Fir Honey, Central Greece (Wedderspoon Gold, Malvern, PA)

I got this Greek fir honey from my friend Barbara. It is packaged and distributed by Wedderspoon Organic USA and she got it locally.

Like many honey operations Wedderspoon began as, and still is, a family affair. Catherine and Sebastien Martin created the business to initially bring quality, unpasteurized, raw and organically certified Manuka honey from New Zealand to the Canadian/US markets. Their operation is based in Duncan, Vancouver Island (British Columbia, Canada), but they have since expanded with offices in the US, and offer other honeys and honey products, mainly across North America. They pride themselves in providing superior products that are BPA free, and certify that their honeys are chemical and pesticide free. You can order their products, which include raw and organic honeys, body care products, candles, lozenges, and honey dippers, on their website. And, for those of you who consume a lot of honey, they offer "super saver deals" for buying by the case...

The label on the fir honey states that forests of central Greece are the source of this fir honey.

Areas of Greece; Central Greece is in blue

When I think of Greece I think of Athens, a sprawling urban metropolis, or the Greek islands with their white washed houses with blue shutters perched on parched hills overlooking the Mediterranean in impossible shades of blue. I don't think of forests. However, I've since learned that 50% of Greece is covered by forests, and fir forests (primarily made up of Abies cephalonica and Abies xborisii-regis) are common in the mountains of central and southern Greece. In addition, Greece has three climate zones: Alpine, Mediterranean and Temperate. The forests of central Greece have an Alpine climate, where winters are harsh, with lots of snow, and summers are cool, with lots of thunderstorms. Of interest, not only do these forests produce fir honey, but they are home to some endangered species, including the brown bear, lynx, roe deer and wild goat. 

The mountains and forests of central Greece

Fir honey, as you may know, is a honeydew rather than a blossom honey. I've mentioned honeydew honeys before (see blog about miel de sapin). You probably are familiar with how honey bees make honey from floral sources- collecting nectar from flowers and then transforming it into honey. In honeydew honeys, honey bees collect, rather than nectar, honeydew, which is a sugary secretion from scale insects, like aphids. These insects live in cracks under the scales of the bark, consume sap and excrete honeydew. Bees then collect and process honeydew to make honey. Honeydew, however, is chemically different from nectar and so honeydew honey is usually darker, more aromatic and has a higher mineral and antioxidant content compared to blossom honey. There are many types of honeydew honeys depending on the sap collecting insect and the source of the sap.

Hives in central Greece

Firs, however, are reported to produce the best quality of honeydew honeys. A fun fact is that honeydew honeys generally do not crystallize, in case you always want to have on hand a liquid honey no matter how long you've had it.


The fir honey I have is very thick-  which makes sense since I understand that honeydew honeys are generally thicker than blossom honeys. It is golden, light yellow and very shiny. There is no problem getting a large twirl on a toothpick. It rolls around on the tongue, has an unusually smooth texture and takes a moment (or two) to dissolve. It has a clean, sweet taste with a hint of molasses and a slight menthol after taste. The flavors gradually move from one to the next. It would be great drizzled on thick plain yogurt (in the Greek tradition), in hot cereal or on whole grain buttered toast. It might also be a good complement to a strong cheese.

Wedderspoon Gold Fir Honey

Oak Forest Honey, Aley, Lebanon (Jabal el Sheikh Honey)

Lebanon (officially known as the Lebanese Republic) is an eastern Mediterranean country that borders Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south.

Lebanon

Lebanon has a long history of human settlement, dating back thousands of years. It was home to the Phoenicians (1550 to 539 BC), and then later (64 BC) was part of the Roman Empire. The Ottoman Empire also ruled it for many centuries, after which the French governed it (post WWI). It finally gained independence in 1943.

Given its maritime tradition and history, it has an interesting cultural and religious heritage that is reflected in the diversity of the people who live there. For instance, the Maronites and the Druze call it home.


It is a rather small country, roughly 217 km by 80 km, that has the Mount Lebanon mountain chain running through the center of it. These mountains rise from sea level to about 2,100 meters and contain a wealth of micro-ecosystems and biodiversity.

The Mount Lebanon mountain chain is known for its forests, especially the Lebanese cedar forests. In fact if you think about "forest" in Lebanon, the Lebanese cedar probably comes to mind. This is not surprising since forests above 1300 meters are dominated by the Lebanese cedar. In fact, the Lebanese cedar is  a symbol of Lebanon and appears on the Lebanese flag.

Lebanese Flag showing Lebanese cedar

 

But Lebanese forests have more than just Lebanese cedars. Of note, and of particular interest for this blog, oak (Quercus spp.) also grows there. 

 

There are a lot of different kinds of oaks, over 600, in fact. I tried to figure out what kind of oak might be growing in Lebanon; there is a Lebanon oak (Quercus libani) which seems like a safe bet. 

Quercus libani

When you think of how bees make honey you probably think of them flitting from flower to flower collecting nectar which they then transform into honey. While this is how bees make honey from floral sources, it isn't how they make  honey from forest sources, like oak. In fact, honey from forest sources is made from "honeydew" which is collected by aphids (most usual) or other sap sucking insects/caterpillars (less usual). Aphids excrete honeydew, a sweet substance, as a byproduct of consuming plant sap. Bees then collect it, process it with enzymes, and make honey. Honeydew, however, is chemically different from nectar and results in a honey that is darker, more aromatic, and has a higher mineral and antioxidant content. In fact some honeydew honeys reportedly have one hundred times the level of antioxidants as a cup of green tea. It is not surprising that medicinal qualities have been attributed to honeydew honeys.

 

There are many different types of honeydew honeys depending on the sap source and type of aphid (or other creature) that collects it. For oak honeydew honey, the most common aphids are Tuberculalus annulalus, and T. borealis.  In the hierarchy of honeydew honeys, spruce and silver fir, however are thought to produce the best quality of honeydew honeys.

Mountainous Oak Forest Honey, Lebanon

The oak honey that I have is produced by Jabal el Sheikh out of Aley, Lebanon. They have a lovely website but mostly in Arabic, so I'm not able to glean much about their operation other than they produce a variety of honeys and honey products (e.g. pollen).

I have one of the itty-bitty sampler jars of their Mountainous Oak Forest honey. It is a deep, warm amber color and of medium thickness. It is an uncomplicated honey- true sweetness with no changes in flavor throughout. It is somewhat floral, however, which surprised me. I was expecting a more smokey, rich flavor of other forest honeys that I've had. It does have a warm, herbal undertone though, so it isn't completely "simple." Overall, I'd say it was a tasty honey. It isn't strong, so would be good in tea, hot cereal or on yoghurt, or used in cooking or baking.