I blame the bear for my indifference to honey. You know the one. It's that cute Yogi-inspired bottle that sits in every single one of our pantries filled with insipid, overly-sweet nectar. Blech.
Which is not to say there aren't some mighty sticky fingers around my desk this morning. (Would it be bad to eat 6oz. of raw honey in a single sitting? Just out of curiosity.) Because the Mint Thistle is about halfway gone. Raspberry Blossom's gone missing and Apple Blossom's being forked out of the bottle with alarming speed.
Good enough to eat right out of the jar, Sonoma County's own Bear Foot Honey (formerly Wine Country Honey) is some of the best raw artisan honey to be found. Setting up their bee boxes in lavender fields, apple orchards, raspberry patches and chestnut groves throughout the North Coast (and beyond), their delicately flavored honeys capture the essence of each. Make no mistake--the flavor of apple or raspberry isn't added to the honey by humans. Usually working within a short radius of the hive, the honey is flavored by the pollen of the nearby flowers.
Ranging in color from the lightest of yellows to darkest umber, visitors to their Guerneville Road store can taste through everything from chestnut and blueberry to mint thistle. Flavors change up from season to season and their rare chestnut honey usually gets snapped up in a hurry. Spring through late fall, owner Scott Nelson hosts twice-a-week tours and tastings for bee affectionados.
Adding to the mystique, Bear Foot is about to become biodynamically certified--the first in the country to do so. And though they can't control where the bees may roam (not are they expected to), owner Scott uses special boxes, handling and processing to make sure that the honey conforms to rigid standards.
Nelson, a former police officer, and sister Cheryl are both avid bee-fanatics, having grown up in the business and followed in their father and grandfather's footsteps. If they're not too busy, they'll talk you through each of the different flavored honeys and add plenty of colorful bee commentary. Ask them just how smart bees really are.
You can find Bear Foot Honey locally at Whole Foods, Pacific Market and other specialty shops, as well as at their production facility (which is currently under renovations, but open to the public) at 2971 Guerneville Rd, Santa Rosa. Tours will resume in the spring, but the tasting room remains open, and highly recommended. Bear Foot Honey, (707) 578-0797
