Paul Hinlicky, who along with his wife Ellen operates Saint Gall Farm in Catawba, Virginia, is an enthusiastic booster of wild honey’s benefits.
Photo Above: A beehive on Paul Hinlicky’s farm in Catawba. Photo Courtesy of Bruce Ingram.
“Honey is for sure a wild food, especially when it comes from people who raise bees like we do,” he said. “Our honey is not homogenized, there are no preservatives or additives, and it has only been lightly filtered to remove small bits of debris. Our bees forage naturally in our forest, and they have a wide source of nectar from the first dogwoods and redbuds in early spring to our peach trees and on to elderberries and clover later in the summer.”
Hinlicky relates that a school of thought exists that folks who consume local honey build up their immunity to certain afflictions as well as being better able to resist colds.
“I have a teaspoon of honey every morning,” he said. “Doing so, I believe, helps me build up my immune system. Plus, we preserve all our fruit in honey syrup, so there’s no need to use a sugary syrup.”
My wife Elaine typically bakes sourdough bread weekly, and one of life’s joys in these mountains is to slather honey on hot bread just out of the oven. For more information on the Hinlicky’s honey: www.stgallfarm.com. Here also is a recipe, courtesy of Ellen Hinlicky.
Gooseberry Cream
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 1 ½ lb. of gooseberries
- ½ cup water
- 1/3 cup honey
- 4 TB unsalted butter
- 3 eggs, well beaten
- 1 tsp orange-flower water, or almond extract
Directions:
- Place gooseberries in pan with water and gently simmer until a mushy consistency.
- Push through fine sieve while berries are still warm.
- Sweeten the puree with honey. Add more if desired.
- Again warm the puree over low heat and add butter and eggs.
- Stir puree until it thickens. Don’t let it boil or it will curdle.
- Just before serving, add orange-flower water or almond extract.
- Serve warm or cold or with whipped cream.
Bruce and Elaine Ingram will profile a different wild edible every month. For more information on their book Living the Locavore Lifestyle, contact them at bruceingramoutdoors@gmail.com.
