Honey and the bees

Luis has just returned from Palencia with our annual purchase of honey. We rarely use sugar these days apart from pickling and jams. The honey comes from a vet who keeps bees which harvest pollen and nectar from wild flowers, woodlands and some local commercial crops.

We stopped buying supermarket honey here are much of it was poor quality and glucose syrup had been added to many of the commercial varieties available. This year we have purchased 45 kilos which will last us for at least a year, maybe more. At €4.75c a kilo we think it is really good value and we know its origin and processing methods.

Those of you who are into honey will know that there is a vast range of flavours, consistency and colours depending on the flowers and conditions. This particular honey is not too strong in taste and is a rich light caramel colour. Luis was also given some beeswax for making hand-cream. This is pure, unprocessed beeswax and it smells divine.

We have also heard of a bee-keeper locally who has honey for sale so we might try and locate them and try theirs. Meanwhile we continue to enjoy the many different bees in the garden as they harvest and pollinate flower after flower. We have thought about keeping bees but we understand you have to undertake a compulsory course and be licensed here in Spain before you can become a bee-keeper.