Why Does Honey Crystallize?

Pure, raw honey has a natural tendency to crystallize. Storing honey in a warm place will lessen the likelihood of it crystallizing. But, if it does crystallize, don't worry, it can be heated and returned to its liquid form.

The easiest way to do this is to put the jar of honey into a bowl or pan of hot water, or microwave the honey for just a few seconds.

Honey is made up of water along with fructose and glucose, two sugars that occur in varying amounts and contribute to the taste of the honey. Glucose which has a low solubility is unstable in water and will begin to form tiny crystals. fructose tends to hold its structure and remain liquid.

Honey that contains more glucose than fructose will crystallize faster than a honey with more fructose to glucose. According to honey expert, Zeke Freeman,"Crystallization actually preserves the flavor and quality of honey." Click here to read more about honey crystallization from Zeke.

The next time you find that your honey has crystallized, you may want to try it as is and discover a whole new way to enjoy this gift from the bees.

Seafood Picnic in Seconds

A Sunday excursionist is called a Dominguero in Spain, here in the US we call them picnickers. Those folks who spend their Sundays driving to the country to brave the the bees and ants and dine on a blanket on the ground. In Spain, they traditionally load up the trunks of their automobiles with everything needed to cook a paella. They meet friends and relatives on the roadway and pull off to enjoy the scenery and the massive amounts of food that the Domingueros bring.

We tend to be a busy lot here in the US. If you don't have the time to load up all the supplies you need for a grand picnic, why not treat yourself to an easy picnic basket that only requires cutting a lemon.

A seafood feast is just a a flip of a tin and the squeeze of a lemon away.

Start with mouthwatering Matiz Pulpo (Octopus) from Galicia. Matiz Octopus is caught by traditional net methods that respect the biological cycles of the species, as well as avoiding harm to other sea creatures. It can be enjoyed right out of the can with no preparation.

Matiz Sardines have been getting rave reviews, whether from the Wall Street Journal or Martha Stewart's "good things." They are a favorite and best-seller. Sprinkle these with some aji amarillo spice from Peru and squeezed lemon for a picnic pleaser.

Matiz Berberechos are on the menu as well. These cockles are canned in brine. They are succulent, plump and refreshing.

Don't forget the Matiz Piparra Peppers (also called guindillas) from the Basque region. They have a wonderful pickled flavor and are quite mild, but they say 1 in every 100 is hot.

Hearty Arroyabe Bonito Tuna rounds out the meal. Fished by traditional line and hook methods (dolphin free), and cleaned by hand, this exceptional white meat tuna comes to us from the Bay of Biscay in northern Spain. The solid texture and rich flavor of Bonito tuna packed in Spanish olive oil is very different from regular albacore tuna. Try it and you'll never go back to regular old tuna.

Now, open a nice bottle of white wine and enjoy the sunshine!

Castillo de Canena certifies its Carbon Footprint

The 2011 sofi award winner for best olive oil, Castillo de Canena takes their impact on the environment as seriously as they take the quality of their oils. They are examining their carbon footprint and their greenhouse gas emissions to be able to monitor, evaluate and improve their environmental stewardship.

 
Calculating its carbon footprint represents yet another step in the firm commitment made by Castillo de Canena to unite the outstanding quality of its oils with respect for the environment and the fight against climate change.

This is one of the many reasons that we continue to be excited about bringing these products to the USA. Please read more about Castillo's commitment to the environment here.

Marcona Almonds - Not Your Typical Almond

For those of you not familiar with marcona almonds they are not your typical almond. Marcona nuts are fatter, rounder and have a buttery taste, like a cross between an almond and a macadamia nut.

The Marcona almond grows in the coastal areas of Spain, mainly in the region around Valencia and Alicante. The marcona has an insect resistant hard shell and can therefore be grown without the use of pesticides.

The Marcona tree is actually quite difficult to grow and is not very productive. It is a risky proposition for an almond producer to grow Marconas as they are harvested in February and a freeze could destroy the crop. But the risk is worth the reward, because Marconas are savored all over the world and are a staple at Spanish tapas bars everywhere. Chefs in Spain also prefer cooking with the Marcona and they are used in the production of traditional Spanish turrón, a nougat confection that is very popular in the holiday season.

At Culinary Collective we import Matiz Marcona almonds which are fried in olive oil and salted. They complement everything from cheese and fruit to wine or beer. Also try adding them to salads, chopped and sprinkled on desserts or as a coating on fish.

