The Certifiable Foodie: Honey Bees and Lavender

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Honey Bees and Lavender

I ventured into my garden this past week and noticed my Lavender had come into full bloom while I was away in Chicago savoring the sights and flavors of that vibrant city. I picked a frond and brought it into the kitchen to share with the family. This morning while I was grazing through the kitchen with thoughts of breakfast, I found Blackberries, Raspberries, Blueberries and a beautiful Tuscan Melon and some Apple Bananas (Manzana). I combined all these into a bowl and then spied my Lavender in it's vase now dry and dropping it's fleurs. Without much thought, I broke off the flowers and scattered them over my bowl of fruit followed by a teaspoon of Liberty Hill Honey, purchased from Her Majesty's Secret Beekeeper shop in San Francisco. I tossed the Honey and Lavender Flowers with the fruit followed by my favorite Greek Gods Yoghurt and you wouldn't believe the success of these flavors. The Liberty Hill Honey is slightly fennel flavored which complimented the lavender really well. Give it a try even if you don't have access to Liberty Hill Honey, support your local honey producer and their bees and give yourself a little trip to the South of France without leaving your own kitchen.

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Pomelo

The pomelo looks like a grapefruit except much larger and has thicker skin. The pomelo can range from green to yellow in skin color and grows in California, Florida and much of Asia. Fruit can easily be two pounds. To prepare remove the very thick skin like an orange and remove as much white pith as possible getting down to the actual citrus sections. Separate in half and then begin to remove each section and peel the membrane from each section. Pomelos come in two colors; white and pink. The texture is much like a grapefruit yet larger dryer pulp which is easy to eat once peeled and lends well to salads if the pulp is pulled apart into smaller pieces. The flavor is very unique and sweet without the familiar bitterness found in grapefruit. The season in North America ranges from November to March.

Rambutan

The rambutan hails from tropical climates from Mexico to Asia and many points in between. One of the most striking looking fruits. Similar to the Lychee except with a thicker shell covered with hairs of red tipped with green. To enjoy, press your thumb nail into the shell half way around the center of the fruit and break the shell apart to expose the fruit that resembles a large peeled grape. It's taste resembles a combination of a grape and a pineapple. There is a center pit which is edible when roasted and tastes like an almond.

Durian

The Durian is an unlikely food both to look at and then to smell. It has sharp points all over its exterior shell. Once you get the shell open there are several lobes of butter colored flesh wrapped around large brown pits. Once open you immediately notice a very pungent smell that is somewhat off-putting. In Singapore and Malaysia you actually see no Durian signs on public transportation, right next to the sign that prohibits public displays of affection. Strange because the Durian is a very romantic fruit, when you think that you have to work so hard to access it’s potent smelling treasure. The pulp is reminiscent of custard and is sweet and delicious. This fruit is often made into ice cream. Rumor has it a better smelling variety is in the works.

The Certifiable Foodie

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Sunday, July 11, 2010

Honey Bees and Lavender

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