Naturally sweetened by the careful and diligent work of honey bees, honey offers us a peek into the many wonders of our natural world. Flavored with the vibrant taste of lemon blossom, clover, pine or any myriad of flowers, it can be hard to believe that the powerful flavors in assorted honeys derives simply from the bee's preferred pollens or nectars and not from manmade essential oils or additives.

The mysterious world of bees has fascinated our beekeeper Leonardi since childhood. By the age of 12, he'd begun to care for his father's bee hives perched on the slopes of Monte Etna. With his values and interests deeply tied to his respect for the environment, honey bees offered a window into tangible facets of the natural world. He dedicated his life to nurturing this familial practice, turning his passion for bees into his life's work in 1984.

Sweet, vegetal, and aromatic, fresh wild fennel offers a vibrant yet delicate expression of anise that is beloved by many. Native to the Mediterranean basin, fennel is expressed in regional cuisine through a myriad of mediums. Cold-pressed into fresh, light juice, fennel adds a deliciously botanical quality to this cocktail.

Shag carpets, shades of browns and mustards, flared pants, and the soulful sound of Al Green singing "Let's Stay Together" flash through your head with the first whiff of nutty-sweet Amaretto liquor. Gaining its flavor from almonds, apricot or peach pits, the delightful spirit has been a popular addition to cocktails in the US since it first appeared on the scene in the 1960s. We've put together some of our favorite cocktails to make with Amaretto.

Whether you spend your winters working through your reading list, or live for days spent outside in the snow, colder temperatures always call for fare that warms from the inside out. Stir up this bright and botanical toddy for a delicious taste of sunshine this winter.

Allow the warm, rich scent of crispy chicken skin to fill your home and permeate your senses with nostalgia. Combining the aromatic flavors of our Herbe di Sicilia blend and bright Lemon Blossom Honey to brighten each bite, serve this melt-off-the-bone chicken with crispy potatoes, fresh salad, or lemon-drenched pasta.

Amber, golden, translucent, creamy, sweet, herbal, floral, there is no shortage of adjectives available to describe nature's sweetest, purest candy: honey. For some, honey might just be the delicious bioproduct of the laborious honey bee's life. To others, it can serve as a biological map identifying the health and verdure of an entire ecosystem. For all of us, the stunningly diverse and unique nectar is a gift.

This light and simple salad will leave you dreaming of more.