Basswood Blossom Raw Honey: Tasting Notes
The first of our Limited Release honeys, our Basswood Blossom Honey is a raw, varietal honey that is reminiscent of spring. It seems mild at first taste, but then blooms into a complex, sweet flavor that is bright and minty. Use this honey for tea or on lighter cheeses, such as chevre. It is excellent with fruit, especially apples. We also find its slight citrusy flavor makes for the perfect warm-weather cocktail like the Bees Knees.
A Bit About Basswood
The Basswood (Tilia americana) is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America. It produces fragrant, white flowers in late spring, that draw the bees to it, where they enjoy the abundant nectar. (This honey is sometimes called Linden honey, referring to the tree’s alternate name.) Because conditions of weather and flowering differ every season, there is no guarantee that a beekeeper will get Basswood honey on a given year or how much. It is therefore in limited quantity and highly prized. This type of honey is known as a varietal or mono-floral which means the bees have fed predominantly on one type of nectar. When Basswood is flowering, it is a preferred food so when beekeepers move their hives near the trees in full bloom, they know the bees will spend most of their time there. They then pay close attention to the taste of the honey and the duration of the flowering period, and harvest it just as the bees start to move on to other flowers.
From the Test Kitchen
We have been working all year developing recipes to perfectly highlight the rich and diverse flavors of our new honey line. Basswood Blossom Raw Honey would be a great additional to any recipe calling for our raw honeys. Here are a few of our top picks.
Try one out today and let us know your favorite uses!
