water. Add to creamed honey. Stir in quickly but do not blend completely, leaving some swirls of coffee. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 8 2-Tablespoon servings.

Chocolate Honey Hazelnut Spread (Nutella)

Makes 1-1/4 cups

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup ground skinned roasted hazelnuts
  • 1 teaspoon raw cocoa powder

Cream honey and butter; add hazelnuts and stir until smooth. Serve spread at room temperature; store in refrigerator, tightly covered. Cream honey and butter; add hazelnuts and stir until smooth. Serve spread at room temperature; store in refrigerator, tightly covered. * Roast hazelnuts on flat pan at 325°F for 15 minutes or until skins blister and nuts are lightly browned. Cool slightly; rub between palms of hands or with clean towel to remove skins. Grind in blender or food processor until fine but not pasty.

Whipped Honey Cinnamon Butter

Makes 1 cup

  • 1/2 cup (6 oz.) whipped or creamed honey
  • 1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, mix together honey and butter. Spoon into jars with tight-fitting lids. Store in refrigerator.

Honey, not just for your Tea

Honey and tea has been a staple for as long as we could remember. Grandmother's swore that it would ease symptoms related to colds and flues. The latest buzz is that local honey helps seasonal allergies and our customer swear by this. They stop by daily, specifically to purchase our local honey.

Here at Red Bee Apiary, we use honey on just about everything and there is no food that has escaped the drizzle of our liquid gold, from home baked breads to a sweetener for our morning coffee. YES, I said coffee. Who ever thought honey could be the perfect "green" sweetener for your morning Joe? It's full of minerals and vitamins that you won't find in processed sweeteners.

To help you explore the possibilities of coffee and honey, we are hosting a Coffee Roasting Workshop here
in our gardens at Red Bee Apiary and posting three of our favorite honey recipes below. Coffee and Honey are the perfect accompaniments for home baked breads. We will be serving up all three of these tasty honey spreads with locally made Wave Hill breads and the freshly roasted coffee at the workshop.

Please join us for a Coffee Roasting Workshop with Peter and Junalyn Duveen of the Siberian Pipeline Coffee Company in NY. Learn how to roast your own coffee beans for a much fresher, robust flavor. Find out about pan-roasted coffee, and automatic roasting machines, and taste the result--freshly brewed coffee with delicious locally made Wave Hill Bread and Red Bee Honeys! Each guest will receive one sample sized bag of coffee beans.




Here's a sneak preview of what's on the menu at
Red Bee's Coffee Roasting Workshop

RECIPES:

Coffee Creamed Honey

Makes 1 cup

  • 9 oz. creamed honey
  • 1 Tablespoon instant coffee
  • 1 teaspoon hot water

In small bowl, bring creamed honey to room temperature. Combine instant coffee and hot water. Add to creamed honey. Stir in quickly but do not blend completely, leaving some swirls of coffee. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 8 2-Tablespoon servings.

Chocolate Honey Hazelnut Spread (Nutella)

Makes 1-1/4 cups

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup ground skinned roasted hazelnuts
  • 1 teaspoon raw cocoa powder

Cream honey and butter; add hazelnuts and stir until smooth. Serve spread at room temperature; store in refrigerator, tightly covered. Cream honey and butter; add hazelnuts and stir until smooth. Serve spread at room temperature; store in refrigerator, tightly covered. * Roast hazelnuts on flat pan at 325°F for 15 minutes or until skins blister and nuts are lightly browned. Cool slightly; rub between palms of hands or with clean towel to remove skins. Grind in blender or food processor until fine but not pasty.

Whipped Honey Cinnamon Butter

Makes 1 cup

  • 1/2 cup (6 oz.) whipped or creamed honey
  • 1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, mix together honey and butter. Spoon into jars with tight-fitting lids. Store in refrigerator.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Spring has arrived, Let the festivities begin!



