Oh, For the Love of Honey!

Natural raw honey

"The only reason for making a buzzing-noise that I know of is because you're a bee...The only reason for being a bee that I know of is making honey....and the only reason for making 

honey is so I can eat it."

 -Winnie the Pooh in A.A. Milne's 'The House at Pooh Corner'-

I've always thought Pooh a wise bear.  Honey.  The word itself drips sweetly off my tongue.  Honey. Nature's most perfect food; 'tis no wonder it glows golden in the light.  My awe of the honeybee and his ambrosia dates long before owning a tea shop.  Come to think of it, maybe I've taken up tea just to have a vessel for honey.  Hmm.  For a long time now, I have wanted to carry a delicious, local, raw honey in our shop.  It complements what we do very nicely, I'd say.   Beyond suiting tea to a tee, honey has a LONG list of health benefits; it keeps in line with our healthy, natural product line.  This nectar, of course, is known to soothe the sorest of throats, but were you aware that it is both antiviral and antifungal?  Yup, well...the unpasteurized sort, at least.  Before I forget, important tip: when adding honey to your tea for added health benefit, wait for your tea to cool a touch - you don't want to destroy the healthy bits in the honey with high temperatures.  Also, tuck this away in your happy heart arsenal: honey contains flavonoids, antioxidants which help reduce the risk of some cancers and heart disease.  Also, diabetics take note: even though honey contains simple sugars, it is NOT the same as white sugar or artificial sweeteners. Its exact combination of fructose and glucose actually helps the body regulate blood sugar levels. And beyond this impressive list of health accolades, let us face the truth: what would Baklava be without honey?  

With all that said, I am happy to report that by next week, we will be selling the finest raw, local honey that we've come across (these hard working bees collect their pollen from along the Nith River Watershed, Ontario).  It all came about in a rather serendipitous way.   My husband (and business partner) and I were busying ourselves with opening our shop's door this morning when a rather unassuming woman walked in the door...seemingly unsure of what we were all about.  She quietly asked if we liked honey and if we'd ever considered selling it in our shop.   My shriek of excitment startled her, so to quell her nerves, I invited her to sit down to a cup of tea and tell me her story.  Stories, after all, are much nicer accompanied by hot tea.  So, with tea in hand and my happy-yells fading in the distance, I listened.  This lovely woman's husband is a beekeeper.  A hobbyist beekeeper.  He's been doing it for years and from the smile on her face, it was clear that these bees are loved.  Yes, bees.  I have a deep respect for the honeybee and a not-so-secret want to be a beekeeper myself one day, so we were something of kindred spirits on this crisp autumn morning.  Anyway, moving along.   This man, her husband, lost his job in the manufacturing industry and felt inspired to turn his passion into his career: honey.  He has taken 20 hives and turned them into 90.  He tends to his hives lovingly and his wife is behind him in every way to help promote/sell their product.  She tends to all the gardens (HER passion, quite obviously).  I was just so happy to see a 'down on one's luck' moment turn into a really great thing.  Oh yes, sorry - the honey.  I get off topic at times, I know.  Apologies.  We spent a good hour talking about how the bees are tended to, what makes their product the best....and then came the taste test.  Sigh.  Yes, the taste test. I felt giddy.  She produced a glimmering jar of the sweet stuff, and if you looked close enough, I think there was an orb of light encircling that jar.  I took my first spoon of honey and was at a loss for words.  See, it really IS nature's most perfect food.  And for one moment, I savoured that honey.  And I felt really fortunate.  I was sold.  From the integrity of this woman, from the passion...to the obvious quality of her product.  Serendipity.  I've long been waiting for this product to find its way to our shelves.  And the last detail....an open inviation for my husband and I to bring our 4-year-old son to their nearby property to see their operation and to learn all about beekeeping.  Done deal.  I love to support local, small business whenever and however I can.  There's something so important, even ROMANTIC, about it.  So, why all this over honey?  Well, because Winnie the Pooh simply can't be wrong.  And that's that.