By the time most of you read this, I will be well on my way to Michigan. It’s Honey Time in Zia’s neck of the woods and the Kitchens will be closed this week and next. Sorry for the short notice but the Honey Man is only open for business one weekend every year and once again my calendar comprehension skills failed me. Anyway, Zia and I will be buying a few gallons of honey, enough to keep our family and friends sweet for the next 12 months — we hope.
With no recipe to share, I thought I’d take this opportunity to introduce the newest member of my rose garden, a Floribunda Rose, Iceberg Burgundy.
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“Iceberg Burgundy”
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Although it’s doing quite well since being planted in May, there’s a Chicago Winter looming in the distance. If it makes it through this first test, it should do very well after that. Like any new rose to my garden, it will get an extra thick layer of mulch this Fall and I’ll keep my fingers crossed until March.
See you all in 2 weeks.
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from the Bartolini kitchens 
What???!!! You’re gone for TWO weeks!? Well, that was unexpected 😉 Have fun honey shopping with Zia, sounds like a sweet time. The rose is gorgeous, btw. I really hope it makes it through the winter. Have a good holiday John!
Nazneen
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‘Iceberg Burgundy’? The hot and the cold, dear Chgo John!!! Have a fabulous time away with your Zia: take a well earned hol and tell us later . . .shall be thinking of you even if not writiung 😉 !
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Hi John, so you did buy an Iceberg Burgundy. I will be interested how it goes. Like I said, Icebergs are by far the most popular rose in Perth. They flower for about 9 months a year and get no sickness at all. The colour is beautiful, pity there is no perfume. Have a wonderful trip, hi to your Zia and enjoy the honey.
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Happy trails! It’s worth dropping everything for some good honey if you ask me, and I bet you’ll come back with Stories. I’ll cross my fingers for that lovely rose, too. That’s a beautiful color.
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Fabulous jar of honey. Enjoy the honey collecting mission.
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Have a wonderful time, John! I made gizzard risotto recently, but now I think I’ll sit on that post until you come home! 🙂 Have a great time, we’ll miss you! x
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Wow, when the honey man says one weekend, you’ve got to be on your toes and prepared! Have a brilliant time and can’t wait to hear the story.
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Have a nice honey shopping!
Ciao
Silvia
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Have a happy honey buying, and visiting a friend!
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Good things come to those that wait. Have a good trip and say hello to Zia from me 😉
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The Honey Man should not be missed 🙂 The Iceberg Burgundy is a beauty.
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Have a sweet time and looking forward to all the honey recipes when you return.
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Safe trip and a lovely visit with Zia, give her my best wishes. Iceberg Burgundy is gorgeous, with your TLC am sure it will get though the winter without any issues and be more gorgeous next year.
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Enjoy Michigan John!! Can’t wait to hear about your adventures in two weeks time 🙂
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Have a good time in Michigan! I hope the bees are happy and healthy over that way. The little blighters have been having a rough go of it these past years.
Your new rose is gorgeous, a lovely old-rose kinda colour and form. Here’s to a gentle Chicago winter.
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MMMMM, honey…me want some.
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Have a fantastic time! That honey looks incredible (as does the rose, but I LOVE me some fresh honey).
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Have a great trip John. I can understand why you’d make a beeline for the honey – there’s nothing like the real thing and I’ve noticed a big difference in recipes when I’ve used that store bought stuff. Beautiful rose too – I’ve got 2 that are just hanging on as we’ve had a couple of frosts.
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Have fun honey collecting! We love some good honey too. And the rose bush is beautiful, wish mine all did better…way too many roots in the ground here.
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Have a wonderful time John. We are going to miss you but know when you return we will have wonderful stories to read and recipes to drool over.
Love and hugs to Zia from a sunny South Africa.
🙂 Mandy xo
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You’ll be missed, safe travels! I love honey, it’s such an incredible flavour and I really like that they’ve made such unique flavours.
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Not sure I can stand two weeks without your virtual charm… oh, well – I’ll do my best to behave in your absence..
HAVE A GREAT TIME!
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I’d have to say that dropping everything for honey is well worth it! Carpe diem! That is an absolutely gorgeous rose.
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I love honey! Have a good trip and can’t wait for the next post. I hope it involves the honey you find!
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Premium honey is worth the drive and effort! Look forward to your return ~enjoy!
