Saturday, July 24, 2010

Foods I Cannot Bear to Buy

If you come across any of the following foods in our pantry or refrigerator, it is not because I bought them:
  • Honey.  When I was a kid, we had a beehive in our back yard.  Yes, in the city.  I can't imagine that this would be legal today, but my dad kept bees in our backyard back in the day.  Anyhow, the point is that honey from the beehive in your backyard is way better than anything you can buy on the shelf.  And freshly harvested honey in the honeycombs... chewing on that is like eating a piece of heaven.  Nothing can compare, which is why I pretty much never eat honey anymore.
  • Blueberries.  We also had blueberry bushes when I was a kid.  You could go outside on a warm July morning and pick yourself some blueberries for breakfast.  These blueberry bushes had been planted by the previous owner, so they were an older variety that produced berries that were much smaller than the ones you buy in the store.  But, my theory of berries is that there is a set amount of flavor per berry, meaning that these small blueberries had more flavor per unit volume than large berries.  I can't bear to buy blueberries at the store because they don't taste as good and they are so expensive!
  • Raspberries.  We also had raspberry bushes, which produced berries twice a year.  Like the blueberries, they were so delicious to just eat straight off the bush.  Those overpriced things you get in those tiny clamshells just cannot compare.
  • Blackberries.  We had blackberry bushes, and I associate blackberries with August.  There is nothing better than a blackberry fresh off a blackberry bush.  I loved biting into them and tasting the unique combination of sweet and sour that is a blackberry.
Luckily, this year I've gotten to enjoy farm-fresh raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries from my CSA, which is about as good as having the bushes in your backyard (almost as fresh, but a lot less work!) so I have been able to enjoy those fruits.  But I don't think I'll be able to find the honey anywhere.

4 comments:

rachel said...

Surely there are local apiaries? Little stands by the side of the highway selling honey?

Rebecca said...

I haven't really seen any places selling their own honey. At the stands at the side of the road, they sell honey from Tennessee, but it isn't really local.

Anonymous said...

I was going to ask if your farmer's market sold honey in the honeycombs (ours does, and you're right, it does taste much better that way!), but I guess not. Bummer!

Laura said...

I totally relate, except I'm not so picky about my honey -- I'll buy anything reasonably local.

I just think it's interesting that having had the GOOD stuff means you can't bear to buy anything less. I'm just wondering, what else would I not be willing to buy normally, if only I had tasted the REAL good stuff?