After I wrote the post “What do you do with your honey harvest?,” I just had to try some of the suggestions, especially those that used comb honey. Someone recommended I try Trader Joe’s Toscano cheese dusted with cinnamon. I have to tell you, they were absolutely right. There is something about the flavor combination that is awesome, and the hint of cinnamon really sets off the honey. I urge you give this cheese a try. But it’s a seasonal offering only, so you have to try it now or wait another year.
Toscano cheese dusted with cinnamon, comb honey, and wheat thins. © Rusty Burlew.
The other idea I really liked was garnishing chili with both sour cream and a small chunk of comb honey. It’s one of those things I would never think of on my own, but it’s very tasty. This is a vegetarian chili topped with a Mexican cheese blend, a dollop of sour cream, and just a small hunk of comb honey. Yum. The honey offsets the heat and adds a depth of flavor. All washed down with an IPA, of course.
Chili, Mexican cheese blend, sour cream, and comb honey. © Rusty Burlew.
Has anyone else tried any of the ideas? I can’t wait to sample more.
Rusty
Honey Bee Suite
Sounds yummy!
My momma used to put honey atop cottage cheese. I’ve never had comb honey, but I’ll get my chance.
This is really going to sound simple and naive….when you eat honeycomb, do you chew and swallow the wax?
Jenny,
Of course! See “How to eat comb honey” and “Update on how to eat comb honey.”
Hi Rusty,
I didn’t know where to post this so I just put it here. I was trying to wrap up my winter prep on my hives today and noticed that all my hives had eaten through their bottom boxes of honey already. Not good this early in the season. Probably due to all the rainy, windy, cool days lately, but not cold enough to tightly cluster them. That’s an easy fix but a pain, “Lots of feed this winter”. I also noticed that my one hive has really dwindled due to poor varroa mite management on my part this fall, I treated too late. They are under control now but had a bad case of deformed wing virus. Hard to bounce back this late in the season. I also had the yellowjackets put a beat down on my nuc. The nuc is small but healthy. Do you think it would be wise to combine the nuc and the weak hive? I remember reading somewhere that if you combine a weak hive with a weak hive you just get a bigger weak hive. If I let them go, (the dwindled weak hive), I will more than likely lose them by January. The nuc will probably make it as long as I watch them carefully. They are Carniolans and are heartier in cooler climates than the Italians (the weak hive). My gut tells me I should just let them be and accept what happens, it was my fault in the first place for treating so late. I just have a fear of combining them this late in the season and risking the nuc’s new queen. As I will have to pinch one of them, and it will probably have to be the Italian lady. Just looking for some advice from someone whom may have run across this problem in the past. Thanks, any advice, one way or the other, would be welcome.
Jeffrey,
This is a judgement call, and without a crystal ball it’s hard to know. If it were me, I would combine. I would remove the Italian queen, wait a day or two, and then combine using newspaper. Combining two weak hives usually is not effective, but it sounds like your nuc is in good shape, just small.
Thanks Rusty, I will be going into the hives next weekend to add some sugar blocks and take a real good second look at that Italian hive. I will do my final assessment then, if they are any smaller than they where this weekend I will probably just take the loss and start fresh with that hive next spring. If they have healthy looking winter bees with no sign of virus I will combine them with the nuc. I gave all 3 hives, and the nuc, some ProDFM yesterday before the weather turns, as they just came off their final mite treatment for this year. The other two hives are rocking strong, but if it doesn’t get cold out soon they too will plow through their supplies by January. Best of luck and thanks again.
Rusty,
As for this article. I plan to start a 6 gallon batch of peach mead this month before Thanksgiving. From what I have been reading it will take about a year to age properly, so I will post my results next year around this time. If it turns out well I will have it with turkey. Best wishes.
Jeffrey,
I really must try mead making. And peach is intriguing.
A small piece of comb honey and a good bite of hot, deep fried large shrimp!!!
Wanda,
I will try this. Sounds great.
Absolutely on the cheese but no thank you on the chili.
I actually made a small batch of Mead. Just did the first racking this past weekend. Will have to wait white after months to try it.????
Ken
Trader Joe’s has a goat cream cheese and fig/olive crisps. Spread a little of the goat cheese on the crackers and drizzle with honey. The flavor combo is out of this world and will beautifully showcase your honey!
Okay, Ann, they are added to my list!
Slice figs top to bottom; place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Top with a dollop of chevre and bake briefly on a low setting until warmed through. Top with a Marcona almond and drizzle with honey. It’s a favorite Thanksgiving appetizer for us.
I second the goat cheese. We had a honey tasting with friends that we have hives in Seattle and the goat cheese on a cracker with honey drizzled on it was the best! Yum!
It was interesting to try honey from 4 different hives which are only a mile apart…they were all different tasting. We will do this again with a good wine and more cheese! Thanks for your wonderful blog! Love it!
I make habanero infused honey people around my town of Thompson Falls, Montana love it.
Dehydrated habanero 1 tsp per 16 oz raw honey.
Also, make 16 oz mason jars of Sarachie and mayonnaise honey.
1/4 cup raw honey mixed with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup Sarachie in a 16oz mason jar.
Excellent shrimp dip, taco sauce.
I have put on other things as well. Shared with neighbors and they reported I should sell it.
Honey + avocado, toast optional