Sweet, sticky and golden, honey is one of the bee’s greatest gifts.
Bees are imperative to our ecosystem. They are responsible for pollinating most of the fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts essential to the human diet. Over the last decades, bee populations have been declining, with bees dying in record numbers, jeopardizing the global food system. A single colony can pollinate 3 million flowers per day. Honey is a staple in many diets around the world and it is healthier than refined sugar.
Honey is also medicinal and has been used for healing burns, wounds and curing infection for centuries. Honey is antibacterial and antifungal.
George Serdyukov, owner of Lost Sierra Honey Co., has been a beekeeper for more than 20 years. He produces delicious wildflower honey and makes beeswax candles.
“I keep bees from Portola to Quincy with bee yards in between. This year, we have about 400 hives and at this time of year, probably between 40 to 60,000 bees in each hive. Each hive can produce 60 to 100 pounds of honey on average, “ says Serdyukov.
He adds that the queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs a day, which means lots of honey. But it isn’t always easy and he has seen his fair share of bees that die.
Clover honey is one of Serdyukov’s favorite varieties of honey. He uses it for cooking. One of his specialties is a sriracha honey sauce. He also uses his dark mountain wildflower honey to make barbecue sauce and marinades. Serdyukov drizzles honey on cheese for appetizers, along with honeycomb and apples. Serdyukov also makes honey mead for his personal use.
Honey can be used in countless recipes including baked goods, sauces and marinades. Honey is also lovely in tea to soothe a sore throat or sweeten the palate.
Lost Sierra Honey Co. has a booth at the Truckee Certified Farmer’s Market and Truckee Thursdays. He also frequents Romano’s Certified Farmer’s Market in Beckwourth and the Blairsden Community Market. Visit TheTahoeWeekly.com for details on local farmers markets. His Wildflower Honey is delicious.
My good friend, Massimo Massarotti is also a beekeeper. He and his wife Molly Knickerbocker have numerous hives on their property. The honey from their hives is delicious. Masserotti educates people on how to raise bee and is concerned about the plight of the bees. He also rescues unwanted hives.
He is committed to bringing awareness to the plight of the bees. Massarotti is involved with Fly Ranch – Burning Man Project. The Fly Ranch Bee Team Project is experimenting and monitoring how bees flourish at the ranch in Gerlach, Nev. Every six weeks, they host a bee team campout.
World of bees
Amina Harris, director of UC Davis Honey and Pollination Center, is an educator who works to bring understanding to the world of bees. I attended a presentation she offered at UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center in Incline Village, Nev., last July. Harris explained that there are more than 300 varieties of honey bees, which are essential to the food supply, farming and the ecosystem with 30 percent of food coming from pollinated products. She brought several types of honey for us to taste with varying flavors dependent on the flowers the bees pollinated. Harris explained that some wildflower honey tastes like caramel or have a buttery flavor, while other honey might taste flowery or tend to be herb forward.
Marvelous mead
Harris also had us try mead, which is made from honey, and it was delicous. Mead is one of the oldest alcholic beverages on record. I happen to love mead. Black Rabbit Meadery in Reno, Nev., produces and makes mead. Owners Will Truce and Jake Conway produce their mead with Al’s Bees Honey.
Al Sindlinger bottles his honey at the meadery and uses Al’s Rabbit Brush and alfalfa honey for its rich flavor. Truce explains that mead is simply made with honey, water and yeast.
“We are a young company making a fairly niche product.We we make a very unusual style mead, which is a cider style mead,” explains Truce. The Black Rabbit Meadery is open daily and hosts live music, bee talks and mead-making workshops. I can’t wait to visit the Meadery to sample their mead and eat handpies.
Honey Sriracha Sauce
From the kitchen of George Serdyukov
¼ C of honey
¼ C of sriracha (or more if you like it spicier)
½ t sesame oil
Mix together. Add a splash of sesame seeds (or more if needed). Serve over meat or chicken.
George’s Appetizer
Spread crackers with goat cheese, fresh ground pepper, sliced peppered salami, micro greens, a drizzle of Lost Sierra Honey and top with diced black garlic.