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Ooh I bet that honey will be wonderful! A nearby village here is called Colmenar which means beehive and guess what they’re famous for?! Am looking forward to some honey themed recipes when you’re back. Give a big bacio to Zia from us in Spain and I’ll content myself with looking at your beautiful rose. Have a great trip 🙂
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Happy honey hunting – enjoy your trip!
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Enjoy your trip my friend :). I wish I had some homemade honey right now. I’d enjoy a cup of tea with lemon and honey.. warms the soul :). Have fun my friend
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Ahhh fresh honey from the honey man. Sounds great. Looking forward to reading about it. Thanks for the gorgeous rose photo. What a beauty. 🙂
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Gone for two weeks? What are we supposed to eat? We’ll starve! 😉 That Honey Man must be really good if he can do a year’s business in one weekend! Sounds like tons of fun, and I’ll be eager to hear all about it. Gorgeous rose, BTW.
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And I’ve just decided to get rid of the few roses I have left. They are tough to grow, at least for me. Then I see this gorgeous photo and may reconsider! Hope you have some great honey recipes! Have fun!
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What lovely photographs! That’s a thought. We love honey, but only pick up a jar at a time from roadside stands. Wouldn’t a jar of honey be a nice addition to a Christmas basket? Also, the Iceberg rose is a wonderful choice. A couple of years back, I met the guy who landscapes for all the “In and Out Burgers.” I just learned that iceberg roses are a “must” for his work. You see a lot of these roses in white and pink. Quite common for homes as well as public landscaping. But when you get a red/scarlet/purple iceberg rose, that’s the one to celebrate!
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What a beauty. Hope she makes it through the winter. Hope you and your Zia have a honey of a time in Michigan.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
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What a nice way of saying adieu. May the road rise to meet you.
Conor.
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Have a great time away on your honey mission. Sounds wonderful and can’t wait to see what you’ll be cooking up. Love the color of your roses – gorgeous. Winter will be milder this year – that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it! 🙂
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What a sumptuous new rose. Hope it winters well! And Honey, you should run, not walk, to get plenty of good honey! Your absence is certainly excusable for such a worthy pilgrimage.
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Well, that burgundy rose is the “bee’s knees” ! Have a lovely break and give Zia a hug for me:D xx
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What a wonderful excuse for a vacation’
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Wow, 2 wonderful puns in a row! You do deserve a vacation. Have a good time.
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That burgundy rose is really gorgeous. Have a real honey of a trip. 🙂
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How wonderful to have such a great resource for a wealth of honey. And how nice for you to spend time with Zia again. Your Iceberg Burgundy is stunning! You have such a way with roses, John. Hope you have a fantastic trip!
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You are off again? No see for two weeks 😦 J/k, have fun. Your new addition is as sweet as you 🙂
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We’ll miss you. Have a wonderful time my friend !!
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Oh John, how I envy your visits with Zia! Have a great time with her and enjoy cooking and eating together. Happy honey hunting!
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Bon Voyage! c
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Have a great time with Zia! What a sweet time you will have. Honey is my favorite on buttered toast. The rose is beautiful, too. See you when you get back. xxooxx Ruth
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Oooh! What an exciting treasure you’ll be bringing home! I made some turmeric tea today (good for the wounds) and used a rather ordinary honey! I was thinking at the time that I need to get something a lot more exciting! I hope you’ll share with us what you and Zia bring home! Enjoy your time, John.
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Buono Sera John, Enjoy your trip to Michigan as this is my favorite time of the year. I hope you are able to stop by some orchards along the way as well. Have fun you little busy bee! Take Care, BAM
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Oh, Miss Burgundy is a beautiful lady. I love her color and bet she smells as sweet as your and Zia’s honey tastes.
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A two-week vacation. How wonderful. Have a great time and I know you will share with us all you get up to. How stunning is Miss Burgundy xx
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Please tell Zia I said “ciao” 🙂 I’m curious about the honey.
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Have a wonderful time! Oh, and “Iceberg Burgundy” is absolutely beautiful! Thank you for sharing her with us! Ciao!
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Enjoy Michigan John. Can’t wait to hear about the honey man. Im not sure why exactly but I picture him as bearded, in a cable knit sweater, with a twinkle in his eye. PS. Gorgeous rose!
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Good luck for your honey John!
sorry me, i just thingking about homemade rose infused water within your Iceberg Burgundy……hehehe
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Hello Floribunda! 🙂 Such a beautiful rose, John – hope “she” makes it fine through the frigid Chicago winter.
