Make a bee-line for this cookbook

If you have never visited Asheville, North Carolina, you should do so at your earliest convenience. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the city is surrounded by stunning scenery and is home to the always-impressive Biltmore, the magnificent “country home” of George Vanderbilt. The celebrated mountain town is currently being recognized for “the two Bs”: beer and bees. It’s home to the Center for Honeybee Research; the headquarters of Bee City USA, a nonprofit dedicated to creating sustainable habitats for pollinators; and scores of beekeepers making small-batch honey. It’s no wonder that Asheville Bee Charmer, opened in 2014 by beekeepers Jillian Kelly and Kim Allen, has become a destination for both local foodies and tourists. This honey purveyor offers a range of bee-related products and more than 50 different artisanal honey varietals-each with its own unique color, texture, and taste.

Kelly and Allen have teamed up with Chicago-area chef and culinary consultant Carrie Schloss to write a cookbook featuring their signature honey, called The Asheville Bee Charmer Cookbook. The book’s 130 recipes put to good use 20 different honey varietals, in addition to a handful of special Bee Charmer blends. You can find a short review of the book and a few select recipes at The Washington Post. 

The cookbook includes a color, aroma, and tasting guide to honey varietals in addition to the recipes.  Schloss writes with the home cook in mind, packing complex, surprising flavors into recipes written in clear, accessible prose. If you are looking for ways to ditch processed sugar without sacrificing flavor, The Asheville Bee Charmer Cookbook  is an excellent resource.