Welcome everyone to Hive Five for Honey week!!! Honey lovers this is the week for you. And if your not one, you will be after this week.
Hive Five for Honey is all about sharing the passion of the beekeeper. There are so many amazing beekeepers across this country, that are out there working day in and day out collecting for us healthy delicious honey. This week is dedicated to them and I am honored to be doing this.
You will hear stories of beekeepers, learn about the best honey you can buy, get some recipes, tips on shopping for honey, and even buy a Hive Five for Honey t-shirt.
Let's kick it all off with a giveaway. That's right you can win stuff! We are excited to be doing a giveaway with True Gold honey.
Who is True Gold Honey?
True Gold is owned by Sarah and Tyler Sample. They are a dynamic mother-son duo. Sarah is a 3rd generation beekeeper and Tyler is a 4th generation. Their business is based in California.
The Story of True Gold Honey
True Gold began as a result of a bad circumstance. Tyler Sample began working full time for Sample Family Apiaries in 2012. The 4th generation was being trained up to eventually take over the business. Unfortunately 3 years later, Tyler was involved in a car accident. This left him dealing with several back pain. He was no longer able to handle the physical nature of beekeeping.
This is how True Gold was born. True Gold is a way for Tyler to stay connected with the bees without having to deal with the daily physical pain of beekeeping. The Samples weren't in the retail business. They would sell their honey in bulk drums to different buyers. The decision was made to open a separate retail business that could sell their honey directly to the consumer. True Gold is a business that Tyler will be able to completely call his own. Sarah has the privilege to work side by side with her son in this endeavor.
Why You Want True Gold Honey
Here are some reasons why you want to try True Gold Honey and why I support them.
- They care about the health of their bees. They regularly monitor their hives to keep the bees healthy.
- They harvest by hand to keep their honey raw and unfiltered. Their honey has all the natural nutrients that honey should including all the live antibodies, enzymes and minerals.
- They practice sustainability to reduce waste and impact on the planet.
- They love what they do.
This family has a passion for what they are doing. It shows in the product they are producing. It's more to them than just about making a buck. They even give 1% of their sales to families that have been impacted by disability.
Award Winning Wild Buckwheat Honey
I want to tell you a little more about one of the honeys you can win - the Wild Buckwheat Honey. This honey won a 1st place award at 2017 California Honey Festival.
Here is a conversation we had on Instagram when I was first learning about their honey:
- eatlikenooneelse Is there a difference in the honey from wild buckwheat than commercially grown buckwheat ???
- truegoldhoney@eatlikenooneelse yes, there is a huge difference both in the plant and in the taste of the honey! There are about 50 different varieties of buckwheat, I think the commercially grown buckwheat actually comes from Europe. I can recognize at least 3 different wild buckwheat plants here in California where we make our honey. The honey made from the commercial buckwheat is very dark and strong flavored, wild buckwheat honey is still a little dark but much more mild . Also, when the bees are gathering the nectar, they get small amounts from the little wildflowers blooming at the same time, this adds a depth to the flavors. 🙂 hope this helps!
Let me tell you if you are not a fan of buckwheat honey, you need to give this one a try. It is not nearly as dark as other buckwheat honey. It has a flavor that is much more approachable.
When you open the lid you are greeted with a sweet, slightly molasses smell. The honey's texture is like silk. It drips off a spoon in beautiful, dark amber ribbons. The flavor is sweet up front then goes into a pleasant bitterness with floral notes.
I am sitting here right now eating some by the spoon full. Best buckwheat honey I have ever had. This honey was really good in the yogurt I made in my Instant Pot.
The Prize
The winner of the giveaway will receive a 6 oz jar of each of these 5 honey varieties:
Wild Buckwheat - 1st place 2017 California Honey Festival Honey contest
Avocado - A rich, bold honey, with a buttery texture just like the avocado itself. Heard that it's great on your skin as a face mask.
Orange Blossom - A beautiful gold colored honey with notes of citrus. A wonderful choice for a table honey that everyone can agree on.
Coastal Mountain Sage - A light, very sweet honey that is slow to crystallize.
Summer Valley Flowers - A sweet and tangy honey that is a beautiful caramel color. Collected in the summer months from the many flowers blooming in California from alfalfa to cotton.
A wonderful collection of honeys that are all uniquely different. You should totally host a honey tasting at your house if you win the giveaway.
To learn more about each variety, check out True Gold's wonderfully colorful website.
Enter the Giveaway
Enter the giveaway below. The only mandatory entry is that you sign up for our email list. We will be contacting the winner via email. All other entries are optional, but they give you more chances to win, so why not 🙂
Contest ends Sunday, March 11, 2018 at 11:59pm (EST). Void Where Prohibited, No Purchase Necessary.
Janet
Thank YOU so much for the opportunity to win this beautiful looking honey! Found your blog searching for the answer to why my clementine had seeds in it and am HOOKED! I've signed up for your e-mail list and cannot wait to read more! Just don't tell my boss I'm spending today reading your blog instead of working! 🙂
Eric Samuelson
Hey Janet!
Thanks for the comment. You picked the right week to sign up.
Glad my post answered your question.
I think reading my blog counts as working. Your working your mind, right?