Although spurts of snow and freezing night temperatures persist, signs of spring are starting to appear. Besides the robins that engulf the yard en masse, one of my favorite signs is the buzzing of bees around their hive, beginning to explore for open flowers and fresh pollen. Although a bit early yet, it’s almost time to start feeding them with spring syrup to ignite their drive to make comb, brood, and honey.
Early last fall, after finding the most spectacular bee hive configurations and two queens, I was able to pull two frames of honey to attempt extraction of my first honey harvest. Not having a fancy automatic extractor, heated elements for cutting comb, or other tools that one might use for processing large amounts, I went the old-fashioned route.
With a sharp knife, I ran across the tops of the honeycomb, uncapping the cells to release the honey. I simply let it drain overnight into a colander, catching any large pieces of comb. With a final strain through a fine-mesh strainer, I had a beautiful quart of unfiltered raw honey.
And you can only imagine the first taste. The flavor was not only rich and complex, but I felt so triumphant having been patient for these past three seasons of loss, splitting colonies, and keeping these two hives protected and nourished.
With just two small frames as payment, the return was far more rewarding than I expected. While it’s amazing on toast, my preferred way to enjoy it is simply with a spoon. Here’s to the upcoming season and more honey!
I love your posts. They are informative, stimulating and very entertaining. Wish I were young enough to do all that you are doing. Keep it up!
Thanks, Dianne! That’s very encouraging. It’s a lot of fun but a lot of work. Sometimes too exhausting to keep up with everything, but we do as much as we can do. And the honey is SO good.
And what exquisite honey it was, Zach!! So buttery and, well, perfect! Looking forward to more. Spring is in the air, indeed!
Ooo! Yummy! When you start getting more, I want some. I love good honey!!
Absolutely! I’m hoping we get enough this year to share lots of small jars.
That honey is beautiful! Thank you for keeping me posted on your lovely farm!