If you think living in the Keys is fun, you’re right. Being a “local” means that you get to enjoy all kinds of authentic pleasures and access natural ingredients. Even if you don’t live here, you can still enjoy the indigenous flavors of our intoxicating island chain.

Nearly everyone who journeys to the Keys gets to sample locally- caught seafood and locally made Key lime pie. Both are great starting points for an exploration into the region’s unique edibles — but there is so much more for you to savor, as well.

The Keys are home to a whole world of artisan food crafters, including a master chocolatier, beekeepers, and even a salt maker whose wares can be relished during your visit here or later as sweet treats at home.

At the head of the Keys in Key Largo, for example, you kind find the Florida Keys’ premier chocolatier at mile marker (MM) 100.5 bayside. Key Largo Chocolates is the brainchild of Kristie Thomas, who infuses local flavors into handmade chocolate confections. Standouts include luscious truffles, fudge, and specialty chocolate bark with Key lime and pistachios.

Perhaps the quirkiest creations are Thomas’s “Chocodiles” — whimsical 9-inch-long crocodiles made of white or dark chocolate. If you, like me, are cursed with an insatiable sweet tooth, you’ll be happy to know that Kristie’s yummy treats are also available online at keylargochocolates.com.

And then there is our famous Key lime pie. Originated in Key West in the late 1800s, this sweet/tart, creamy flavor explosion was voted Florida’s official pie in 2006 by the state legislature.

There are various versions of this signature dessert throughout the Keys, and most bakers have their own unique recipe. Local author and key lime pie addict, David Sloan, wrote a book called “The Key West Key Lime Pie Cookbook,” which features 20 crusts, 20 fillings, 20 toppings, and 20 sauces that you can use to create more than 150,000 varieties of this killer dessert.

Personally, The Fish House at MM 102.4 oceanside, in Key Largo, creates one of my favorite versions of all times, piled high with meringue with just the right amount sweetness.

No trip to the Upper Keys is complete without visiting Bob’s Bunz, a friendly Islamorada “comfort food” restaurant and bakery at MM 81.6 bayside in Islamorada. The name of this homey emporium comes from the legendary (and gigantic) cinnamon and sticky buns created by owner Robert “Bob” Spencer. In addition to his big hot buns, Bob also whips up lots of other sweet temptations made with key limes, as well as Bundt cakes and tasty bite-sized cookies. If you can’t make it there, order online at bobsbunz.com. Just down the road from Bob’s Bunz is another favorite stomping ground where the award-winning local fish preparations scream, “eat me!”

Lazy Days, Islamorada, located smack-dab on the beach at MM 79.9 oceanside, serves up a coconut fried fish sandwich that will knock your flip flops off. The Lazy Days Fish plate — a fresh filet rolled in Japanese bread crumbs, sautéed and topped with fresh diced tomatoes, scallions, shredded parmesan cheese, and key lime butter also rocks the house.

Few things flavor a dish like artisanal salt, and Lower Keys residents Midge Jolly and Tom Weyant harvest 100 percent solar-evaporated sea salt on their Earth & Sea Farm. Their Florida Keys Sea Salt is described as an all-around cooking and finishing salt, and the natural rhythm of its hand-harvested production harks back to the Keys’ salt-making tradition of the 1800s. Jolly and Weyant infuse their salt with herbs, garlic, seasonings, citrus, and more. The different blends are a natural and straightforward way to season your culinary creations. You can purchase their salts right online at earthandseafarm.com or at SALT Island Provisions in Key West at 830 Fleming Street.

SALT Island Provisions is the place to discover other intriguing products from Florida Keys artisans, including raw and unprocessed small-batch honey, whose distinct flavors can’t be found anywhere else in the world. Produced by independent beekeepers of the Lower Keys, this beautiful, decadent treat grows at the edge of the ocean and comes straight out of local hives.

As enticing as these items are, they’re only a sampling of the foodstuffs produced by creative spirits in the Florida Keys. Additional offerings include mango wasabi and rum mustards, rich and creamy smoked fish dip, Key Largo’s renowned Bees N The Keys honey, and even Key lime dog treats.

Enjoy!