It’s no secret I have been on a quest for natural products or, put another way, as natural as I can get them.  Considering my current health issues, I long for the days of old when foods and drinks did not contain high fructose corn syrup, almonds were not irradiated, and ice cream was made of the stuff of cows and not strange chemical names.  Heck, even our shampoos, toothpastes and soaps are made from things I cannot pronounce.  We now have more people with skin and/or health problems than ever before and I can’t help but wonder why.

This weekend, I decided to drag my old, tired, and very unhealthy butt out of the house to go to a farmer’s market and I chose the one in La Canada/Flintridge.  Why?  A coworker of mine told me the folks who run the bee farm up in the Brown Mountains above Altadena sell their honey there.  When I could make the trek up the fire road, I noticed the bees coming in, up and over my head and on to the hives.   It was a beautiful site indeed and I remember joking to myself “they’re coming in from work and it’s rush hour.”

On Saturday I was tired, still overly anemic, legs swollen and still not quite myself, but I made the trek to La Canada to the farmer’s market and my goodness was it ever fabulous.  I first stopped to purchase a brick — my words — of strawberries.  They were beautiful and fresh looking and I could almost taste them.  There were other berries as well and I wanted them all but soon realized I had not the energy to carry all of what I wanted back to the car.  I had planned to take a rolling basket with me but forgot about it until I found myself without it and I was already at the market.  Darn my bad luck.

Making a mental note of the beautiful berries for next time, I knew with what energy I had I needed to first look around and find the honey.  I wanted a loaf of fresh bread but by the time I arrived (11:00 a.m.) it was too late for good pickings.  I did purchase some delicious croissants and next time I’ll buy more.  Bananas were 3 for $1.00 and I bought six and then there was the honey, that beautiful golden honey.

At the booth I met Erika Decker (Marketing/Owner) who is owner with Klaus Koepfli (Founder/Owner) of Klausesbees.  She offered me a taste of the various honeys and explained how each one comes from different flowers.  My favorite honey was the avocado though the others were heavenly, that one sealed the deal for me.  I bought one of each.  One I knew was going to my mother who also loves honey like I do and we both like our honey as close to nature made as possible, just as Ms. Bee and her busy bee buds would have it.

For me, honey is medicinal.  I have a spoon full of honey in the morning and a spoon full of honey before retiring for bed at night.  During the day, I love peanut butter and honey sandwiches.  I can’t get enough of those sandwiches and there is a distinct difference in taste between store bought processed honey and honey straight from the beekeeper.  You haven’t lived until you’ve had the good stuff.

If you don’t know about Klausebees I suggest you check out their website (which is very informative) at http://www.klausesbees.com/and either order online (they ship everywhere) or check them out at the farmer’s market in La Canada every Saturday between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.  You won’t regret it and while there, check out the guy with the Italian cheese, oh and then there’s Greek hummus to die for, oh and don’t forget to get a smoothie because it’s oh sooo good.  You might see me there too next week, with a basket of course, as I plan to fill up on more goodies for salads and I do hope to get there early enough to get some bread.

Now, on to my pleasant surprise.  Yesterday I decided to barbecue and realized I had no lettuce to make a salad.  Everything happens for a reason and my first store choice was closed for the day.  Bah humbug.  No worries, I decided to check out the new King store in the area.  Yes, we have two Kings in the area, the Super King Market and we have the new King Ranch which replaced the very nasty looking Jack Apple something or another.  Anyway, I’ve never been able to find anything of value at the Super King sans their delicious Baklava and maybe a few little things.  Mostly, the store caters to beef eaters which means turkey burgers and hot dogs are either hidden away or just ain’t there.  Instead, I chose to visit the new King Ranch Market and oh my, what an improvement.

First, the nasty looking freezer that used to sit in the middle of the floor is gone.  Thank God!!  The store is small but the produce section is a big improvement.  Of course, unlike Super King, I was able to find turkey burgers and turkey hot dogs and then there was this most wonderful surprise find of Mexican Coca Cola.  Oh joy, oh rapture.

If you don’t know, Mexican Coca Cola comes in a bottle, a glass bottle, thank you.  Second, it is made with real sugar, not high fructose corn syrup.  Typically, I look for sugar Coca Cola or Pepsi during Jewish holidays because — according to a Jewish friend of mine — during the holidays they do not eat or drink anything containing corn.  So me, I’m hanging out with my Jewish friends looking for kosher cola.  It’s nice to know I can find Coca Cola with the smooth taste of sugar — not syrupy thick corn syrup — any and every day of the week.

Unfortunately, I only purchased a couple of bottles and trust me, I could not wait to get home and open one of those fabulous bottles of Coke.  What a wonderful thing.  It brought back old memories of Coke over ice and that subtle sweet taste that quench every thirst.  My gall bladder did not want to jump out of my body, I felt no discomfort after drinking the soda and life is sooo good.

It was a wonderful weekend of good eats and good drinks and now I must go make myself a peanut butter and honey sandwich.  Ah yes, life is good and if I can get my garden going in the backyard with fresh fruits and veggies . . . .

Read More:

The San Diego Union Tribune:  Is Mexican Coke the real thing?

Natural News : Raw Honey: Exploring the Benefits of This Ancient Superfood