California Honey: Stoltey's Bee Farm

In December I flew to California to visit my family. My flight arrived around lunch time, so we went to my favorite Mexican food restaurant in Morro Bay (The Maya), and then stopped at the Farmer's Market in the parking lot of Spencer's Grocery.

For me, going to the Farmer's Market in California is like going to a museum: the food is so beautiful it's art. I can't even begin to list all of the produce available, even in December: tomatoes, citrus, apples, broccoli, squashes, kale, root veggies, persimmons, raspberries, black berries, avocados (from my friends at 7th Heaven Organic Farm), and even Brussels sprouts! In addition to fresh produce, you can buy specialty foods, organic meats, raw milk, and of course, local honey.

The young salesman said the Stoltey family has been raising bees for years, and he began working with them recently. They sell baggies of pollen at very low prices, and had orange blossom, alfalfa, and sage apple honey available. This pound-and-a-half jar cost $9, quite a deal. They say it's unfiltered and indeed there are flecks of stuff in it, but no bee legs or anything so it may just be filtered through a larger screen than some. The honey is as close to perfection as I've seen in a while -- we found the Arizona honey to be quite thick though good in flavor -- and it made a nice treat for Mark since he didn't come with me.

The only info. I found online for these Atascadero beekeepers is a review.