“Honey, the Magical Food” by Annie Watson, Thistle Hill Studio

Imagine a food which has an incomparable rich sweet flavor, never spoils, and contains proteins, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. That’s honey.

Honey is truly a magical substance. For thousands of years it was the only sweetener known to man. It’s mentioned in many ancient texts, from the Bible, to the Quran, to Hindu scriptures. It’s deeply embedded in the folklore of many cultures. Zeus, king of the Greek gods, was raised on honey. It stays fresh, too: thousands-of-years-old honey was found in Egyptian tombs, ready to eat.

Raw honey offers us amino acids, enzymes, vitamins B and C, a bouquet of nourishing minerals, and antioxidants. Its simple sugars, glucose and fructose, are more easily digested, and its glycemic index lower, than cane sugar. Honey has amazing healing properties. In the case of burns, honey heals faster and more completely than silver sulfadiazine, the standard treatment. And did you know that bacteria cannot live in honey?

The best thing about honey is that it tastes good. Depending on what flowers the bees have foraged on, different honeys treat us to subtle yet distinctive changes in flavor; but all are sweet and delicious! Raw honey has better flavor and a higher nutritional value than honey that’s been heated to keep it liquid. Heating honey causes the loss of hundreds of beneficial components.

The honey that goes into Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill gin is 100% raw. Fresh honey direct from the hive is truly “food for the gods”, and we are blessed to be able to partake.

“Asters” by Annie Watson, Thistle Hill Studio

On a recent sunny afternoon walk, I spotted fall-blooming aster flowers alive with pollinators such as wasps, solitary bees, butterflies, and honey bees, all loading up on pollen and nectar.

Aster flowers come in many colors and sizes, from the rich violet-colored New England Aster to the not-so-showy Bushy Aster, a 1 to 3-foot tall leafy plant that can be covered with small white flowers with yellow centers. While not spectacular to look at, this plant provides food and cover for many creatures. Wild turkeys, goldfinches, chipmunks, and white-footed mice, to name a few, eat the seeds, while the leaves are eaten by deer and rabbits. The flower depends on insects for pollination and in turn provides them with food. The plant’s leafy foliage also provides shelter for butterflies, spiders, voles and mice, frogs and toads, birds, and many insects. Amazing plants!

“Goldenrod” by Annie Watson, Thistle Hill Studio

As I walk in the garden, a pungent essence wafts across the back yard. This is goldenrod honey, being made in the beehives. September is the month of the goldenrod bloom, characterized by a spicy fragrance coming from the flowers and a heavy, rich, yeasty aroma emanating from the beehives as the bees transform goldenrod nectar into their winter stores of honey. Truly, without the goldenrod they could not make it through the winter. Goldenrod honey is a warm yellow color, darker than clover or mixed wildflower honey, rich with an unforgettable spicy flavor. We always save a special jar to open in January.