Fall Events: Beekeeping & Canning Workshops, Harvest Festivals & Hereford Farm Market

Our regular market, Hereford Farm Market, is about halfway through its season. We’re there once a month this year, which is working for us. I miss being there every week, but we had a lot of scheduling conflicts this summer, so I’ve been grateful for the Saturdays we’ve been able to sell there. We’ll be at HFM again tomorrow, September 6^th from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Most of our crystallized honey is gone but we’ll have honey from this year’s harvest, as well as cut flowers (zinnias and dahlias) and the last of this year’s handstitched OOAK upcycled aprons, which can be used for cooking or gardening.

Upcoming workshops & fall fests – Come see us!

Beekeeping Workshop at Hereford Library – Sept. 13th 2-3 pm

Introduction to Beekeeping

Humans have been keeping bees and harvesting honey for thousands of years and you can too! An experienced beekeeper discusses the basics of backyard beekeeping – the equipment you’ll need, best practices and common challenges. This workshop provides a simple overview of honeybee anatomy, a hands-on demonstration of how a Langstroth hive works, tips for honey extraction and where to find more information. There is an observation hive with live honeybees, so participants can spot the queen, and a Q&A session. Weather permitting, the program may be held outside.

Craig & I + one of our queens will be the hosts for this workshop.

Canning Workshop at Norrisville Library – Sept. 16th 6-7 pm

Water Bath Canning Basics

Learn how to safely preserve fresh fruit in sealed jars using traditional water bath canning. We’ll discuss the types of fruit home canners can safely can, the process and best practices, the equipment needed to get started, how to find trustworthy recipes, and more.

I’ll be hosting this workshop solo. If you’ve ever wanted to know how to can like your granny once did, now’s your chance!

Oregon Ridge Honey Harvest Festival – Oct. 5th 10 am – 4 pm

Join us on Sunday, October 5th, for our annual family-friendly event that celebrates all things honey and nature-related in the bucolic setting of Oregon Ridge Nature Center!

Enjoy a variety of food trucks offering artisanal beer, crabcakes, burgers, donuts and ice cream. Shop from over 25 local craft vendors and honey farms offering a plethora of honey products and happy to talk about the practice of beekeeping. Visit the goats in the petting zoo or join a sing-a-long in our “1,000 Acre Woods”.

The Central Maryland Beekeepers Association will lead the honey extractions as we learn about all things honeybees – from pollinators to beeswax. Relax and listen to local musicians as your children do crafts, play lawn games or get up-close and personal with animals – from raptors to turtles to chickens. Take a tour through our historic tenant house and learn about the history of Oregon Ridge.

Craig & I + Mandi & Rob (Rosie Posie) will be sharing a table for this event. Mandi will have all sorts of colorful, fun, seasonal knit items and we’ll have lots of HONEY!!

Dejon Vineyard Harvest Festival – Oct. 11th 12 – 5 pm

13th Annual Harvest Day! A Family Fun Day!
$10 Adult Admission Upon Arrival – FREE Entry for Kids
Live Bluegrass Music from PORCH SETTERS UNION!
Hayrides, pumpkins, more local vendors. Delicious Wine!
BYO PICNIC/FOOD

Craig & me for this one. In past years, this has been a beautiful, laid back event. Hope to see you there – or at one of the other places we’ll be this fall!

Adding raised beds to our garden

Our biggest outdoor project this summer was building, filling, planting, and growing in raised beds. We decided to experiment with them because I thought it would help with the weeds and insane garden chaos that usually happened in years past. It worked! The beds turned out beautifully. They were a ton of work to build and fill, but planting and growing in them was much easier than when we planted directly in the ground. Our garden is still a work-in-progress, but I love the changes we made this season.

Before…

During…

After…

Other fun stuff…

After a worrisome late start, the dahlias turned out beautifully! We also grew some cactus flower zinnias. Love their “Raggedy Anne” look. Our milkweed came up again and we saw at least two caterpillars and a chrysallis. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see the chrysallis transform into a monarch. Maybe next year!

Hope everyone had a wonderful summer and is looking forward to a fun Fall! See you soon!!

April 18, 2025

Earth Day is April 22nd!

I’m beginning the season with another post about butterflies, but I promise I’ll be back to posting about bees and honey again soon!!

Come celebrate with me this Tuesday!

Along with two other Ladew Gardens Butterfly House docents, I’m hosting a NATIVE BUTTERFLIES OF HARFORD COUNTY program at the Norrisville Library at 6:00 p.m. We’ll have lots of great info for all the pollinator fans out there. Come see some gorgeous photos of some of Maryland’s most beautiful butterflies. You can learn about their life cycle, how butterflies differ from moths, and how you can attract more of them to your own backyard, balcony, or farm. Register here.

