June 2022 – Windtree Bee

What are we bringing to the markets?

SMOKY BBQ APPLEAUCE: This is a savory applesauce that pairs well with meat dishes like pork chops or roasted chicken. Your kids can also use it as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets or French fries.

BLACK COFFEE SPICE RUB: A new delicious steak rub! This one has a hint of cocoa powder in it. I’m offering this in small 4 oz jars, so each jar seasons approximately one steak (like a fillet or NY strip). If you want to season something bigger (like a flank steak or large porterhouse), use two jars.

Both the savory applesauce and/or the steak rub would make excellent Father’s Day gifts!

We’ll also have a few jars of strawberry preserves from last week and a nice selection of handcrafted one-of-a-kind artisan bee & honeycomb suncatchers. I think the sun will finally be shining, so hopefully I’ll be able to hang them from our tent!

What else in new at our apiary?

A black rat snake?! Craig used a swarm catching box to take him to his new home.

We had a visitor the other day. This little guy showed up at the edge of our property. He is harmless, but no one likes a snake too near their house, garden, or apiary, so Craig relocated him to a safe spot near the Gunpowder River. Tugg went along for the ride. He was pretty chill about the snake, which I was surprised by.

Hope to see you this weekend! To all the dads and dad-like dudes, happy Father’s Day!

Have you ever noticed how much more sweet-smelling and flavorful local, hand-picked strawberries are? I often buy organic strawberries from the supermarkets and they are big and beautiful but, by far, my favorite strawberries are the ones I buy from local farmers. They are often smaller, but are so much richer in terms of taste and color.

For this week’s batch of jams, I bought a flat of strawberries from Foggy Bottom Farm in White Hall, Maryland. They were hand-picked by Krista that day and I made this week’s batches within 48 hours of buying them. My kitchen smelled awesome the entire time, reminding me constantly of why everyone calls strawberries “nature’s candy.”

What I’m bringing to the market this week

Honey-sweetened strawberry jam: No sugar, just organic honey + the fresh Foggy Bottom Farm berries, a few sprigs of thyme leaves and a splash of lemon juice. I’m offering these in little 4 oz jars. They are as precious as caviar – but not nearly as expensive! This was a very small batch, so I’ll likely sell out fast. Don’t wait to stop by our table if you want to buy!

Strawberry Cocoa Jam: same delicious strawberries, combined with cocoa, coconut sugar, and a whiff of vanilla. This jam would be perfect on waffles, croissants, or brioche (Wegman’s has it in the bread aisle). And amazing on s’mores!!

Strawberry lemonade mixer: only three ingredients – gorgeous, ripe, hand-picked local strawberries + organic lemon juice and sugar. That’s it! Use this to make the best strawberry lemonade you’ve ever had, as a mixer for a summer cocktail, or as an addition to your morning smoothie. To reconstitute this juice concentrate, mix one part water, tonic water, or ginger ale. Adjust to taste. Vodka optional. 🙂

Growing our own strawberries!

Craig and I are trying to grow our own strawberry patch. I ordered a bunch of live strawberry roots, which arrived in the mail a few months ago. They were adorable – little Baby Groots. I planted them in pots and stuck them under our grow lights in the basement. They thrived and were ready for planting sooner than we had anticipated. There was some mad scrambling on our end to get the raised beds ready, but we’re excited about this project and very hopeful we’ll have our own strawberries next summer.

We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market, 17004 York Road, in Parkton, Maryland, from 9:00 a.m. until noon this Saturday. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table beside The Contented Rooster. (The farm market down at the Maryland Ag Center is not happening tomorrow. We’ll keep everyone posted about next week!)