Pure Honey, Middle Earth Farms, Amesbury, MA

I go to my local farmer's market when I can (Brookline Farmer's market) and recently picked up some honey from the Middle Earth Farms stall. I asked the women who sold it to me what the flower source was and she said, "everything around the farm." Well, that cleared that up.

I don't know much about Middle Earth Farms, except that it is a chemical-free farm that supplies arugula, Asian greens, bok choi, collards, garlic, kale, potatoes, salad greens, Swiss chard and tomatoes to local farmer's markets. Although they don't list it online, they also produce their own honey. It comes in small ($4) and large ($8) jars with a simple label that simply says, "Pure Honey, Middle Earth Farms, Amesbury, MA." With a name like Middle Earth Farms I think I would have been more creative with the label; I'd have dragons or mythical creatures on it. It could be the Middle Earth Farmers are just too busy farming, though, to give the label much thought.

The honey itself is a deep amber color and a little cloudy. It is on the thick side and completely liquid at room temperature. It is a smooth honey with marked floral tones in the beginning. These make way for a subtle smoky flavor as a final taste. It is not too sweet. Overall, this is a nice, somewhat complicated honey. I think it would be great on toasted bread, or in a black tea. It is runny enough also to mix into yogurt. Very nice.

If you are interested, Middle Earth Farms has stalls at Farmer's Markets around the Boston area: Andover, Brookline, Everett, Marblehead, Newburyport and Stoneham. You can also find their contact information online. Given that the flower source is whatever is going on around the farm, I suspect that the character of the honey will change depending on the season. I got this honey in August, but I'm not sure when it was collected.