Monday, May 8, 2017

Honey, Temps, Bowling,

I like local honey - the stuff they sell you in the stores is a mix of honey from all over the place and not nearly as good either for you or to taste. Anyway I have a jar I have been using for a while and for some reason had never read what was written on it. I think these are incredible statistics. To make you 1 lb of  local honey, one hive of 80,000 bees flies a distance equal to twice around the world, visiting some 2 million flowers around Perth and Waterloo counties. A single bee will contribute about 1/10th of a teaspoon of honey over its lifespan of about 45 days. Amazing isn't it? And after all that hard work we pinch it. Of course whilst they are visiting those 80,000 flowers they are pollinating which is their major function as far as we are concerned. This is why the loss of bees is so worrying. A lot of people in this part of the world say 'bees' when they mean 'wasps' or 'yellow jackets'. This too is worrying that they don't know the difference. The asparagus farm now has their own hives. I have forgotten to ask about their progress. I bought some honey their the other day but not sure where it came from.

All week they were predicting snow for Sunday. Guess what, not a single flake. In fact it was a lovely day, not very warm, about 6°C and the forecast for the week puts our highs at about 14°C for the latter part of the week. Not very much yet. Come on spring - we need you.

Although the Winter League has finished, Matt and I are going to bowl today and Thursday this week. Next week the Summer League starts on Wednesday 17th so I expect we will bowl on Wednesday and Thursday. Later in the summer the alley doesn't open on Monday and Tuesday anyway.

Here's a good one from Bon Appétit. Wish I had enough lemon and orange for some zest. Of course, as usual, if you have farm fresh asparagus, you don't need to trim. You know, since I learned that, I have often wondered about the asparagus I grew in my back yard in the UK. I don't remember that I didn't trim it and I probably didn't need to.

Charred Asparagus with Citrus Bagna Cauda

The one-two punch of citrus zest and juice balances all that anchovy richness in our new favorite
dressing recipe for spring veg.

2 Tbs skin-on almonds
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 sprig oregano
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 ½ lbs asparagus, trimmed

1. Place a rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 350°. Scatter almonds across a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until darkened a little and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then coarsely chop.

2. Cook anchovies, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, orange zest, butter, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small saucepan over low heat, swirling occasionally, until garlic is golden, 15–20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in orange and lemon juices and season with salt and pepper. Let bagna cauda sit while you prepare the asparagus.

3. Heat broiler. Toss asparagus with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet to coat; season with salt and pepper. Broil until deeply browned in spots and crisp-tender, 5–8 minutes.

4. Toss asparagus and bagna cauda together on a platter; top with almonds.

Servings: 4

Author: Alon Shaya
Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

31 comments:

  1. Hi Jo - I still like my asparagus plain as is ... but can understand people wanting to try new recipes. Honey is amazing ... and bees -bet the asparagus farm is having success. Enjoy what bowling you can get in ... cheers Hilary

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    1. I do enjoy my asparagus plain too Hilary, but one recipe I really enjoy is when you dredge it in flour, egg, breadcrumbs and bake it. I haven't posted that this year. Yes, I must check up on the honey at the farm. We always enjoy bowling, thanks.

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  2. I'm highly allergic to bees so I am careful to stay away from them. I miss having the bee hive guy living up the road. My gardens were well pollinated when he was here.

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    1. Sorry about that Denise, I hope you carry an epi pen. Can you eat their honey or are you allergic to that too? I bet they were well pollinated.

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    2. I have an epi pen stashed in the house. Never had to use it and now that they are so expensive I will use the expired one if I have to and call 911. I love honey.

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    3. I hope you never have to Denise. But I do know what you mean. Do you not have insurance?

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    4. Yes. And it would only cost me $15. I just think the company is ripping folks off by charging $600.

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    5. $600, that is a heck of a lot Denise. I wonder what they charge in Canada.

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    6. I'll ask my neighbour but I think it doesn't cost much but not sure

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    7. Just googled, seems to be about $157 here for an Epi Pen

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  3. My uncle used to raise bees and he gave us a 25 lb tub of it when we lived in Albuquerque. We still have a quart of it in the freezer. (It's amazing that honey never goes bad.)

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    1. It is amazing Diane but I didn't think you even needed to put it in the freezer. I put mine in a cupboard. It is also an excellent antiseptic and has many other uses apart from being a wonderful food.

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  4. That's a lot of bee effort to get just a taste of honey.

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    1. Isn't it just Alex, especially when you consider what one bee contributes in it's lifetime.

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  5. I didn't know that about bees. I'm ready for warmer weather. We've had so much rain lately and cold wind. The bee situation is a worry.

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    1. Nor me Susan. We are ready for it too up here. Today is gorgeous but cold. Yes, bees are a big worry.

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  6. Huh, I never thought to make asparagus with anchovies like that. It sounds good. I might have to try it. That's pretty much how I make mine (with citrus, garlic, butter, etc), but never tried with the anchovy.

    A good friend of mine actually keeps bees in his backyard in a special container he ordered off the Internet. He can use smoke to interact with them and harvest the honey (never been stung once), and I'll tell you, it's the best honey I've ever tried. He always gives us a full jar at least once a year.

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    1. I love anchovies anyway Bryan. A lot of people don't because the only way they have tried them is straight out of the can which is not a good introduction.

      That's interesting about your friend. I would try that if I had a yard/garden. That's the kind of honey I buy but it isn't cheap.

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  7. Cheerios was giving away a packet of free wildflower seeds to encourage the bees. I planted mine pursuant to the directions and watered the area a couple times in between rain when it dried out, but nothing's come up.

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    1. What a shame JoJo. I remember getting something like that from somewhere but never did get round to planting it. There are many flowering shrubs which bees absolutely love to visit.

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  8. Now I know why they call it being busy as a bee. Hopefully, now that people are aware, maybe we will start taking better care of our bee population.

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    1. I sincerely hope so Liz. The loss of bees will be very serious for the human population.

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  9. Agreed on the honey. Very cool.

    Same here on the snow and not a flake but ... it was cold enough that we had the heat on. Still do.

    Very cool that you grew your own. Thanks to you, I treat myself each season and double thanks to you for finding a local farm near me.

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    1. It is wonderful stuff isn't it Ivy?

      Today was absolutely gorgeous but still cold.

      I hope you find the farm easy to get to and so you can eat as much asparagus as you want. We go to our farm every week during the season. It isn't that close to us either.

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    2. The one you found for me is right here. Will be easy to get to just the hours for Saturday are short. But ...that's okay too. We like getting out early. Thanks again.

      Yes on the honey. It's amazing how different some taste and how the good stuff is really, really good.

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    3. It really is Ivy. I will not buy honey in a store now. I am looking forward to hearing about your visit to the farm.

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    4. Will email you pictures when we go.

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  10. That just tells me how many bees are in one hive to produce that much honey. I am very impressed by the humble bee

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    1. Me too, it is quite incredible when you see how much one bee collects Birgit.

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