Also, have a great time in Michigan!
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Reblogged this on Bob's Backyard Budget Beverages and commented:
Necessary ingredient for many beverages
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Thank you for reblogging. 🙂
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Have a great trip & I’m so jealous about the honey. Sweet liquid gold. ^_^
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John, ahhhh honey, please leave the bees behind 🙂 My grandfather’s brother, Fred, used to keep bees. I can picture him in his white hood lifting up the lids of the hives to collect the honeycomb. We used to have a piece of the honeycomb dripping with honey with ripe cheddar cheese. Amazing. See you when you get back. Susie
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Mmm! Look at that gorgeous honey. That photo is making my mouth water.
Have you heard of a honey in New Zealand that is blue? I’ve heard that if the bees collect from a certain flower there, the honey is actually blue.
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Just returned from a trip to Michigan. First time there and loved it! The fresh produce was enviable. We bought a couple bushels of local apples to take home. Best I’ve ever had. Didn’t get any honey, but we did buy half a gallon of maple syrup. Yum! I think waffles are on the menu for breakfast tomorrow. 🙂
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Which place gets colder, C.J., Zia’s in Michigan or yours in Chicago? Have a good trip and drive safely. Looking forward to your return, of course.
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Wait, you grow roses too? Where do you find the time? Do you sleep? Good luck with the honey. Enjoy yourself. Ken
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Enough honey for 12 months? In this house, that would be A LOT of honey! Yes – a few gallons. Have a wonderful trip! Love your rose!
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Enjoy your “sweet” time with Zia. You left us with a beautiful flower to enjoy.
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Uh I wonder how much honey me and my boyfriend use up in a year… although I’m pretty sure having lots of honey at home (and not only the usual 1 jar) would mean more consume as well – the boyfriend would simply pour it right into his mouth and over nuts and put triple amount in the hot fruit tea… have a nice trip!
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Oh my gosh! I need a honey man! I was just lamenting at how expensive honey is in the store and that I much prefer to buy fresh honey. I go through about a cup a week, at least. I hope you get every drop you need. Have a great time in Michigan!!!! Please say hello to Zia. 🙂
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What a beautiful rose,I do hope it makes it through winter! I don’t think I know how much honey I go through…I’ll have to keep an eye on it! lol I’ve been buying local raw honey at the co-op, but it never occurred to me that I could go straight to the source and buy in bulk!
I’ve been “away” from the blogging world for a month…and I’ve missed so much! Looks like I will be doing some catching up on your blog while you’re gone.
Have a safe and sweet trip and don’t get a sugar buzzzzzzzz from all of that honey. 😉
~ April
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Yes, you must make a run for the honey! It is so versatile and there certainly are differences in flavor in the different varieties. Have a good trip!
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Safe Travels
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Honey is definitely one of the nicer things in life 🙂 Love that you go great distances to get the good stuff. Looking forward to hearing more about what you do with it. (hint: cocktails 😉 ) And a sweet hello and welcome to Iceberg!
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Hope you have a lovely time. Look forward to hearing your adventures. !!
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Enjoy your trip and best wishes to Zia. That honey must be very special, otherwise they wouldn’t be a beeline and the honey man wouldn’t strictly open only one weekend a year. Floribunda rose reminds me of the many botany classes I had, so you can imagine how excited I’m about your new addition to Rose garden. I can smell it from Ontario. Best wishes and hugs to Max!
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Sounds like a sweet and lovely trip! Look forward to reading some honey posts.
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hope you are having a great time John. Now I need your advice – I’m looking for a climbing rose, scented do you have any recommendations – your roses always look spectacular!
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I’m afraid I can’t be of much help here, Claire. I haven’t any climbers and our climates are far different. I do know that depending on the variety, some will bloom once in the Spring; others will bloom twice; and the rest are continuous bloomers. Be sure to check before you buy. I know that David Austin Roses are quite popular in the UK and they’re sure to have climbers meant for your climate. I wish I could be of more help, Claire. Sorry.
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One of nature’s delicious, healthy blessing. I was told it helps overcome allergies to pollens when made from a local bee farm. You have me crave for one. Thanks.
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Beautiful rose – the anecdote fit in perfectly with your Tale of Honey. Bzzz, bzzz.
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🙂
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