Do we have any honey left? How are the bees doing?…

I don’t get around to writing a post very often – it’s especially difficult during the growing/honey season – but I have thought a bit about a change in approach. I find it useful to disseminate information in question/answer format. And that provides a nice way to organize a post, whether it is addressing one question or multiple. If it’s a topic that interests you. read on. Otherwise, leave it 🙂  I’m calling it TQ&A for Today’s Question & Answer. So let’s jump in!

Extraction day!

Do we have any honey left for sale?

Yes! 2017 was an excellent year and we were able to extract around 900 lbs of raw honey. Not all of that is for sale of course, but we have a lot still available in a variety of containers. Click the shop link to reserve your honey. We have a 3 lb “decanter” glass jar this year, as well as a fancy 1 lb muth that makes a great gift.

The honey is very light in color this year and of very good quality. It has a large basswood floral component.

What about creamed or comb honey?

Creamed honey is coming! “Creamed” or “whipped” honey is raw honey that is allowed to crystallize with very tiny granules that give it a creamy and spreadable texture. We’ve sold out of our 2016 creamed honey, and this is something that we make in the fall when the average daily temperature drops another 10 or 15 degrees from what it is now. The cooler temperature is perfect for creaming honey with a starter batch.

We tried to do some comb honey this year in what is called a “Ross Rounds” super, but the bees were having none of it!  It was a good learning process putting that together and trying it out, but evidently it is common for the bees to not take to drawing on that type of foundation, especially when they have other regular honey supers they can work instead. Also, I think I was a little late in giving the super to the bees for drawing out the wax. Next year, we intend to try again, maybe on more than one hive. So no comb honey yet, but stay tuned.

How about bulk honey?

Yes – you can have a pail of honey, while supplies last! We do occasionally get asked about this, and starting in October, we have decided to offer honey at a per/pound price for 25 lbs or more. That’s around 2 gallons of honey, but it’s saving you $3 off the quart jar price – per jar! So you are already looking at saving over $24 with the minimum order. Click here to take a look at the item in our shop. If you bake with honey or are planning to do so, you may want to consider this option.

Can you purchase honey on-site?

Yes, you can stop by to purchase honey after looking it over if you’d rather not put a reservation in on our web site. However, we don’t have honey sitting out on our doorstep any longer this year. With night-time temps cooling off, the honey tends to start crystallizing faster, so we need to store it indoors at a more constant temperature. Please call or text ahead if possible, like you would for picking up an order.

How did extracting go?

Honey spinning day is always an exciting time, and we were able to do it on two different days this year. The main chunk was extracted mid august in our garage while another 150-200 lbs was spun out in September after the bees decided to collect a lot of extra goldenrod and various later blooming nectar sources. Here’s a little two-frame extractor we used in my folk’s kitchen. The hand-crank was fun and worked surprising well when you don’t have too many boxes to go through.

It was great having tremendous help with the whole process. Thanks to my folks, the Schutzes, and the Spearys for hanging with us and getting sticky!

How are the bees?

I think I’ll have to save this for a separate post. They continue to be a joy to work with, but the their struggle with the varroa mite is the most acute and difficult that I’ve yet seen. On sunny days, they remain very busy looking for pollen and nectar sources in the area.

goldenrod

p.s. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those affected by the wicked tragedy that befell the shooting victims in Las Vegas.