What is Creamed Honey?

Over the last few days I’ve enjoyed Byrd Mill Lemon-Blueberry Scones with Monastery Creamed Lemon Honey and Byrd Mill Raspberry Pancakes with Monastery Creamed Almond Honey.

What is creamed honey? Creamed honey is not whipped honey. There shouldn’t be any air in your creamed honey. Creamed honey is controlled granulation of honey, which results in extremely small sugar crystals. The smaller the crystals the better the creamed honey. A good creamed honey should be smooth, not grainy, like velvet on the tongue. Also known as whipped honey, honey butter, or spun honey, it is simply finely crystallized honey that spreads like butter at ordinary room temperature, and unlike liquid honey, it doesn’t drip. All honey will eventually crystallize, especially if refrigerated. The crystals are typically coarse resulting in a gritty texture that is not especially pleasing to the palette and is also not easily spread. Many people are alarmed when they see liquid honey on their shelf do this and assume that the honey has “gone bad”. Gently warming the honey will restore its liquid state… Just think of the three states of water (ice, liquid, and steam...all different forms of water). And so it is with crystallized honey… it’s still honey. Fortunately, it is possible to control the crystallization of honey so as to produce a creamy texture that is easily spreadable and incredibly delicious. This process involves the introduction of finely grained honey “starter crystals” and control of the temperature. There are many nuances to the process that are closely guarded secrets; however, in the end, creamed honey is merely a very finely crystallized pure honey that spreads like creamy butter. That's the science behind creamed honey that you will immediately forget about when you taste some on a hot, buttered biscuit!

We get the creamed honey we sell from Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, VA is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Shenandoah River. Established in 1950, the Abbey is home to Trappist Monks. Members of the monastery live separated from day to day society in order to spend their days focusing on meditation, prayer and service. Contrary to popular belief, the monks do not take a vow of silence. They do, however, make a vow of personal poverty and live with limited possessions in a dormitory like setting. Though they live separately, they are not totally isolated from the community as guests are welcomed to visit the monastery for quiet reflection in the chapel any time from 3:15AM to 8:00PM or to attend any of the services. Trappist monks believe strongly in “living from the work of their hands”. Monks at the Holy Cross Abbey support themselves through the sale of creamed honey, fruitcake made from an old fashioned recipe, as well as fraters (fruit cake slices dipped in dark chocolate).

We offer six flavors of creamed honey, natural, cinnamon, brandy, almond, raspberry, and lemon, in assortments, gift boxes, gable boxes with just creamed honey or with mixtures of preserves, apple butter and creamed honey. We have gift baskets with just creamed honey, ones with a mixture of preserves and with are other fine Virginia products. Substitute Monastery Creamed Honey in any recipe calling for honey and you’ll wonder if it’s what might be served in "The Land of Milk and Honey".

A Visit to the Virginia Diner

This week the Virginia Diner salted, unsalted, chocolate covered an butter toasted Virginia peanuts dressed up in their holiday labels are arriving at The Virginia Marketplace.

You may not realize that the Virginia Diner really is an 80-year old family owned and operated diner and peanut business located in Wakefield, Virginia known for its home style cooking served up with plenty of Southern hospitality. In those days the little diner was a refurbished Sussex, Surry, and Southampton Railroad car. Being in the heart of peanut country, it wasn’t long before they were cooking peanuts and serving them in the Diner as their country version of “after dinner mints.” Today the Virginia Diner has been replicated and the old railroad car has become a legend, but its quaint atmosphere has been faithfully preserved and still reflects throughout the restaurant. Today, people all over the United States buy and enjoy many varieties of Virginia Diner peanuts and many send them to friends, colleagues, and family as appreciated gifts.

Last year I went to the Dismal Swamp canoeing and camping. On the way home I stopped to eat a buffet lunch at the Virginia Diner. They didn’t have their famous Peanut Pie on the buffet but I had to order it anyway. It certainly was delicious! Here’s a link to the Virginia Diner Peanut Pie recipe on our website. Virginia Diner is known to many as “The Peanut Capital of the World TM” and the locals call it “A Legend in a Nutshell TM”.

