From local hives to exotic flavors: Where to find the best honey for Rosh Hashanah
It’s a Rosh Hashanah tradition to dip apples into honey, representing the hope for a sweet, good year ahead. According to Chabad.org, there are a plethora of more complex reasons for the pairing: the bee’s ability to produce something kosher despite not being kosher itself, for example, is symbolic of the desire for our prayers to be accepted as pure.
Regardless of the reasons, western Pennsylvania is flush with local honey brands that offer a wide selection of honeys and honey-flavored treats so that you can begin the new year on a sweet and hopeful note.
Pittsburgh Honey
You don’t want to miss out on this Jewish-owned honey business’ raw, hive-to-jar honey. The spicy, hot pepper-infused hot rod honey is sure to add an enjoyable kick to a meal, and the chunk honey offers an interesting compromise for those split between spending on a jar of honey and honeycomb. Each jar comes with a stalactite of honeycomb, offering the best of both worlds. Co-owner Adam Revson, who runs it with his wife Alyssa Fine, estimates that 95% of the honey they sell comes from their own hives, and they have yards from Beaver all the way to Westmoreland County. Each yard produces different varietals, but they also source unique monoflorals like orchid and lilac honey from colonies run by private citizens. Pittsburgh Honey is sold at Squirrel Hill Market at 2130 Murray Ave. and can be ordered online at pittsburghhoney.square.site.
Bumbleberry Farms
Raw, clover and even avocado blossom are just a few of the many products that Bumbleberry Farms produces out of its headquarters in Point Breeze. Aside from selling award-winning honey, Bumbleberry Farms has a unique mission: to employ and empower members of the Deaf community. Deaf and hard-of-hearing teens can get job training, joining Bumbleberry’s Deaf or hard-of-hearing staff. Jon Mosholder, Bumbleberry’s owner and Deaf entrepreneur, recommends stirring their honey cream spreads into coffee or, of course, eating it with apples. Bumbleberry also offers honey drops, hard candies decorated with a honeybee design, to soothe sore throats or sweet tooths. All of Bumbleberry’s honey comes from Pennsylvania or other locations throughout the United States. Bumbleberry is an online-only store, so customers can order directly from bumbleberryfarms.com or they can by find the products at several stores in Pittsburgh, including Whole Foods in East Liberty or Mechanic Coffee Company.
Hannah’s Honey
Every jar of honey that Hannah’s Honey sells is locally produced and unprocessed. The date of harvest is on the jar, so you know exactly when it was taken from the hive. There are hives in Fox Chapel, O’Hara, West Deer, Natrona Heights, Tarentum and Upper Burrell, and it’s all bottled at the location of the hive it came from, giving you the chance to try each hives’ unique flavor. Basically, it’s as homegrown as you can get. You can buy Hannah’s Honey’s products at the Bloomfield and Lawrenceville farmers markets or by reaching out through email at hannahshoney@gmail.com.
Bedillion Honey Farm
This family-owned business is offering an apple pie spice creamed honey to pair with apples. If creamed honey isn’t your cup of tea, Bedillion has everything from pure Japanese knotweed honey to lavender infused honey. The majority of its honey is sourced from around 1000 hives, almost all of them within an hour of Bedillion’s home farm in Hickory. Honeys that can’t be made in the region, such as orange blossom honey, are sourced from other beekeepers in the United States. Bedillion honey can be purchased at its on-farm store at 1179 Burgettstown Rd. or at bedillionhoneyfarm.com. The website has helpful suggestions for honey pairings. PJC
