A former accountant turned Beekeeper

I had the privilege of meeting a talented writer for the local free magazine, 55 Plus, which is distributed in the surrounding Rochester area. The easiest place to find this glossy magazine is at your area Wegmans. This is printed every other month, so the publication is available for 2 month at each location. He wanted to interview me and my “second act”, retired accountant turned beekeeper.

Me? I had never been interviewed before and was a little nervous, to be honest.

He arrived with his wife as they had just come from an important appointment. She browsed the shop as he and I sat in the Beekeeping Sensory Room and chatted about what brought me to here!

This little white house in the Village of Webster that I call The North Bee.

To read all about my second act in his words follow this link to the article by John Addyman. http://www.roc55.com/features/former-accountant-keeps-busy-with-bees/

August is here and so are new items!

I hope you are staying well and mentally healthy, the best you can. These times sure are something for the books! Soon the sunny, hot days and nights full of musical sounds will wind down and the season will change, as will our health.

If you aren’t sneezing and rubbing your eyes from allergies you probably know someone that is doing so daily. Next thing we know those sneezes and scratchy throats will be from other fun visitors, not the pollen that is currently floating about, but fun “back to school” and “hello fall” colds and viruses. The regular run of the mill every year stuff!

I am happy to tell you the elderberry syrup will be steadily and readily available to help you and yours during the upcoming cold and flu season. You will be able to find many tonics, syrups, oxymels and even shrubs in the coming weeks. I love experimenting with these tried and true, old fashion, natural health remedies. Made from fruits, vegetables and herbs these alternative infusions make a great health tonic and offer a nutritional boost to your daily diet. Not only by the spoonful or in a beverage but they can be included in your culinary preparations. You can use them in a tea, mix with sparkling water for a natural soda, take by the shot glass, or add to a favorite dish. Drizzle over salad, try on your chicken dish or even in a soup recipe. Try experimenting. Look up recipes. Oxymels, tonics, syrups and shrubs allow many ways to incorporate botanicals, vinegars and herbal infusions into your daily routine and better your health and wellness.

If you haven’t heard I discovered a beekeeping family that infuses their wildflower honey with fruits and vegetables for the most amazing, delicious flavors you could imagine. These have been a hit and flying off the shelves. No worries. I plan to keep them stocked. There are 15 flavors to choose from. Here’s a sampling: apple, caramel, ginger, lemon, razzleberry, smoked and even watermelon. And that’s just a start.

Lastly, I came across another beekeeper (see the theme here) that makes these really delicious and unique beverages sweetened with honey. How about a Honey Sparkling Water or Honey Cream Soda? There even is a Honey Ginger ale.

More and more doctors are telling their patients to find honey for their sore throat, nagging cough and even laryngitis. After all, honey is a natural food with proven health benefits, also known as a functional food.

The North Bee in the village of Webster hopes to help you and your family nourish your mind, body and soul this upcoming season. I look forward to seeing you.

Oh honey, there's going to be a lot of HONEY!

It’s summer and the bees are doing what they do best. Bringing in the nectar!

When they start building and filling comb in between boxes and frames you know it’s time to provide them more room to put away the nectar.

Soon, once again, there will be bottles of freshly pulled honey from the area available in my store located in the village of Webster. The backyard apiary alone is going to provide many beautiful pounds, or bottles, of sweet, local honey. It will be in a nice pour-able consistency - straight from the hive and into the jar!

Well, we do have to remove the honey from the hives and then from each frame. From there we will strain or spin out the honey before it goes into bottles.

Some of you prefer the crystallized honey, or the peanut butter texture as I describe it usually. Honey becomes solid over time due to the type and amount of sugars in the nectar. The sugar breaks down at different rates depending on the type of nectar and this causes the crystallization. I do still have a few jars of solid honey at the store, if that’s your preference. When honey crystallizes this is also a sign of raw honey.

The basswood has been in bloom as of late, and I know our yard has been a blooming field of clover! Don’t forget to throw in some dandelion, sumac and black locust. Please, thank the bees and lick your lips, and sticky fingers, too!

