Tremblay Apiaries' Honey: An Unrefined Sweetener

One of my new favorite foods is honey.

Pure, raw and unfiltered honey is a wonderful treat--it’s sweet, flavorful and nutritious.

Honey is made from the nectar of flowers. Bees collect the nectar, return to their hives and reduce the nectar’s moisture content by beating their wings near it, turning it into honey. Beekeepers then morph this product into room temperature honey that is bottled in its liquid, syrup form.

Honey is not a uniform product; it appears in countless flavors and colors, depending on the flower from which the bees collect the nectar.

All honeys, though, have great nutritional and health properties. Honeys made close to your home can help in allergy relief, since the local plant pollen found in the honey acts as a natural shield against seasonal sneezing, itchy eyes and stuffed noses. Try a spoonful of local honey in lieu of over-the-counter allergy medicines.

In addition to being rich in antioxidants, honey can also help in the healing of minor scrapes and burns (because of its antibacterial and antifungal capabilities). Try using honey instead of over-the-counter triple antibacterial cream.

On Fridays at the Union Square (NYC) farmers market, Tremblay Apiaries sells up to ten varieties of honey, depending on the season. Tremblay’s website cautions that if you should “find a variety that you simply adore, buy a stock of it since we may never have exactly that combination again!”

My latest purchase from Tremblay was Linden honey (from the Linden tree). It’s light in color and has minty overtones, and is completely different from the Japanese Knotweed I bought over the winter. That is much darker in color and has a deeper, richer flavor. Trust me; they are both delicious.

(FYI, I’ll personally guarantee your purchase. As long as you don’t double dip, I’ll buy your Tremblay honey from you if you don’t like it.)

Pricewise, Tremblay’s honey is a bargain. A one pound jar is only $4, half the price of other farmers market honey and cheaper than most commercial honey found in supermarkets.