l'acqua è una dei nutrimenti più importanti per la colonia, migliaia di api dai corpi minuscoli e laboriosi necessitano di fonti costanti di acqua. inoltre nell'alveare l'acqua è uno strumento per la regolazione della temperatura. le api operaie al ritorno dalle fonti diffondono minuscole gocce d'acqua nell'alveare e attraverso l'incessante circolo d'aria forzato generato dal movimento delle ali fanno evaporare il liquido. in tal modo viene consumata energia termica e tutto il corpo dell'alveare perde temperatura. il consumo d'acqua delle api è maggiore quanto minore è la bottinatura sui fiori, spesso gli apicoltori riconoscono "la magra" di raccolto dallo sforzo d'abbeverata delle api operaie. foto api che succhiano.

A feature peculiar to this always liquid honey is its colour which – as a sign of its complete pureness – should tend towards almost crystal clear transparency. Its smell is refined and pleasing: white summer flowers, sugared almonds and vanilla pods; its flavour, mild and appealing, corresponds closely to its smell; on the tongue it is sweet and silky, always tempting one to take a little more. Its aftertaste confirms the ethereal nature of these sensations and adds a fresh overtone of sweet almond just cracked open.
Tips for use || good for candying fruit and vegetables or cooking them in sugar || can also be used in mixtures for desserts, bread, and pasta with egg || being liquid it dissolves easily and is ideal for fresh fruit salads or for glazing fruit tarts and cakes || it goes well with mature ricotta and fresh herb cheeses.
For your children || with plain yoghurt in the morning, on 105 grated apple, dissolved in milk, or if you have a little extra time, with beaten eggs instead of sugar.
And for the gourmet… || whisk together with a medium mature herb cheese (according to taste but generally between 15% and 25% of total weight) and at the end add some freshly chopped almonds and crumbled Italian toasted bread, or simply sprinkle everything over the cheese.
Wines and beverages || an aromatic dry white, a dessert wine from partially-dried grapes, perhaps from the Italian South, or even a young Marsala || decoctions, tisanes and coffee will be enhanced rather than overcome by its sweetness.

fiorisce sotto il segno dei gemelli. albero del paradiso, falso sommaco o ailanto, è una pianta appartenente alla famiglia delle simaroubaceae.
venne introdotta in europa dalla cina nel 1770 per permettere al baco da seta samia cynthia di riprodursi. il lepidottero depone le sue uova sulle foglie e le larve si nutrono con le foglie. l'albero cresce molto rapidamente raggiungendo altezze di 15 m in 25 anni. da questo slancio verso l’alto deriva il nome "albero del paradiso

Medicago Sativa, also called Lucerne Purple Medic and Trefoil. Alfalfa is a herbaceous plant belonging to the Legume family. The flowers are a distinctive purple, bluish or yellow colour. Originating from Asia, it is nowadays grown all over the world as forage. In Italy above all in the Po Valley. Alfalfa, in Arabic, means father of all foods.

Crystallized honey, simple but never uninteresting. When fresh it is a light hazelnut colour which in time turns al most to toffee. Its smell is reminiscent of freshly cut grass, damp cellars and wet hay. On the tongue it is averagely sweet and lingering, with a good acidity. Its finish is characterized by mild overtones of plants and hay.
Tips for use || add just before serving to polenta or semolina || to gelatine for cold meats or to legume, cereal or vegetable soups, again just before serving || it is also good for making soft nougat || to accompany fresh or semi-mature cheeses made from blended milks, or cow’s milk cheeses such as robiola and tomino.
For your children || for glazing a skewer of fruit or spread on toast as a snack || add it to a spread with cocoa powder and hazelnut flour
And for the gourmet… || buy a young cacio cheese that you can leave to ripen in the cellar and cover it periodically with a thin layer of this honey diluted with quality olive oil.
Wines and beverages || a Southern rosé, or an Indian Pale Ale-type beer || an infusion of officinal leaves (verbena, hyssop, hawthorn…).

AMI (Ambassadors of Italian Honey) was started to support and spread the tradition of honey as one of the world’s agricultural products and the identity card of its area of origin. The association is open to beekeepers and experts as well as anyone wishing to share the secrets and values of bees and their products. AMI aims to provide a link between the world of bees 107 and the consumer so as to further knowledge and appreciation of the culinary, officinal and gustative properties of the different types of honey.  www.aspromiele.it

It is the pulsating heart of apiculture, comprising the hive and the bees themselves.

It is the pulsating heart of apiculture, comprising the hive and the bees themselves.

The Asphodelusis a herbaceous plant belonging to the Liliaceae family. Its flowers are white with a black line along the petals. It is found all over the Mediterranean basin. The ancient Greeks used to scatter it over the Elysian Fields.

Androgynous crystallized honey. Its whitish colour with mother of pearl tinges brings to mind semolina and condensed milk. The fragrance of its flower blends perfectly with almond tree and camomile; this is followed in turn by essential citrus oil and plum jam. The flavour is of candy floss and vanilla; the finish, sweet, moderately tart and lingering, is reminiscent of almond milk and candied quince.
Tips for use || in making potato gnocchi mixture and strangolapreti || use it in marzipan and Italian meringue recipes and for sweetening Catalan cream || with medium mature herb cheeses, fresh toma cheese from the Ligurian Apennines, fresh cacioricotta and mature Occitan ricotta.
For your children || ideal in almond milk or summer barley water || just warmed, it can be drizzled onto homemade profiteroles.
And for the gourmet… || use it to replace sugar when making blancmange || to bring out the flavour of mayonnaise – or in egg-based uncooked sauces in general – by adding just the right quantity of this honey.
Wines and beverages || a white wine from Levante Ligure, a Vermentino di Gallura || a Japanese green tea || a flower infusion…