I will be restocking honey this year at Lamora Farm Market Gazebos on rte 350, Ontario Center road in Ontario. Last year I was able to provide some great fall honey. This year I am happy to be able to offer you both summer and fall honey during the market season. Make sure to stop by for some fresh, local fruits and vegetables.

The photo below is a group of bees cleaning up the honey that was exposed when a box was removed during inspection. They love to make wax in the spring and summer. When bees build wax where it doesn’t belong that’s a great sign to add a box and give them room to pack away the nectar!

Elderberry Syrup a trusted, proven source for wellness

Elderberries have been used by humans for thousands of years. There is scientific research and proven results that this stuff really works to boost your immunity and shorten the duration and lessen the symptoms of the flu virus, A & B.

Elderberries are a power packed berry full of antioxidants. However, the berry must be cooked properly before it can be consumed. It can cause stomach distress if not cooked properly. They are high in Vitamin C, they are a great source of dietary fiber, the berries are loaded with phenolic acids (help reduce the damage caused by stress in the body) and flavonols (antioxidants that help ward of toxins).

There is also some evidence elderberries may help with fighting harmful bacteria, it shows some anti-depressant properties and showed cancer inhibiting properties in a test tube! Let’s keep supporting research on this amazing plant.

Remember, plants are medicine!

Elderberry syrup can always be found in stock. Stay tuned for some fun, new elixirs coming your way!

An invite to Science Now! - STEM & STEAM

On January 23, 2020 I took part in the Thomas C. Armstrong Wayne Middle School PTO Science Now! expo. An evening of interactive demo and hands on learning experiences for the kids, and no kidding, the big kids, too! Even moms and dads, big brothers and sisters engaged themselves in the wonders of beeswax and honey.

Many tables filled the cafeteria, each representing a business where STEM & STEAM can be found. STEM is science, technology, engineering and math. While STEAM includes art. There was virtual reality, plastic molding and silicone demonstrations, the Rochester Museum and Science center even had a spot. I was parked between the DEC, think deer decoy and a remote controlled wagging tail, and Intergrow - the indoor greenhouse which emits that eerie glow towards the sky in the evenings. On those foggy nights…well, eerie doesn’t seem to be fitting for the supernatural scenery that is created. Actually, the nice young man that headed the table for Intergrow and I had some good conversation regarding the bumblebees they use for indoor pollinating.

The evening was buzzing with eager and excited children and their parents. All here to learn how STEM & STEAM can be found in businesses in and around the community. My 2 tables had 4 demonstrations or activities for the visitors to enjoy.

They could learn the why, what and how about bees and their products of the hive. There was a frame of used drawn comb, a jar of crushed comb and some honey, crushed comb that had been given back to the bees to cleanup, a round of rendered beeswax and several of my products that had been made from the beeswax. The hands on items helped attendees understand how a frame of beeswax can be turned into a candle, hard lotion bar, lip balm or beeswax wrap for your sandwiches.

They could also try on beekeepers gear. There was a tote full of veils in all styles, gloves, a couple pullover vests and even a couple jackets. They could puff the (empty) smoker and feel the bristles of the bee brush that is used to gently brush the bees from frames, or yourself.

Many enjoyed the honey tasting station. I brought 6 varieties of honey to taste. Our local honey in summer and fall. Maine blueberry honey. Washington buckwheat. Patagonia rainforest honey and the newest edition to the tasting table, African Forest honey. So many people were surprised that honey could taste so different or that there was actually different types of honey. Yes, there are! Forty of them are on the tasting table right in my store in the village of Webster waiting for you to have a taste.

However, I think the most popular activity was Can you Spot the Queen? I had some large visual posters by Hilary Kearny, at the Girl Next Door Honey. She takes some amazing photos and turns them into useful tools for teaching about bees. These were specifically about searching for the queen bee. If you could find her in a given time you won a bee pin or honey stick. The bee pins were almost gone by the end of the evening! Everyone loved the honey sticks, too!

I think we all enjoyed ourselves; talking about bees, tasting local honey and far away honey, too! I’m looking forward to the next Science Expo!

If you have a group or event and would like to learn about the products of the hive, send me a message or give me call!

