Posts Tagged: mead

A honey of an educational odyssey -- and you're invited

Show me the honey!

You've probably tasted wine in California's acclaimed Wine Country, but have you ever tasted honey in the nation's rapidly growing “Honey Country”—the University of California, Davis?

Now you can.

The UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center is hosting a Honey Sensory Experience next month so you can learn all about honey, taste honey varietals from all over the world, and hear what researchers are doing.

The Honey Sensory Experience is scheduled for Nov. 10-11 in the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science's Sensory Building on Old Davis Road. The course is for beekeepers, bakers, mead makers, honey lovers, packers, importers, professional buyers, honey producers, and "anyone who wants to gain expertise in the aroma of honey analysis," said Amina Harris, director of the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, which is closely affiliated with the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, part of the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). "Over two days, expert teachers will guide participants through a unique tasting and educational odyssey."

The event revolves around a first-of-its-kind study in the United States. or the past nine months, the center has been working with a team of sensory experts and trained tasters in the sensory lab in the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology. The panel analyzed the flavor, aroma, color, pollen and nutrition of three varietal honeys with samples produced across the nation.

The center's goal is to create a description of each varietal honey's unique characteristics.

“We have about 300 varietal honeys here in the United States,” Harris pointed out. “Many aren't produced each year. And some years actually have a better crop than others. Our center's goal is to help consumers understand what each varietal honey should really taste like.”

Well-known varietals include orange blossom and clover honeys, although these are rarely pure varietals, Harris said.

“According to current honey labeling laws, the varietal listed on the label need only be the predominant floral source. Simply, a blended honey of 23 percent alfalfa, 25 percent wildflower and 25 percent cotton with 27 percent orange blossom can be labeled ‘Orange Blossom Honey.' Swap out the orange blossom for clover and you have a new varietal.” 

Harris said the center is "ready to share our experiences. Together we will spend two full days tasting varietal honeys from the world over and investigating the bees' handiwork. It all starts with nectar.” 

The Honey and Pollination Center, at the forefront of honey sensory research, developed the first-ever Honey Flavor and Aroma Wheel. The wheel has been featured on National Public Radio, at the Smithsonian, and at tastings and specialty food conferences across the country.

With interest in honey is on the rise,  consumers are actively looking for intriguing varietals, said Harris, who has tallied 35 years of experience in the world of varietal honeys. “The Honey Sensory Experience is the perfect opportunity for consumers looking to better-understand how honey is developed—from the moment the honey bee collects the nectar, until the honey is on the supermarket shelf."

"The two-day program “will bring together a group of exceptional presenters to explain all the nuances from nutrition to flavor to cooking."

In addition to Harris, the presenters will include Orietta Gianjorio, member of the Italian Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey; Hanne Sivertsen, sensory researcher, UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology; Amy Myrdal Miller, certified nutritionist and owner of Farmer's Daughter Consulting, Sacramento; Joyce Schlacter, certified quality control specialist and director of food safety and quality, Smitty Honey, Iowa; chef Mani Niall, owner of Sweet Bar Bakery, Oakland, Calif. and Extension apiculturist Elina Lastro Niño, based in the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology.

Niall, known as “Baker to the Stars,” served as a chef to Michael Jackson and a chef for the National Honey Board in the 1990s. He is the author of the book, Covered in Honey: The Amazing Flavors of Varietal Honey.

Miller, a UC Davis graduate, is an “amazing nutritionist,” Harris said. She is a farmer's daughter, a highly regarded public speaker, published author, and founder and president of Farmer's Daughter Consulting, a privately-held agriculture, food, and culinary communications firm.

The Honey and Pollination Center is sponsored by the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science and the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, part of the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR).

The course, which includes breakfast and lunch each day, is $625. To access the agenda and to register, see http://honey.ucdavis.edu/events/honey-sensory-experience-an-introduction.

So, Sweet! The Inaugural California Honey Festival in Historic Downtown Woodland

It promises to be...oh, so sweet! The inaugural California Honey Festival, to take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, May 6 on a four-block...

A taste of honey. From the comb to the bottle, that's the route of honey to the California Honey Festival on Saturday, May 6. (Photo by Kath

A taste of honey. From the comb to the bottle, that's the route of honey to the California Honey Festival on Saturday, May 6. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee foraging on almond blossoms in Yolo County. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee foraging on almond blossoms in Yolo County. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

Hear the Buzz? UC Davis Celebration of Mead and Honey Coming Feb. 11

Hear the buzz? It's almost time to celebrate A, B, C (almonds, bees and crop pollination). But did you know that there's another celebration bee-ing...

This was the scene at the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center's 2016 Feast. At right (glasses, facing camera) is pollinator ecologist Neal Williams, associate professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. In the foreground (in purple and blue) are Extension apiculturist Elina Niño and Bernardo Niño of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. (Photo by Mick’s Magic Moments)

This was the scene at the UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center's 2016 Feast. At right (glasses, facing camera) is pollinator ecologist Neal Williams, associate professor of entomology, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. In the foreground (in purple and blue) are Extension apiculturist Elina Niño and Bernardo Niño of the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility. (Photo by Mick’s Magic Moments)

Mead and culinary expert Darrel Corti of the Sacramento area will lead the dessert mead flight at the Honey and Pollination Center's feast. Last year he talked about the history of mead. (Photo by Mick's Magic Moments)

Mead and culinary expert Darrel Corti of the Sacramento area will lead the dessert mead flight at the Honey and Pollination Center's feast. Last year he talked about the history of mead. (Photo by Mick's Magic Moments)

Mead and Music: Beginning of a UC Davis Feast

It's getting to look a lot like...February. When you see honey bees foraging on the early blooming oxalis, that's a sure sign that February is...

From the honey comes the fermented beverage, mead. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

From the honey comes the fermented beverage, mead. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

The Feast: A Celebration With Mead and Honey

Soon the quince and almonds will burst into bloom. Soon the honey bees will be buzzing all over them. And soon will be the third annual "The Feast:...

A honey bee foraging on a flowering quince on Jan. 21, 2015. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee foraging on a flowering quince on Jan. 21, 2015. Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee on a honey comb. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

A honey bee on a honey comb. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)

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