Hot Cocoa and Gingerbread, a Perfect Pair

When the weather gets cooler and the leaves start to fall it’s time to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa around a fireplace, or even better, around a fire outdoors. I also love to sip hot cocoa after I come in on a cool day. It always tastes especially delicious when the snow is falling.

When I drink my first cup of hot cocoa I think about how it is almost time to make gingerbread cookies to eat and to decorate the Christmas tree. I always get my cocoa and gingerbread cookie mix form The Virginia Marketplace. We sell award winning Steamer Hot Cocoa, an indulgent and rich combination of quality ingredients. The can of Traditional Hot Cocoa comes with an awesome old-fashioned picture of a horse and carriage. The can of White Chocolate Flavor comes with a gorgeous picture of ice skaters on a frozen pond. Woodpecker Farm Gingerbread Cookie mix comes from all natural, old Virginia family recipes. The mix can be used to make ornaments and gingerbread houses as well as cookies.

We sell the Steamer Cocoa Mixes and Gingerbread Cookie Mix by themselves and in gift boxes and gift baskets. I know that you or your gift recipient will enjoy the gingerbread mix and hot cocoa as much as we do. We found some perfect Snowman mugs to pair with our Hot Cocoa mixes, the perfect gift to send to your hot cocoa lover or yourself.

When I Met Rowena

When I went to the Fancy Food Show in New York I found out about Rowena’s. She makes gourmet cakes, curds, jams, and sauces out of Norfolk, VA. She offered us her signature Carrot Jam. We couldn't help but think how weird and hoped we could swallow it. To our surprise it was unusually satisfying, delicious and addictive. People tend to be skeptical that jam made from a vegetable can be any good, but its cinnamon clove taste wins them over. This jam has been the surprise best-seller at Rowena’s for 25 years. She also had us try some sugar free pound cake but didn’t tell us it was sugar free until afterward. It was so good we never would have known. Rowena’s cakes are not just wonderful to taste; they are shipped in a unique "spotted" shipping box and make welcome gifts for many occasions. The excitement begins the moment the beautifully decorated box arrives. Rowena feels she creates more than cakes; she creates happiness. We’ve been excited to sell Rowena’s gourmet offerings since we met her.


Rowena makes almond, lemon, chocolate, chocolate mint, and cappuccino pound cakes with and without curds. She also makes a Rose Shaped Cake, a Cranberry Torte and a selection of different Baby Bundt Cakes. She makes lemon, raspberry, and key lime curds, Heavenly Curry, Spicy Peanut Sauce and Devilish Mustard Sauce, and Peach Orange Clove Jam, Cranberry Nut Conserve and of course, Carrot Jam. She also creates sugar free almond, lemon and chocolate pound cakes and sugar free lemon and raspberry curds.

Here is some information about Rowena. Three backyard fruit trees and almond pound cake sparked what is today a thriving gourmet food business for Rowena Fullinwider, founder and president of Rowena’s, Inc, in Norfolk, Virginia. Fullinwider often baked for family, friends and church bake sales. People liked what she made and wanted to buy them. A friend offered to carry things in her store. After that, things just started to grow. She started with her almond pound cake, some jams and the lemon curd. As word spread about the “cake lady”, requests for Rowena’s specialty foods exceeded the capabilities of her kitchen. Rowena opened her gourmet manufacturing facility in May of 1983 and in 23 years, her facility has grown to 18 employees, a retail store, staff offices, call center, tearoom, two spacious kitchens and two warehouses. The Almond Pound Cake is to this day her biggest selling item.

Rowena and her company have won numerous awards over the years, including the coveted Blue Chip Enterprise Award in 1994 and the Women Business Advocate Award for Virginia and Lifetime Achievement Award from the Small Business Administration in 2004.