Happy New Year - Blogging is on my new year to do list

New Year.

New products.

New honey varieties.

New announcements and happenings.

Blogging! I am gong to do my best to try and do weekly blogs about something! The store. The bees. The pollinators. The flowers. Something.

Perhaps, I will share with you my excitement over a new shipment of Honey Spoons for your tea or coffee. You can even add one to a cup of hot water. They come in many varieties; tupelo honey, orange blossom and lemon, to name a few of the spoons. I can’t forget to mention the Gourmet Lollipops that accompany the honey spoons. There is bee pollen and honey, raspberry & lime, even coconut ginger. Did you know there are real pieces of ginger, raspberry or bee pollen in those lollipops!? Yum, that’s for sure, and they go quick!

Maybe, I will let you know about the Walnut Honey that is to die for!! Yes, it sold out but I was sure to restock quickly. This California wildflower honey infused with walnuts is absolutely delicious on a piece of sharp cheese or a slice of honey crisp apple. Really though, I want to let you know that I have secured some Lemon Infused Creamed Honey from the same company. For all you lemon lovers, this is for you!

If you have not heard, however, the hard honey candies are in stock. They arrived all the way from Bavaria and I have placed them in some cute tins and jars for your enjoyment. These simple candies made from sugar, glucose syrup and honey are a must for dry mouths and scratchy throats. They are a great honey lozenge. They can even be dropped in your tea for a sweetener. I love the old fashion sanded coating. Keep a tin of these hard candies in your car, purse or at your desk and enjoy this simple, long-lasting hard candy.

Honey Bee Medallions. A hard, honey candy to soothe a scratchy throat and quench a dry mouth.

It's true!!! Real honey has many tastes, textures and aromas, along with proven wellness benefits.

Dinner party plans? Foodie on the gift list? Looking for natural immunity boosting benefits?

Honey. The answer to all of the above and more.

The sweet gold the bees produce is not all the same. Honey has varying degrees of color, aroma, taste and texture.

Real honey, that is.

And this all depends on many factors. The season the nectar was collected for starters. You can see this difference in your local honey. The nectar the bees gather in the spring compared to the nectar gathered in the fall will produce the different colors, tastes, aromas and textures. Of course, this is dependent upon the region of the country the plants are growing from which the bees are foraging.

Which brings us to our next varying factor in honey.

Location.

The varying landscapes and climates provide us different plants from which the bees can forage. Just like grapes and wine, honey will vary from region to region due to the plants. Our own country can provide us Oregon Meadowfoam, Florida Orange Blossom, Georgia Tupelo, New York Basswood, North Carolina Sourwood, California Black Sage and Washington Buckwheat to name a few. All of which can be found on the tasting table at The North Bee. Each time you visit you are able to sample over 28 varieties of honey from across the country and even from the Patagonia Rainforest.

Besides season and location the state of the honey itself will offer up its own mouthwatering experience. Only raw honey crystallizes. The texture of this is comparable to peanut butter with sugar crystals embedded within. Some prefer it this way often seeking out only crystallized honey. Perhaps they know that’s a sure sign it hasn’t been processed or heated in anyway. Some honey will take longer to crystallize than others, while some will crystallize as soon as its bottled. Aster honey is know for this.

Others look at the jar of crystallized honey and wonder…….what is wrong with this stuff? Nothing my friends, nothing. Did you know honey was pulled from ancient Egyptian tombs and found to be edible? Here is a link to that article https://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/honey-in-the-pyramids.aspx

Not only is honey a natural sweetener it also has immunity boosting benefits. Have you ever tasted Buckwheat honey? You either like it or you don’t, there is no in-between. I happen to like it. I had a lady message me last week wondering if I carried buckwheat honey. Her doctor had recommended her to take. When she arrived at the store to purchase I knew why her doctor had recommended. She had laryngitis. I take buckwheat honey in the winter whenever I have a cough. Here is a great research paper on honey used for cough relive in children, specifically buckwheat. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4264806/

So aside from a sweeter for our tea, a treat off the spoon or a remedy for what ails us, did you know honey is a great addition to the cheese spread or gift basket for the foodie in your life. Honey is also THE perfect hostess gift.

