Discover Natural Raw Honey from Appalachian Beekeeping Collective

 

Discover the best natural raw honey products available via the non-profit Appalachian Beekeeping Collective, a non-profit social enterprise in the heart of Appalachia. They manage www.ABCHoney.org  to sell the Appalachian heritage honey their exclusive beekeepers have harvested from their 850 hives.

Since its creation in 2017, ABC has helped hundreds of people in distressed counties learn how to raise bees, harvest honey and sell their products in an environmentally responsible way. 

The www.ABCHoney.org website features a selection of natural honey in addition to products from partners Benko Glass, J.D. Dickinson Salt, Walter Hyleck pottery, and Rishi teas.

When you shop with them, you support beekeepers, bees and environmental programs that help restore ecosystems in Central Appalachia. You also get the best honey in the world – free from pesticides and antibiotics. Each hive we support can generate 40-60 pounds of honey for sale each year.. All proceeds are invested back into the Appalachian Beekeeping Collective to expand our geographic reach, assisting more people, communities and the environment.

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You can also make any level of monetary support or providing continuing support for this program through the nonprofit, Appalachian Headwaters.

Your gift will allow the nonprofit to provide direct support to a beekeeping partner and continue to grow this program.

All donations are tax deductible. They will send you a letter noting your donation for your records.

For more information and to donate, visit: https://www.abchoney.org/collections/charitable-gifts

I was sent a delicious sample of the Sourwood Honey. It is so light and delicate with beautiful flavors of anise and spice.  It’s so perfect for teas, baking, eating with a spoon, drizzling on foods. I just love it.  I posted a recipe below that I think it would be perfect for.  It is a recipe for Italian dough ball cookies, also known as Strufoli. These were a tradition in my home and still are, since I was a little girl.  They’re light and delicious and perfect with tea or coffee.

Recipe

These little dough balls are fried, then dipped in warm honey and layer in a tall pile, then covered in sprinkles (jimmies). When you bite into them, they have a crisp outside but a soft inside and are so delicate and delicious.  My grandmother use to make these for us when I was a little girl.  That’s when I began to love them and still do.

Here is the simple recipe for Strufoli from key ingredient that is just like my grandma made, which pairs perfect with the Appalachian Beekeeping Sourwood honey, or any of their other honey.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/2 cup flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup shortening melted
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• dash salt
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 cups oil for frying
• 1 1/2 cups honey
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• colored non-pareils

DETAILS

Servings 12
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 30min

PREPARATION

STEP 1

Place flour on board, making a well in the center. Place eggs, egg yolk, shortening, sugar, salt, and lemon peel into the well.

Mix well, working dough with your hands. Shape into very small balls, the size of marbles.

Let dough balls rest about 20 minutes, covered with clean towel.

Heat oil in deep pot. Oil should be at a temperature of 350°F. Drop the balls, a few at a time into the hot oil. They'll float, just turn them around a bit for even browning.

Melt honey in a saucepan and add orange zest.

As soon as the balls are fried, take them from the oil directly to the honey pot. Let the float around in there for about 30 seconds.

Take them out of the honey with a slotted spoon, placing them on a platter, piling hem into a conical shape.

Sprinkle with non-pareils while the honey is still warm.

About

Central Appalachia is an ideal location for natural beekeeping and honey produced from this region is distinct from other brands. The abundance of diverse forest and undeveloped land in our region helps keep our bees healthy. Our native Appalachian forests host an abundance of nectar-rich species such as tulip poplar, black locust, sourwood, and wildflowers. Most agricultural land is devoted to livestock, meaning that much of the area is covered is excellent bee forage. We have minimal agricultural crops to contribute to the range of synthetic chemicals other bees often endure.

Appalachian sourwood honey is one of the most prized honeys in the world. Compared to our bold Appalachian Honey, the Sourwood has a remarkably delicate flavor profile, characterized by anise and spice. Sourwood honey’s flavor is so remarkable, it regularly wins the Apimonda world champion honey contests and is highly coveted by food connoisseurs throughout the world.

How does it taste? Chef Paul Smith says: “Appalachian Beekeeping Collective sour wood honey may be the best honey I have ever tasted. When I tasted the first spoon It brought me back to the first time I gently pulled the stem and touched my tongue to the nectar bead of the honey suckle flower on my grandfathers honey suckle vine. There is nothing better than smells and flavors to spark vivid memories. My immediate second memory is the first time I tasted Hungarian Tokaji dessert wine. With good acidity, freshness, balance, intensity and great aromatic complexity with floral essences, along with hints of peaches and ripe plums. The honey flavors are complex, reminiscent and of quince, caramel and nuts such as almonds and hazelnuts.” - Chef Paul Smith, Charleston, West Virginia

2020 and 2021 were bonanzas for sourwood in central Appalachia. Under favorable conditions like this, the nectar is so abundant, it can be shaken from the blooms in small drops. But sourwood honey is often in short supply because the nectar is inconsistent from year to year. Sourwood trees have a short blooming season, and nectar flow is highly impacted by changes in rainfall and temperature. We are fortunate that ABC partners keep their bees in the relatively undeveloped forests of West Virginia and southwestern Virginia -- an area covered with well-established sourwood trees. In other parts of the Southeast, sourwood honey is increasingly difficult to find because of deforestation and development.

ABC partners’ careful beekeeping is required to avoid diluting the sourwood honey with other nectars growing before and after the sourwood blossoms.

All of our delicious raw honey is produced by more than 100 local beekeepers in the forested mountains of Appalachia. We protect the bees, beekeepers, and our ecosystem by using no synthetic chemicals or antibiotics in any part of our process.

The Appalachian Beekeeping Collective is a project of Appalachian Headwaters, a non-profit organization working to restore formerly mined forest land and to bring jobs to the mountains of Appalachia. We recruit, educate, and support beekeepers in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, creating sustainable income for local communities. Learn more about the project here.