Honeys With a Twist

Originally By Florence Fabricant On NEW YORK TIMES

Beet and matcha are two of the unusual raw honey flavors at a new stand in the Chelsea Market.

Kam and Summer Johnson, with their children Zoe and Zach, at their honey stand inside Chelsea Market in Manhattan.Credit...Nicole Craine for The New York Times

Zach & Zoe Sweet Bee Farm is a newcomer to the lower level Chelsea Local area in Chelsea Market selling a collection of unusual flavored raw honeys. It’s a small stand run by Summer Johnson, who makes the honeys with her husband, Kam Johnson, in New Jersey at their farm and in a commercial kitchen, named for their children Zoe, 12, and Zach, 10. Ginger, lavender and matcha are some of the subtler flavors. Raspberry, blueberry and beet are thicker and deeply colored. Unlike wildflower or buckwheat honeys, which are made by bees pollinating those plants, honeys from Zach & Zoe get their flavors from the addition of infusions and actual fruit purées. “We want to be competitive, and this idea for the flavors just popped into my head,” Ms. Johnson said. She recommends basting a beef roast with the beet honey. The Johnsons buy the beets and other ingredients from an organic co-op. You can sample the honeys in the market or buy them online.