The Sweetness of Organic Honey

Apiculture, the art of bee keeping has been around for thousands of years.
One of the earliest depictions of humans stealing the precious gold syrup was found on a Mesolithic rock from about 7000 BC in Valencia, Spain. The drawing was used for a stamp to honor this long tradition. The etching is that of a female gathering the honey and that may be no coincidence, when it comes to bees, the females are the ones that do all the work.

The main players in the hive are the queen bee who lays eggs and 20,000 to 40,000 female worker bees that raise the larvae and gather the nectar from the flowers. They visit hundreds of flowers until their "honey stomach" is full. They fly back to the hive where they regurgitate the nectar from the flowers and the together with the other female bees they ingest the nectar and regurgitate again until the honey is ready for the honey comb.

The newly created honey still contains about 80% water and so the dance begins. All of the females fan their wings at the same time creating a draft that evaporates the water out of the honey preventing fermentation.

A Puremiel honey comb ready for extraction

The Spanish bees that create Puremiel's award winning honeys live in the foothills of the Sierra del Pinar mountain range in Sierra de Grazalema and Alcornocales natural parks near the Cadiz region of Andulacia, Spain. Puremiel Honeys are certified organic, because the foothills and parklands where they roam are untouched by chemical pesticides and other pollutants.

This delicious honey is available in 4 flavors, each with its own distinct flavor profile: Lavender, Eucalyptus,
Orange Blossom and Wild Forest.

Lavender 

Collected from the lavender hills of southern Spain. Clear in color, with an intense sweetness and persistent floral aroma. This honey was chosen as a sofi Silver Finalist in the honey and jam category through the National Association of Specialty Food Retailers from among thousands of entries.

Eucalyptus
Collected from eucalyptus trees grown in the alluvial plains of Guadalate in southern Spain, it has a dark color, woody scent and an intense lingering flavor with a slight acidity.

Orange Blossom
Collected from the alluvial plains of the river Guadalquivir, this honey has a clear golden color, floral scent and smooth exotic, and slight acidity, characteristic of the orange tree.

Wild Forest
Collected from one of the most treasured areas of Spain, the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Forest, a lush park in the southern region of Andalucía with the highest levels of rainfall in Spain. This dark honey is a delightful blend of sweetness and aroma.

Blanxart Chocolate -The Details Make The Difference

photo courtesy of Julie Anderson

Chocolate. It lifts your spirits, makes almost any offense forgivable and mimics the feeling of being in love. We're proud to work with Blanxart Chocolate, a small bean-to-bar company in Barcelona that makes their bars the traditional way, using historic machinery that they have used for decades.


Blanxart sources much of their beans from Domaine Monts de la Lune (Mountains of the Moon) Plantation (DML) in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
DML is certified by Fair For Life.

Fair for Life ensures fair and positive relations between producers and their cooperatives or contracting companies, between workers and their employer, between seller and buyers on the world market while at the same time ensuring performance of standards. This attention to detail and strong business ethic permeates everything that Blanxart makes. So, how does Blanxart produce their bars? It's a simple process that is as fun to watch as a chocolate bar is to eat (well, almost).

The first step in the making of chocolate is cleaning and toasting the cocoa beans. The degree of toast bestows the characteristic aroma and flavor of Blanxart chocolate. Toasting eliminates the humidity and the acidity, and also facilitates the chipping process of the cocoa beans.


Once the cacao is toasted, one of Blanxart’s traditional machines crushes the beans to obtain small pieces commonly called nibs.

The nibs are then crushed further to become liquor of cacao. This liquor is a fine paste that is mixed with sugar and cacao butter. The mixer machine is set to the exact proportions based on the kind of chocolate that will be created.

The mix is further processed in the refiner through a process known as conching. The refiner is a machine composed of cylinders that uses pressure to turn the mass in the mixer into a fine smooth liquid chocolate.

This resulting chocolate goes into the shells which are temperature controlled, large containers adapted with whirling arms that move the chocolate for hours until a homogeneous liquid texture is obtained.

When the conching process has finished the chocolate is stored at the right temperature until its use for chocolate bars.

The next time you're in Barcelona, be sure to check out the Blanxart flagship store where you can learn more about Blanxart artisan chocolates. Better yet, pick up a bar here in the states and enjoy the finest in Spanish traditional chocolate.