Spring is a season for new beginnings and we are awfully excited about this upcoming bee season. Our garlic is popping up, arugula sprouts are peeking at the sun and our baby chickies are arriving soon to meet their new flock. It is going to be filled with many new fun and educational events. This year we were asked to host our first honey tasting
and pairing workshop here in our apiary garden by Analiese Palik founder of Fairfield Green Food Guide and your invited! Join us for a Tasting Flight of Seven Artisanal honeys on May 18th. We have invited local producers of breads and cheeses to join us. Look for the listing on the CT Bites web site then follow the link to our web site to RSVP and pre-pay for your spot. This will be a wonderful gathering of community to celebrate artisanal producers and local agriculture.





How Sweet it is: Honey & Cheese



Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

Murray's Cheese

254 Bleecker St.(between 6th & 7th Ave.)

New York, NY 10014 RSVP:212.243.3289

I will be teaming up with Louise Geller mail order manager at Murray's

to pair Red Bee single varietal American

honeys with the finest farmhouse cheeses.

HONEYBEE book signing to follow




A Taste of Westport



Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 6:00-9:00 pm

Come experience our signature honey tasting table

at The Westport Inn, benefiting CLASP Homes, Inc.

To order tickets please call 203.226.7895 ext. 144




This week I am off to sign copies of my book HONEYBEE Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper for the Orange Blossom Beekeepers Association in Orlando, Florida. I look forward to meeting all the people who make sure our nations honeybees are pollinating our oranges, avocados and litchi nuts.



One last announcement, Nyack, NY will be putting on their 40th Earth Day
celebration. Kicking off this week of festivities is a brunch honoring five local woman of leadership and vision. I was invited to be the keynote speaker for this celebration. Needless to say, I was flattered even to be considered a speaker for an event of this caliber. Other activities include music, crafts, beekeeping education, (I will also present a beekeeping workshop) and even a beekeepers ball. This all begins on April 17th. More info can be found on the events pages of our web site. www.redbee.com



Hoping your April is filled with good food and community to share it with.





























Spring has arrived, Let the festivities begin!



Spring is a season for new beginnings and we are awfully excited about this upcoming bee season. Our garlic is popping up, arugula sprouts are peeking at the sun and our baby chickies are arriving soon to meet their new flock. It is going to be filled with many new fun and educational events. This year we were asked to host our first honey tasting
and pairing workshop here in our apiary garden by Analiese Palik founder of Fairfield Green Food Guide and your invited! Join us for a Tasting Flight of Seven Artisanal honeys on May 18th. We have invited local producers of breads and cheeses to join us. Look for the listing on the CT Bites web site then follow the link to our web site to RSVP and pre-pay for your spot. This will be a wonderful gathering of community to celebrate artisanal producers and local agriculture.





How Sweet it is: Honey & Cheese



Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 6:30 am - 8:00 pm

Murray's Cheese

254 Bleecker St.(between 6th & 7th Ave.)

New York, NY 10014 RSVP:212.243.3289

I will be teaming up with Louise Geller mail order manager at Murray's

to pair Red Bee single varietal American

honeys with the finest farmhouse cheeses.

HONEYBEE book signing to follow




A Taste of Westport



Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 6:00-9:00 pm

Come experience our signature honey tasting table

at The Westport Inn, benefiting CLASP Homes, Inc.

To order tickets please call 203.226.7895 ext. 144




This week I am off to sign copies of my book HONEYBEE Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper for the Orange Blossom Beekeepers Association in Orlando, Florida. I look forward to meeting all the people who make sure our nations honeybees are pollinating our oranges, avocados and litchi nuts.



One last announcement, Nyack, NY will be putting on their 40th Earth Day
celebration. Kicking off this week of festivities is a brunch honoring five local woman of leadership and vision. I was invited to be the keynote speaker for this celebration. Needless to say, I was flattered even to be considered a speaker for an event of this caliber. Other activities include music, crafts, beekeeping education, (I will also present a beekeeping workshop) and even a beekeepers ball. This all begins on April 17th. More info can be found on the events pages of our web site. www.redbee.com



Hoping your April is filled with good food and community to share it with.