Your eyes will widen and your mouth water when you see some of the amazing honey available on the tasting table and in the store for purchase. The next dinner party you are hosting or attending be sure to include a delightful honey for all to enjoy.

How about a California Wildflower Walnut infused honey on a slice of honey crisp apple or warm Brie?

Perhaps some local comb honey on a slice of baguette or a morning pancake.

A little Chocolate & Bergamot blended honey on a coconut crisp cookie or gently warmed and spread on fruit.

There is even desert honey that has been creamed and some wonderful ingredients added like, sea salt caramel, or real maple syrup. WOW!

You simply must come in the store yourself located at 27 North Ave in the village of Webster and spend a minute or 2 at the tasting table. And remember, the next time that throat begins to feel raw or that cough won’t quiet, find yourself some good RAW honey.

One year already! Come celebrate with me.

It was just a quick, short year ago that I was sitting in traffic daydreaming about what was always on my mind……having my own place to melt beeswax, share my passion for bees and honey and sell my creations. I happen to look over to my right while waiting for the light to change and there was a FOR RENT sign on this cute little white house in the heart of the Village of Webster.

What? Could it bee?

No more packing and unpacking crates and totes, no more multiple trips up and down the stairs and packing the car the morning of a show, because you can’t leave beeswax or honey in the car - might be to cold for the honey or too warm for the beeswax. No more melted wax in random places of the kitchen, like the counter, floor, or stove top. Yes, my husband could have the kitchen table back, instead of just his spot. Most of all, I could talk about bees, share my passion and relay the importance of bees to adults and kids of all ages. I could even make a room just for the kids to take in all things bee, and let the grownups take in all the Handcrafted Goodness of the Hive.

Yes, it was.

I had found that spot by chance and I have been making it work ever since. Each month has been change and growth. I am happy to have this opportunity to be your stop for local honey and handcrafted beeswax products. Including skincare, pet products, candles, beeswax home decor, honey from across the country, gift giving items, natural wellness and select lines of hemp CBD wellness items.

For all the local folks that would like to celebrate with me stop in the store at 27 North Ave, Webster to enter your name for a chance to WIN my GIVEAWAY basket (worth $165) full of goodies!!! Look through the photos here to see the basket. Next time you are in the store to restock your honey, skincare or CBD products fill out an ENTRY CARD and pop it in the cute mailbox by the door on your way out!

The GIVEAWAY runs through December 4th. Drawing in store on December 5th.

Thank you everyone for helping to make this first year a success.

Local honey for your health and wellness needs

It’s that time of year to be searching out the raw honey. I am happy to be your one stop for not only unique handcrafted gift items, but also raw honey. Local honey and honey from across the country can be found in my store located in the village of Webster in Western NY.

Did you know there are over 300 types of honey produced by the bees here in the US? This is due to the different nectar sources available to the bees for forage. Different areas of the country provide different plants which in turn makes the difference in honey - light, dark, sweet, bold, molasses tasting or perhaps even cotton candy. Have you heard of Star Thistle, Avocado, Buckwheat, Meadowfoam, Tupelo or Ulmo honey? Those are just a few types of what you will find available to taste and purchase. You can always find local honey here.

Summer and Fall local, raw honey is now available in my Webster store.

The honey tasting table always holds over 25 different jars of honey; varietals (single source nectar), infusions, blends, creamed, whipped, liquid, crystallized, comb, sticks and polyflorals from across the country and my own backyard! I even carry honey from the Patagonia Rain forest in Chile, South America. I am certain you will find a favorite honey and even a backup or two.

Honey has been used for thousand of years to treat coughs and sore throats among other ailments. People may also use honey to treat allergies and for that local honey is first choice. You can be sure to find local honey most anytime of the year at the store.

However, for your seasonal sore throat and that cough from the cold you are sharing with the family ANY raw honey is best. Raw is preferred because once honey is processed, meaning heated or filtered, it loses any health benefits and is just a sweetener at that point. When it comes to raw honey I’m sure you will find one that suits your taste buds.

I hope you will keep The North Bee in mind this upcoming season and all year round for all your local honey and health and wellness needs.