Bonnie: I guess once a year — or at least once every four years as it’s been that long since we wrote about this — I should set things straight about what we  feature.

Here goes:  Our selection of products highlighted in this space is purely editorial. No one can — or does — pay to be featured. So stop trying. We write about the products we’ve sampled and think are outstanding — ones we feel must be tried!

That said, let me share about today’s featured product — Honey Ridge Lemon Honey Crème. It’s a simple, delicious blend of honey, lemon concentrate and lemon peel.

When I feel a cold coming on — or worse, when I have a nasty one — part of my prescription is to drink warm tea with lemon and honey. (And if you’re of drinking age, toss in a splash of brandy or cognac.) It not only feels good on the way down, but it warms my innards. This new product combines both those lemon and honey components into one.

In addition to adding it to tea, it’s also a smooth tangy lemon spread to slather on warm scones (blueberry is a perfect match), muffins or pancakes with no worry about the fat and cholesterol that’s found in the other lemon spread: lemon curd. The latter is  made from lemons, butter, eggs and sugar.

We’ve sampled the other Honey Ridge Farms Honey Crèmes; the others are just fine, but none shone like this one.

Bryan: Honey Ridge Farms is a small family-owned company that turns out a number of delicious honey-based products from the American Northwest. At Bite of the Best, we’ve actually sampled a few of Honey Ridge’s wares before. I specifically recall being taken aback by the pure Wild Blackberry Honey… a delightfully sweet, mildly fruity, boutique honey that made me take notice.

Well, we’ve had another opportunity to sample the fruits of Honey Ridge’s labors, but this time it’s all about Honey Crèmes. While they make seven different varieties, the Lemon Honey Crème turned out to be the hands down favorite (though also not to be missed are Apricot, Blackberry, Spiced, Clover, Cranberry and Raspberry).

One of the most interesting honey products in the Honey Ridge Farms lineup is the honey crème, which is actually creamed honey, which in actuality is just crystallized honey. You might be thinking about a bottle of honey after you’ve left it alone too long, but creamed honey is crystallized using a controlled process to create a thick, creamy, spreadable texture. Don’t get it? I didn’t really either, but click here (http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/dyce/creamhoney.htm). Honey Crème is almost like a butter, and as such can be spread on almost anything butter can be!

The ingredients in the Lemon Honey Crème are just honey, lemon concentrate and lemon peel. It’s pure and simply amazing! Put it on toast or in your oatmeal for breakfast. Add it to any hot tea during your day, or top a scone or pastry with a dab for dessert. You’ll find all too many uses for this little jar. The smooth, creamy spread with notes of tangy, citrusy lemon will change your perspective on the uses of honey in your food.

Honey Ridge Farms was founded in 2004 in Brush Prairie, WA, and provides high-quality, all-natural specialty gourmet honeys and specialty foods. Owner Leeanne Goetz comes from a long line of beekeepers. The company offers a variety of artisan honeys, fruit and spiced honey crèmes, honey-based vinegars, grilling sauces and glazes. Honey it up.

Eric: When it comes to most great ideas/plans, the simplest usually outweigh the complicated. This principle applies to most produced foods, as well. Who can argue that the combination of lemon and honey, in their purest forms, could result in something not delicious?

The little bottle of Honey Ridge Farms Lemon Honey Crème is about as simple and as divine as a spreadable crème should be — subtle lemon flavor with a potent taste of peel — couples magically with the sweetness and creaminess of honey. The product is almost limitless in it’s applications. My favorite, however, is popping open the jar, sticking my index finger in and enjoying the pure Lemon Honey Crème in it’s purest form. Clear some space in the pantry, because your Nutella and Skippy will have a new friend….