Sponsored Post: Smack Your Lips Over Sweet and Savory Artisan Products From Clif Family
A myriad of honeys certainly abound on supermarket shelves. But Clif Family Solar Grown Honey Spreads definitely stand out. Not only do they pack a wallop of flavor, but they are made with honey specifically harvested from bee hives located on or around pollinator-friendly solar farms.
It’s a concerted effort to encourage both clean energy and biodiversity. After all, flowering meadows planted under solar farms not only create cooler microclimates that improve energy efficiency, but foster thriving beneficial insect populations.
Talk about a sweet win-win.
I had a chance to try samples of three different Solar Grown Honey Spreads ($10 for a 5.5-ounce jar), each smooth, creamy, and thick enough to slather on most anything with a knife.
For added oomph, they are blended with spices sourced from Burlap & Barrel, a public benefit corporation that partners with small farmers to improve their livelihoods.
The Solar Grown Cinnamon Honey Spread boasts a potent Red Hot candies-like warmth. Just imagine it sandwiching two buttery shortbread cookies, stirred into a batter for madeleines, infusing a pan sauce for pork chops, or stirred into mulled apple cider or a mug of hot chai tea.
Blended with cacao powder, the Solar Grown Cacao Honey Spread is as indulgent as dark chocolate ganache but with the added sweet, floral taste of honey. Jazz up Sunday brunch by serving scones or Belgian waffles drizzled with this rich honey. Or put a smile on your kids’ faces by letting them dip doughnut holes into it. This particular honey is a Good Food Awards winner, too.
Light up your taste buds with the Solar Grown Hot Honey with Cobanero Chile, which is the epitome of sweet heat. Another Good Food Awards winner, it is infused with the rare Maya variety of chili pepper for a fireball taste of smoky, fruity heat. This tongue tingler would make magic drizzled over fried chicken, sausages, pizza, grilled cheese or as an accompaniment to a charcuterie board.
Kit Crawford and Gary Erickson founded Clif Bar & Company in 1992, makers of that now-ubiquitous energy bar. In 1997, the couple moved to the Napa Valley and created sister company, Clif Family, which produces famed Napa Valley wines and now a host of other artisan products.
Among them are Organic Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Almonds ($12 for a 5-ounce container), which are big, lightly roasted almonds enrobed in matte, dark chocolate. They are super crunchy with a deep chocolate taste and possess the perfect sprinkle of sea salt on the finish.
On the savory side, Rosemary Roasted Almonds & Pistachios ($9 for a 4-ounce resealable bag) deliver with crisp nuts heady with the woodsy herb and a touch of orange zest that are as addictive as potato chips.
Find Clif Family products at Northern California Whole Foods, and Maker’s Market in San Jose’s Santana Row. Or purchase at Cliff Family’s online store, and use code, “SUMMER22” to receive 20 percent off any one order. Offer is good through June 30.