Rowena not only runs her successful business, but she also serves or has served on several boards (including president of the local National Association of Women Business Owners in 1996-97), mentors other women business owners, donates tons of time and product to charities, and gives tours of Rowena's to at-risk children. She lobbied Congress to help small business receive an exemption from the National Labeling and Education Act of 1990, served as chairman of the Governor's Small Business Advisory Board for six years, and was a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business in 1995, serving as the co-chair for the Regulation and Paperwork Reduction committee.
Rowena’s has been featured in national publications such as Lady’s Home Journal, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Taste of Home and Southern Living, and has appeared on Food Finds on the Food Network’s Food Finds, QVC, The 700 Club and The Today Show. Rowena’s is the first US small gourmet business to present at the Moscow World Food Fair.

Great Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer Seafood Recipes

I was at Harris Teeter this summer and they had diver bay scallops and shrimp from Virginia on sale so I thought I would make some new recipes with Blue Crab Bay Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer. I made Scallops Italian and Bloody Mary Shrimp and Pasta. They have become two of my favorite seafood dishes.

What is Blue Crab Bay STING RAY Spicy Bloody Mary Mixer? It is a thick and rich blend of clam and tomato juices spiced with Blue Crab Bay's Chesapeake Bay Style Seafood Seasoning and freshly grated horseradish. Great alone, as a mixer, or a cooking sauce. A true combination of the flavors of the Chesapeake region! The Virginia Marketplace sells the 25 fl. oz. bottles, which has a fishnet-imprinted seal. We also have it in many gift baskets.

Here are the recipes:
BLOODY MARY SHRIMP AND PASTA
1 lb. fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined,3 cloves garlic, crushed1/4 cup olive oil,1 lb. fettuccine or other pasta,1-1/2 cups Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer,2 Tbs. fresh chopped parsley, and Parmesan cheese.
Cook pasta according to directions, drain and keep warm. Sauté shrimp with garlic in olive oil until the flesh is opaque, usually 3-5 minutes. Add to pasta and toss with Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and grated Parmesan. Serve with a fresh garden salad and bread. Have a little extra Sting Ray Mixer in a small creamer available for guests who enjoy extra zing!

SCALLOPS ITALIAN
¼ cup olive oil,1 onion, diced,1 green pepper, diced1 garlic clove, minced1 can tomatoes (16 oz), chopped and drained,3-4 Tbs. Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer,1 lb. Bay scallops,1 Tbs. butter,¼ cup dry white wine,1 Tbs. lemon juice, and Italian Bread Crumbs. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sauté onion, green pepper, and garlic in olive oil until soft. Add tomatoes and Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile sauté scallops for 2-3 minutes in butter. Add wine and lemon juice and simmer 5 minutes. Combine all ingredients in lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle Breadcrumbs on top and bake 5-10 minutes until lightly browned. For variation: Sprinkle with crumbled feta cheese or grated parmesan. I used parmesan and served it with Jasmine rice.

Here is some additional information about Blue Crab Bay:
In 1985, Blue Crab Bay founder Pamela Barefoot had an inspired vision of what a business could be. From her seaside farmhouse kitchen she imagined a company that would put the tastes of the Chesapeake region on the map, be a protector of the environment and provide stimulating and fun employment for citizens of her rural community. Surrounding herself with foods from the Chesapeake, a functioning stove, a list of contacts and boatloads of imagination and determination, Barefoot got to work. Sales exploded, awards rained plentiful, and the number of employees mounted. Barefoot began distribution of other products, including foods and gift items.Her first brand, Blue Crab Bay Co., featured original products like seasonings for crab dip and gift packs wrapped in weathered fishnet with seashells. In the late 1980's, on the strength of the addictive "Clam Dip Blend", the customer base escalated geographically and her small company began exhibiting at national trade shows. Blue Crab Bay offers an extensive product line of specialty foods and gifts, internationally recognized for their signature blue labeling, handsome packaging and unrivaled taste. The handsome packaging even gained the attention of Hollywood set directors. Kitchen cabinets were stocked full in an opening shot of Julia Roberts' film "Sleeping with the Enemy."

