What's new on the farm:
Happy New Year, Foragers!!
Yes, it's 20 days in but never too late to take action towards a healthy and prosperous 2025.
Over the last 20 days we've had many new customers join us to fuel their healthy eating routine.
Welcome! I'm excited to be sharing stories about how we produce the honey that's in your jar in the upcoming season.
Right now, it's -35°C (that's -31°F) in Saskatoon. There's not much farming activity other than plowing snow off the driveway.
Lucky for our bees, they are not in Saskatoon right now. In fact, they are enjoying a balmy 3°C (37°F) at their lush winter home on Vancouver Island BC right now.
In about 5 weeks, Andrew will be leaving our Saskatoon winter and entering the BC spring to join the bees.
I've been noticing a frequent question pop up in our Facebook comments that I'll talk about today.
"Why is your honey white?"
"I've never seen honey that color."
I like answering this question because it highlights how special honey is.
Growing up, I thought all honey was a golden brown liquid that poured out of the top of a plastic bear's head.
We never ate honey because it was too sweet, and not that interesting to taste.
When I met Andrew, I learned that I only ever tried mass-market honey. This honey was pasteurized and filtered to stay liquid and the same golden color.
The honey that his family made was bright white and solid. You could scrape a knife across it like cold butter.
Then, when I was travelling, I began to notice honey in other places.
I tasted an orange honey from Hawaii that was fruity and bright.
Someone gifted me Mexican honey from Cozumel that was thick and dark brown.
Even in Canada, I found blueberry honey in BC that was amber and candy-sweet.
Everywhere I went, when I found a source of small batch honey, there were huge differences in color, texture, and taste.
Like any other food, honey depends on the climate and location. The flowers that the bees visit are what determines its qualities.
Unfortunately, you lose these unique qualities when the honey is heated and processed for big brands and grocery stores.
Saskatchewan honey, where we are from, is mostly white. People from other places usually have never seen a honey that is white like ours.
Our honey comes from alfalfa flowers, sweet clover, and prairie wildflowers like sowthistle and goldenrod.
Most of the time, honey from our province gets sold to big packers to be mixed into whatever, or as an ingredient for another food product.
Our honey stays white because we don't pasteurize it! And we don't filter it. It comes right out of the hive and you get to experience its natural color and flavor.
And when you taste it, you get notes of nougat, and vanilla. The texture is buttery smooth thanks to our creaming process.
And the best part of all, it's full of all the benefits that the bees gave it!
