Food | STYLE
Honey
By Wi l l Stewa rd, Liv i ng La rder
A
s spring makes its move towards summer, our rhubarb is in abundance and our bees are hard at work collecting pollen and nectar from the surrounding fields and hedgerows. By now the first substantial flow of nectar should have taken place and our beehives are starting to fill with honey. In this early part of the season, the honey produced comes largely from flowering trees, oilseed rape and wildflowers – we purposefully leave a wild meadow to ensure they have plenty of food. You can assist the bees in your garden by leaving your overwintered brassicas (kales, sprouting broccoli, and all cabbage family plants) to run to seed. The bright yellow flowers that will result provide an excellent source of food for hungry bees and will encourage them into the rest of the springtime vegetable garden for better fruit set on flowering fruit and vegetable plants.
HONEY-FERMENTED RHUBARB Honey is a great natural preservative, this honey-fermented rhubarb was suggested by one of our customers, and it’s delicious with Greek Yogurt. Ingredients 150g fresh rhubarb – choose bright red tender stalks 150g raw honey (or enough to fully cover the rhubarb) Method Cut your rhubarb into slices and fill a clean jam jar. Pour in enough honey to fully cover the rhubarb, wait for the honey to settle, and top up. Screw on the lid and rotate the jar to really make sure all the rhubarb is covered.
Living Larder is a family-owned, Soil Association certified Organic farm. livinglarder.co.uk | Instagram: @livinglarder
Loosen the lid and put the jar in a dark place on a plate – as the rhubarb ferments it might overflow. Every few days tighten the lid and give the jar a few turns, then re-loosen the lid and return it to the plate. You should expect to see bubbles after a few days. As the rhubarb ferments, the honey will get runnier and hopefully turn pink, the rhubarb will start to lose some of its tartness and soften. Ferment for 1-2 weeks, depending on how tangy you want it to taste – once ready pop into the fridge where the fermentation will slow. It’s now good to enjoy!
May and June 2022
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