There's this ordinary time in between holidays that is just normal. They say to find joy in these little simply things, but I struggle. I like fancy and special. Life though consists of many ordinary or normal things and few fancy or special moments.
So, I shall learn... I put on my winter table, the most normal tablecloth and tableware, with my no occasion decorations and think about something ordinary to be served. Well, it can still be beautiful though... and a little special like honey!
My new friends Gosia and Grzesiek found a hobby, to make an ordinary life more special, which is making the honey themselves! I mean the bees do. For those of you not familiar with Polish names, Gosia is the wife and Grzesiek is the husband. This is where my honey, the jar above, is coming from.
The pictures are from their collection, that documents the process. This looks very scary to me and I admire that they manage to make friends with the bees. Grzesiek got passionate about the bees and the honey from his grandfather who taught him how to do it. He's been mastering this skill for over thirty years now. The season starts in May and lasts through September. He's been doing a few types of the honey:
dandelion
acacia
linden
golden road.
A single bee lives about a season and makes one teaspoon of the honey. This is tremendously hard work but the result for us is delicious, very natural tasting honey!
I thought of the treats that would be made with this sweet addictive amber.
Tea with honey
The first thing that comes to my mind is just black tea with lemon and honey.
It's very quick and simple way to make the cold, dark days warmer and brighter.
Pancakes with honey
I grew up in the house where we fasted and didn't eat meat on Fridays all year round so in America, I smile at this fish fry Fridays only during Lent.
One of our favorite meatless dishes were, still are especially for the kids, Polish pancakes or Naleśniki. These are very similar to Crepes.
They are easy to prepare, for the dough I use flour, butter, eggs, milk and water. All the ingredients must be mixed well. Then they are fried, which takes quite some time, depending how many you make. They may be stuffed with variety of fillers like jelly or any nuts spread. I like mine fancier, of course. I use farmer cheese with sour cream and then different toppings. On the picture there are sliced almonds, cocoa nibs, shredded coconut, hemp and chia seed. Here, I'm serving them with my favorite fruit, raspberries. Finally, they are sweetened with honey!
Apples with honey
Another thing that I recalled as a child that will work perfectly with honey are baked apples. A long time ago in Poland we used furnaces that burnt wood and coil. The one my grandfather had, included a small shelf inside, that he'll use to bake apples in it. The room usually smelled like baked apples!
His were plain but my version is filled with walnuts, raisins and sweetened with honey of course! It smells and looks delicious.
I don't think that the winter table that I planned to look ordinary looks exactly that way. Too beautiful!
Maybe I didn't learn to be ordinary and normal after all... but why should I. Life is beautiful and so is the honey, artistic camera filters I just figured out how to use and my honey making friends. I'm grateful for the discovery of all this beauty in between holidays.
Lord, thank you for Gosia and Grzesiek and please bless their sweet work!
Grzesiek and Gosia
a beautiful couple, who are keeping a very special and sweet family tradition.
We also get our honey from Grzesiek and it’s the best! I love knowing where the honey we eat comes from and who made it.