Palmetto - En Route from Winter Park Honey
Without a doubt, a number of you out there have been waiting with baited breath for my next announcement about the next single pollen honey to grace our table tops. Well, the wait is over. Welcome Winter Park Honey - an apiary with roots very similar to my own. They got their start in Oklahoma with two brothers who later migrated to Florida and grew their operation to hundreds of hives. Florida has a number of plants that are not native to my neck of the woods so once I found out that they raise single pollen honey, I knew we had to connect!
Palmetto is the first strain I will be introducing. What sets it apart? Palmetto Honey has a deep Amber color and most would categorize the flavor as full bodied flavor (though not as strong as Buckwheat). You want more adjectives? Fine - smokey, citrusy, with oak overtones. The last thing I want to be is generic when it comes to my food pairings but most of the earthy/savory honeys have similar food combinations - cooked/cured meats like such as Salami, Ham, Pancetta, Pastrami Proscuitto, Turkey and Sausage. What else? Hard cheeses are a winner with this one. Examples - Asiago, Pecorino, Manchego, or Grana-Padano. 'But Jay, I've never heard of some of those. How do I know if I'll like them?'
Ladies and Gentlemen, step outside your comfort zone once and a while. I can't be the only one doing the work.