When she found her company in financial trouble, Barefoot did not give up. She went into her kitchen and developed her dream product. She spent the early months of 1994 mixing tomato paste, clam juice, horseradish and seafood spices to create Sting Ray Bloody Mary Mixer. Their best selling Sting Ray® Bloody Mary Mixer won top honors in Outstanding Beverage a prestigious award competition at the International Fancy Food Show in New York. Blue Crab Bay Co. has been featured in many national publications, including INC., Coastal Living and Nation's Business. The company was selected as a 1998 Blue Chip Enterprise and in 1999 Barefoot was honored as the Small Business Administration's Small Business Person of the Year for the State of Virginia. In 2003, she received the SBA's Outstanding Woman Entrepreneur Award in Washington, DC.

In the shadows of all this success, Blue Crab Bay Co.'s corporate culture continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to the environment and its rural Eastern Shore community. Each year, employees energetically plan and execute charity events. Since 1998, the Blue Crabbers Relay for Life Team has raised over $50,000 to benefit the American Cancer Society. The company supports various organizations including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Citizens for a Better Eastern Shore, The Nature Conservancy, and the United Way of United Way of Virginia’s Eastern Shore.

We also sell Blue Crab Bay’s delicious seafood soups and seafood dip kits. These products can all be found in gift boxes and gift baskets. I’ll talk about these products in other blogs.

Great Weather Year for Virginia Apples

The size and colors of the apples grown in Virginia are an indication that summer has ended and fall is here. Orchards in Central Virginia began picking apples in late July and early August and will continue to have apples until November. A lack of hail and the right amount of rain has made this year’s apple crop more plentiful than last year’s. Apples are Virginia’s eighth largest agricultural crop.

One of the big contributing factors of the good quality and size of the apples of this year’s crop was a wet spring followed by a dry spell in August. The dry spell made early apples sweet, red apples redder than ever and the golden apples are more golden than ever.

A hurricane or a premature freeze could change all that and harm the fruit. If Hurricane Ike had taken a turn and worked its way up the East Coast earlier this month, local apple trees could have been in trouble. Hurricanes with 80 mph winds could blow apples off a tree and uproot it.

At the Virginia Marketplace we love apples and have chosen to sell these unique products that are made from Virginia apples: La Provencale Cellars Apple Grilling Glaze and Le Mousseux Sparkling Apple Cider as well as Graves Mountain Apple Butter.

Peanut Butter is Good For You!

This recent article in USA Weekend inpired this blog.
Good news about peanut butter: You might want to think twice before putting down that spoonful of peanut butter. It turns out the lunchtime staple is good for you. Government guidelines recommend limiting daily fat consumption to between 20% and 35% of calories, and saturated fats should be less than 10%, according to the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services. So moderation is key when eating foods high in calories such as peanut butter, says Harvard nutritionist Walter C. Willett. One serving (about 2 tablespoons) of regular creamy peanut butter has 3.3 grams of saturated fat (chunky style has 2.6 grams), but it also contains nutrients such as potassium and niacin. And one serving contains 12.3 grams of unsaturated fat, which can lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of heart disease. But if you are watching your blood pressure, look for unsalted versions with only 5 mg of sodium per serving.

Here are some interesting facts about peanuts and peanut butter:
Did you know that Americans eat an average of about 6 pounds of peanuts per person, per year, according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Almost half of the U.S. peanut crop is used to make peanut butter. It takes nearly 850 peanuts to make a jar of peanut butter. Peanut butter must be at least 90 percent peanuts with no artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives to officially be labeled peanut butter.

Who invented peanut butter? Some speculate that peanut butter was first introduced in the United States in 1890, when a St. Louis physician invented peanut butter to provide his patients with an easy-to-digest, high protein food. Others still believe it to be the ‘father of the peanut industry’, George Washington Carver who invented more than 300 uses for peanuts.

Dates of importance:
National Peanut Butter Day is January 22nd.
National Peanut Month is March.
National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day is April 2nd.
Sept 13 was National Peanut Day!

The Virginia Marketplace has chosen The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Peanut Butter to sell. Here is what they say about it: “A favorite for years, our all natural Virginia Peanut Butter has become famous. Our peanut butter is just that - peanuts, and maybe a pinch of salt. No added sugars.” It is available in smooth, salt free smooth, crunchy, or a sampler of all three. We also sell peanut straws, peanut butter pie, peanut butter brownie pie, peanut butter cheesecake truffles and peanut butter petit fours.