 |
| Picture from www.honeypax.com. Hive FL18 |
Yesterday, chef was not there; his cooler, disheveled and unorganized. The packages were almost bought out. He had been away from his board for a while, the equipment neatly stowed. Even so, I found what I was after. Spicy crawfish. Yum. My mistake was that I didn't pick it up right away, pay the bill, and leave the store.
No. I walked around first. Looking.
There were Fresh from Florida shrimp in the Seafood Department. I don't usually get the shrimp already prepared - except when I (rarely) put in for Publix to steam half a pound for me, double Old Bay, while I shop. These Fresh Market offerings are prepared as "cocktail" shrimp. When I can get "Florida" on the label, I usually opt for some to make a light, tasty, spring or summer shrimp salad. They are too bland otherwise. They have been cleaned and sanitized to death. In need of sauces or dressings.
No. I still was not buying, as I always pick up the cold things last.
Then, there it was. The honey that I love best in the world! Tupelo, packaged by Honey Pax. Tupelo honey is quite rare and the hives are only found in the Apalachicola River Basin of Florida. I also buy Tupelo honey shipped in and packaged locally, but Honey Pax is the best. Tupelo, you see, never crystalizes in the container. Each bottle of Honey Pax is marked with a hive number, even the single-serve-take-on-your-picnic pouches.
To my mind, the only honey that I tasted this year to come close to trumping Tupelo was a small jar I was given this fall by a member of my Supper Club. Local, mixed honey - hives less than ten miles from my house - great for allergies.
Excited, I finally raced about the store gathering my planned purchases and bumped into a fresh shipment of EVO just then being unpacked. The olive oil was actually on my grocery list!
And so it was, that I spent a good bit of money on four grocery items. Came away happy. It felt vaguely like winning the lottery, somehow. I stopped in the tiny lunch area near the door and mixed my ginger/soy sauce/ wasabi concoction. I've told you that sushi is my fast food, haven't I? I eat it on the run. Better tasting than a Big Mac and so good for the insides!
This morning, as I'm sipping my Oolong and honey, I went to the hive codes page to look up my beehive. FYI my honey purchase came from Hive Location - FL18, the first hive listed at www.honeypax.com.
