In
this community, more often than not I find myself in the midst of storytellers—tellers
of tales of family businesses, of ingredients rich in history, of core values
unwavering in effect.
It’s
why this specialty food industry is so special. Generationally passed down
recipe boxes and, in the case of Honey Ridge Farms, beekeeping skills have
crafted the gourmet company that we see today.
For
the family at the Prairie, Washington based farm, which was founded in 2004 by
Leeanne Goetz, it’s all about the bees. Her oldest son, Ryan, is fifth-generation beekeeper and worked
alongside his grandfather Edmund Varney. Today, Ryan is caretaker to
4000 colonies that pollinate a variety of crops throughout Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and California.
So what’s one to expect from a family business, Honey Ridge Farms, who so cares for the hive health and quality of the bees they keep? I’d say award
winning honeys—and that’s what I got.
Although they offer a wide selection of honey crèmes
and honey-based vinaigrettes, the Balsamic Honey Vinegar truly stole the show
for me. It’s a delicious aged balsamic-style vinegar made entirely from honey
that adds incredible dimension to the simplest of ingredients... salads
especially. It was a 2008 sofi Silver Award Winner for Outstanding Vinegar
and most recently, the 2015 Good Food Award Winner.
It has a mellow and delicate sweetness, so I
mixed it with some Dijon mustard, olive oil and hazelnut oil for a dressing
that I thought would pair perfectly with pears and pecans. Gouda too. I tossed
everything very simply in a salad bowl, and the light summer salad married
deliciously with my dinner. And because it’s 100 percent honey, the aroma is
incredible. Try it for yourself!
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