Macadamia Blossom honey (Maui, Hawaii)

A friend of mine, Stephanie, visited Hawaii and brought me back this honey a few years back. It comes in a nondescript plastic jar and a square paper label rubber banded around the lid. On the back of the label is a recipe* for honey mustard that seems straight forward enough. I've included the recipe at the end of the blog.

The front of the label says the honey is 100% Maui Macadamia Blossom produced by Tropical Apiary Prods of Maui. I googled them but did not come up with much. They have the beginnings of a website and all I could gather is that they produce macadamia blossom honey, Christmas berry honey and pollen: http://tropicalapiary.com/4.html

The Hawaiian islands are a treasure trove of honey given their exotic flora and tropical weather, and are also well known for their macadamia nut production. Wikipedia's entry on macadamia states that the macadamia nut tree originates in Australia but has since been cultivated in other parts of the world, but not always initially for its nuts (perhaps because only two of the macadamia tree species produce edible fruit- the others produce poisonous nuts). In 1881 William Purvis introduced macadamia trees to Hawaii as a windbreak for sugar cane crops. Gradually, over 40 years, people began to realize that macadamia nuts might be a crop of their own. Ernst Van Tassel founded the first commercial nut operation in Hawaii, Hawaiian Macadamia Nut Company, in 1922 with orchards on Nut Ridge in Honolulu and a processing plant on Puhukaina.

A little known fact is that macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs (so take note), and they are used by law enforcement in drug stings to simulate crack cocaine; macadamia nut powder looks like cocaine in texture and color (might want to take note of this too if knowing how to tell the difference between cocaine and macadamia nut powder might come in handy).

Macadamia blossom honey is runny, dark brown. It is clear, but so dark that if you lift the jar to the light you can't see through it. It doesn't have any fragrance but the first taste is of subtle molasses, rich and warm with a slightly stronger, robust molasses after taste combined with something a little herby. Not too sweet and very satisfying. Good for eating right out of the jar. Perfect for baking a hearty wheat bread or on hot, buttered toast. It is probably not a good choice for a delicate tea.

*Recipe for honey mustard: you microwave 2 tablespoons of honey with 1 tablespoon of mustard together and then use it as a dipping sauce. You can add sesame seeds and sesame oil for a dressing or ketchup for a glaze.