Let’s Talk Food: Hawaii Honey Festival this Saturday

Before this Saturday’s Hawaii Honey and Natural Hawaii Honey Challenge, 13 judges gathered to taste 83 entries.

This year, the judges found many of the honeys were more watery than in the past. This, according to Dr. Allen Sylvester, retired from the USDA Baton Rouge (La.) Honey Bee Breeding Lab, is because the humid weather has an adverse affect on the honey. He commented that this humidity reminded him of being in Baton Rouge.

Other interesting facts about honey are:

• Each bee might go back to the same flower, but when they find something exciting, they go back to the hive and do a dance to notify the other bees about her new find.

• In Hawaii, with the many varieties of floral selections, it is difficult for a honey to be unifloral.

• In Baton Rouge, the buckwheat honey is almost black and tends to taste much stronger.

• When the honey is more watery, it will tend to ferment more quickly.

I am always intrigued why people move to Hilo, and for Sylvester, he came here from Baton Rouge on a family vacation, and liked it here.

Lauren Rusert, apiary technician at the state’s Hawaii Apiary Program and a judge, is my go-to person when I have any question about bees. Talking to Rusert, you can tell it is such a passion for her, one she developed as a youngster when a friend asked her to assist with gathering honey.

That experience had an amazing effect on what she was to do for the rest of her life. Rusert will further her career by pursuing a master’s degree in North Carolina.

The Hawaii Apiary Program has developed a queen that is resistant to the varroa mite. These are interesting facts about bees from Rusert:

• Female bees do all the work; males eat honey and mate, if they are lucky.

• Females are the only bees that sting.

• One honeybee produces 1/12th of a teaspoon during its four-six weeks of life.

Here is a honey recipe from the 2015 American Honey Queen Gabrielle Hemesath of Clermont, Iowa. She became interested in beekeeping at an early age and presently owns two hives.

Banana Bread

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar-free applesauce

3/4 cup honey

2 eggs, beaten

3 mashed overripe bananas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, mix together applesauce and honey. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas mixture into flour mixture; stir to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes; turn out onto a wire rack.

The 2015 American Honey Princess is Hayden Wolf of Big Sandy, Texas. She began beekeeping through the East Texas Beekeepers Association Youth Beekeeping Scholarship program and now cares for more than a dozen hives. This is her recipe using honey.

Honey Asian Salad Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise

4 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

In a medium-size bowl, combine all ingredients and stir until well-blended. Refrigerate salad dressing in a covered container or up to one week. Yields approximately 3/4 cup. Serve on a salad with lettuce, peas, grated carrots, shredded cabbage, sesame seeds and any other toppings of your choice.

Before you decide to have a beehive, learn about the benefits of beekeeping through the University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Continuing Education and Community Service. Danielle Downey, the Hawaii apiary specialist for the state Department of Agriculture, will conduct a series of classes. You can take the entire series for $50 or individual classes for $20. Call 974-7664 or visit www.hilo.hawaii.edu/academics.CCECS. Classes are conducted at UH-Hilo, Room STB 118.

• Bee Biology, 5-6 p.m. Oct. 6

Learn about beekeeping, its origin and history, the biology of bees, equipment needed and its uses.

• Honey Bee Health, 5-6 p.m. Oct. 13

Learn bee health, specific to Hawaii; learn about the 10 various parasites, pathogens, pests and environmental stresses to bee colonies and what management options are needed to keep the hive healthy.

• Products of Hives, 5 to 6 p.m. Oct. 20

Review bee biology with focus on products of the hive. Learn how to collect and use the hive.

• Field Day in the Apiary, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Oct. 24

Learn about protective gear, how to use smoke, about hive tools and how to open and inspect top bar and Langstroth hives.

Foodie Bites

Hawaii Community College’s cafeteria and café are open from 10:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday. Want to order lunch to pick up? Call 934-2559 and find out what the specials of the day are. Lunches come with choice of rice, pasta or potatoes, hot vegetable du jour or tossed greens with house dressing and hot soup. Quite a bargain as all lunches are between $6.45 and $7.95.