In January my husband came home from the supermarket with a surprise jar of lemon flavored Monastery Creamed Honey that he had spied on the shelf. A delicate hint of lemon in the honey gives it a twist of subtle perfection that makes morning toast and tea pure pleasure! I have raved about its delights to all who would listen.
My husband, a quiet observer to my great joy of spreading honey on my toast or using it to add a gentle touch of lemon to my tea, clearly understood my deep appreciation for this wonderful creation and suggested we take a trip to the Redwoods Monastery some time to pick up the honey directly from the nuns.
Once that jar was finished, and not wanting to wait for a trip, I went to New Seasons (a Portland, Oregon grocery chain that tries to buy local products and contributes a percentage of profits to community causes) to see if they had or might be willing to sell this wonderful product in our city. The store called me back to explain that they had looked into buying the honey but suggested I go online and buy it directly from the Monastery.
What to do? My husband and I decided to get in our Honda and head south to Whitethorn, California where the Redwoods Monastery is nestled among ancient Redwood trees and surrounded by a peace that only nature seems able to impart in today’s fast-paced World. The location of this quiet and remote spot is breathtaking and the serenity of the monastery and the surrounding environment touches every cell of one’s being! I also think it touches the honey in a special way too!
I purchased a case of the lemon honey, two jars of the orange and one of the ginger honeys. We have had the honey less than a week and already one jar of the orange is halfway gone!
If I could only organize my words so that others could fully understand how fabulously wonderful this honey tastes, the Cistercian Nuns would not be able to keep up with the volume of daily orders! The nuns’ honey can be creatively used in multiple ways from making homemade granola to adding a dollop of its sweetness in a soup or stir-fry or to injecting depth to cooking and baking. I encourage everyone to enjoy this honey for it beautiful simplicity and divine properties!
Jill M.
First Sunday of Advent
Advent draws us into an experience of a contrasting reality: the reign of God is the “already” and it is still “the not yet”. The ‘God who is’, who is