February 2008 Issue

The Sweet Life

Around this time every year, as the days get longer, the temperature grows warmer and the harshness of winter gradually fades into spring, dormant beehives all over the state suddenly come to life and begin the long, labor-intensive task of making the honey that we love to consume.

“In [mid-to-late] February, the beehive basically, biologically, wakes up,” explains James Tew, Ph.D., an associate professor of entomology who works at   Ohio State University’s Honey Bee Laboratory in Wooster. The queen bee instinctively sets about producing eggs that, after several weeks, will hatch into a brood of worker bees. To make one pound of honey, these worker bees must collect nectar from millions of flowers.

When it comes to honey, Americans have quite a sweet tooth. According to the National Honey Board (www.honey.com), we consume more than 400 million pounds of honey each year. We use honey to sweeten our tea and coffee, flavor our meals, beautify our complexions and soothe our children’s sore throats. Honey is even said to have healing powers – believers claim it does everything from remedy the effects of a hangover, to heal wounds, to prevent seasonal allergies.

Jean-Robert de Cavel, chef and owner of Jean-Robert at Pigall’s, in Cincinnati, makes a point of incorporating local honey (mostly wildflower and chestnut varietals), purchased from Ohio farmers, into various dishes at his restaurant. Honey, he says, is a great addition to salad dressings, ice cream, seafood dishes and glazes for meat.  

Honey has always played an important role in de Cavel’s life. Growing up in southern France, a young de Cavel spent time on his uncle’s honey farm, learning about the art and science of beekeeping. “[Honey] is a natural product made by animals that work very hard,” he says.
The golden sweetener comes in many different forms: comb honey (which comes as produced, in the edible honey bees’ wax comb), liquid honey (the most popular type, which is free of visible crystals), naturally crystallized honey, and whipped, or creamed honey (which is thick and can be spread like butter).

There are more than 300 different types of honey in the U.S., each with a unique flavor and appearance, determined by the types of flowers from which the bees extracted nectar. Some of the varietals found in Ohio include alfalfa, blueberry, buckwheat, clover, goldenrod, pumpkin, star thistle, sunflower and wildflower.

Wildflower honey – Ohio’s most commonly produced varietal – is “a pleasant mix of what was in your backyard, what was in my backyard, what was growing by the road, what was in a state park somewhere,” Tew says. “In no way does that cheapen or lessen the quality of the honey… Honey produced locally always carries a higher value.”

According to Tew, who oversees OSU’s Honey Bee Laboratory, Ohio was known as the top honey-producing state in the country in the late 1940s. Now, Ohio is known primarily for its corn, wheat and soybean crops, which are not major nectar and pollen-producing plants for bees.

Nonetheless, Ohio is home to between 3,300 and 3,500 beekeepers, most of whom operate from their own back yards. “Ohio’s claim is to be a good beekeeper state, rather than a good bee state, because to have the number of beekeepers we’ve got makes us one of the largest beekeeper states in the country,” Tew says. In terms of honey production, the northeast and northwest corners of the state are the most prosperous, he adds.

Denzil St. Clair and his wife Sheila, owners of Queen Right Colonies Ltd. in Spencer (www.queenrightcolonies.com), have been in the beekeeping industry for 35 years (and started Queen Right Colonies 15 years ago). “We do everything from pollination to honey production. We sell bee supplies. We sell packaged bees,” Denzil St. Clair says. Normally, the St. Clairs have roughly 200 colonies of bees, but 2007 was “dismal” and they lost 160 of them.

They are not alone – 2007 was a tough year for beekeepers all over the country, who stood by helplessly and watched as half or more of their hives perished mysteriously. The bee loss, Tew says, was likely due to a combination of weather-related factors – namely, three years of cold winters, late springs and wet summers back-to-back.

The St. Clairs, active members of the Lorain County Beekeepers Association, produce 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of honey a year, including varietals such as black locust, goldenrod, pumpkin, watermelon, zucchini and squash honeys. Fortunately, they are recovering from last year’s losses, and currently have 200 healthy colonies. From April through October, they happily give tours to school groups and anyone else interested in learning about the process of raising bees and making honey.

“It takes a special kind of person to be a beekeeper,” says Tew. “You need to  be kind of outdoorsy. You need to have an interest in nature… You’re probably a good gardener.” Beekeepers come from all walks of life, and from all professions. Some raise bees and make honey for a living; others are part-time beekeepers or hobbyists.    

And it no doubt takes a special kind of person to love a creature as famous for its stings as its honey. Tew says that over the course of his 30-year career, he’s probably been stung thousands of times. Stings are an occupational hazard, but an experienced beekeeper eventually learns enough about bee behavior to prevent most from occurring.  

The sweet end result, after all, can be worth a sting or two.

  

  

  

  

Ingredients:
  8   ounces 60 percent cocoa bittersweet chocolate, divided
  2   cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  1/2   teaspoon baking soda
  1/2   teaspoon baking powder
  1/2   teaspoon salt
  1/2   cup butter, softened
  3/4   cup clover honey*
  2   large eggs
  1   cup buttermilk
  1/2   pint raspberries

  

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut 2 ounces of chocolate into 18 pieces; set aside. Place 6 ounces of coarsely chopped chocolate in a microwave-safe dish. Microwave 30 seconds on high; stir well. Microwave 30 seconds more on high and stir until all lumps are gone. If more melting is necessary, microwave in 10-second increments and stir until all lumps are gone. Chocolate should not become too warm.

Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy. Add honey and melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time. Add half of the reserved dry ingredients to the butter mixture; mix on low until just combined. With mixer running on low, slowly add the buttermilk. Add remaining dry ingredients until just combined.

Place a tablespoon of batter in the bottom of each paper-lined muffin tin. Add one piece of chocolate and 2 to 3 raspberries to each cup. Fill muffin tins two-thirds full with remaining batter. Bake 18–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove to wire rack; cool. Frost with Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting, if desired.

  

  

Bittersweet Chocolate Frosting
  1/4   cup clover honey*
  8   ounces 60 percent cocoa bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  1  cup heavy whipping cream
  2  tablespoons seedless raspberry jam, optional

  

Combine honey and chocolate in a medium bowl, set aside. In small, heavy pan, heat whipping cream over medium heat until bubbles just begin to form. Pour over honey-chocolate mixture and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Stir until smooth; cool. Refrigerate until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.

With an electric mixer, beat chocolate mixture until frosting is fluffy.
*Any mild-flavored honey such as clover may be used.

  

  

Ingredients:
  1  cup whipping cream
  3/4  cup honey
  1/3  cup scotch
  8  ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
  1/2  tablespoon vanilla

  

Directions:
In a heavy pan or fondue pot, heat cream, honey and scotch over medium heat until bubbles begin to form at edge of pan. Add chocolate and allow to stand for 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla until mixture is smooth. Serve immediately.

  

Fresh and dried fruit, cubed angel food or pound cake, gingersnaps, ladyfingers, or scones.