Cardoon Honey

Luigi Manias, our beekeeper, dedicates 50 of his 200 bee hives to the exclusive production of cardoon honey; his bees access the “galactite tomentosa” variety, or White Thorn, which fill the vast fields around Mount Arci Natural Preserve. True to Sardinian custom, Luigi harvests his cardoon honey on exactly June 24th, the feast of San Giovanni Battista, and traditional Sardinian cardoon honey harvest day!

Like all honey, it has both homeopathic and culinary uses. It is considered a treatment for coughs and sore throats, and is the world’s oldest sweetener. Our inner Italian child loves this super quick but fancy dessert: heat some fresh milk to 150 degrees, add a bit of salt, and dissolve the honey in it until the texture becomes like creamy toffee. Spoon it onto slices of pear and banana, or any fruit you like!

Sometimes cardoon honey crystalizes. Crystalization is totally normal and natural; actually, it is a sign of an excellen-quality raw honey. If your honey is crystalized but you'd prefer it to be liquid, just gently heat it up in a bain-marie and stir until it transforms into liquid.

Its rich vegetation and lack of pollution make Sardegna the perfect honey-producing region – it is believed that beekeeping has been a tradition on the island since at least the 17th century.