Rain, Rain Go Away!

This relentless rain does not bode well for the 2011 spring honey crop. Foragers don't fly when it's raining and the wet weather can wash out the nectar in many spring blooms. There's a small stand of black locust trees near our apiary. When the creek don't rise--as it is surely doing now--showy black locust tree blooms (pictured on the left) produce copious amounts of nectar that bees love and turn into a delicate, delightful and delicious spring honey. My hopes for a strong spring honey crop wane with every rainy day. (Photo by Jennifer Anderson at the USDA-NRCS PLANTS database.)

What else to do on a rainy Sunday, but make pancakes for lunch or dinner?

Adirondack Honey Pancakes

These light and fluffy pancakes are simple to make. Serve with more honey!

2 eggs, separated

1 tablespoon honey (I use our amber, summer honey)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup milk (skim or 2% is fine)

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

More honey for serving

Beat the egg whites until they hold a firm peak and set aside. In another bowl, combine the egg yolks and honey, mixing well, then gradually add the milk while stirring constantly. Add the melted butter to the milk mixture and stir well. Sift the flour and baking powder onto some wax or parchment paper. Whisk the flour into the milk mixture, stirring to be sure the batter is uniformly moist. There will be some lumps. Scoop about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the batter and fold in to lighten the batter. Add the rest of the egg whites to the batter, gently folding until no streaks of egg white remain. Heat a griddle or large frying pan and lightly coat with cooking spray. When a drop of water sizzles on the surface, spoon batter into pan making three 3-inch pancakes (or any size you want, really). Let rise and brown on one side--about three minutes. Flip and brown the other side. Serve immediately with more honey to drizzle on top. Makes about nine 3-inch pancakes.