Happy spring & hope to see you all soon!

September 11, 2024

This Sat: We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market with wellness expert, Karen Dubs

Wellness expert and yoga instructor Karen Dubs has taught the Terps basketball team and the Ravens. She is also an author, animal lover turned dog rescuer, and all around awesome person! She’ll be at our table this Saturday to answer questions and share seasonal wellness tips. Bring your dogs! They’re welcome at the market and we’d love to meet them. Below is more information about some of Karen’s upcoming classes and events, as well as what Mandi and I will have at our “Hats & Honey” table. Hope to see you this weekend!

Flexible Warrior’s 6-week Yoga Cross Train series: 9/23 – 10/28

These classes will be a 20/20/20 format, so you’ll get the ultimate combo of cardio dance, yoga & Pilates with weights for strength and balance + restorative yoga stretch for flexibility. (If you’re not a cardio dancer, you can take a 20 min trail run or walk during our dance time.) Themed classes during the series are:

9/23 – Autumn Equinox Warrior Walk
9/30 – New Moon Intention Setting
10/14 – Full Moon Yoga
10/28 – Halloween Yoga & Monster Mash

Click here to sign up for classes or stop by our table this Saturday with questions for Karen! She offers a student rate for Hereford Zone kids and is happy to chat with any of you about offering classes to local sports teams or clubs.

Other reasons to come see us this Saturday…

Adorable hand-knit baby booties

Gorgeous fall hats!

Pumpkins and honey that never spoil!

We’ll have hand-knit pumpkins and local honey, both of which have a shelf life of FOREVER! 🙂

Hope you are all enjoying this wonderful fall weather and that we will see you soon!

September 5, 2024

Where to Find Windtree Bee Honey

We’re a bit past halfway through this season, and it’s been terrific! The bees were very generous to us this year. Below are all the places you can find us and our honey. Stock up for winter! HONEY NEVER SPOILS! It will keep forever. So get your jars now for winter tea, oatmeal, pancakes, peanut butter & banana sandwiches, etc.

HEREFORD FARM MARKET

Our regular market is HFM, which is held every Saturday from 9:00 am to noon in the Hereford High School parking lot. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table with Mandi from Rosie Posie Design Co. Regular vendors include produce farmers, dairy farmers, fruit growers, flower growers & florists, fiber artists, pottery artists, fungi aficionados, bakers, beekeepers & honey sellers + plenty of pepper sellers (hot, specialty, etc.) There’s usually live music, a food truck, and fresh, organic juices. More information on HFM can be found on its website or Facebook page.

OAK SPRING FARM STORE

Craig is the beekeeper for Oak Spring Farm, so we keep two of our hives there. For anyone who isn’t already familiar with Lisa Duff’s awesome CSA farm, check out her website. Members can pick up their share at the farm on Tuesdays from 1:00-6:00 pm. During that time, Lisa sells extras and other goodies, including our honey, at her farm store. 20633 Mt. Zion Road in Freeland.

OREGON RIDGE HONEY HARVEST FESTIVAL

This local festival is on Sunday, October 6th, at the Oregon Ridge Nature Center from 11:00am – 4:00 pm. They’ll have education stations, children’s crafts, animal encounters, pumpkin painting, cider making, and of course — lots of beekeepers and honey! For more info, check out the event page.

HEREFORD FALL FESTIVAL

October 19th (10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.) & October 20th (10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.) This year is the 25th Hereford Fall Fest. 24 Mt. Carmel Road in Parkton, behind the Royal Farms. We’ve participated in this event for years and it’s always fun. It’s a fundraiser for the Hereford Volunteer Fire Company. They’ll have food trucks, beer trucks, craft vendors, and live music. Past years have offered helicopter rides, mechanical bulls, and monster trucks. Wear shoes that can get muddy and dress for blustery autumn weather!

FEDERAL ARMORED MUSEUM CHRISTMAS BAZAAR

On Sunday, December 8th, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at 130 Lakefront Drive in Hunt Valley. This is a FREE event. Santa will be there, so your kids can come with their lists and you can get pictures with little to no wait. Music majors at Towson University will be singing carols and they’ll be vendors selling jewelry, ornaments, stained glass, candles, cards — and honey! My winter jars will have holiday quilt square toppers. Our honey makes a great gift for teachers, neighbors, friends, family, and coworkers! More info on the museum can be found on its website.

OTHER VENUES…?

I’m actively searching for some additional markets for our honey — both in-person events and small, boutique retail stores. If you know of a place where home-harvested honey would be a welcome addition to the offerings, please reach out. I’ll be posting here if/when we add more places and events to our calendar.

OTHER UPDATES SOON

It’s been a busy year! Be on the lookout for future updates on: our hives and queen bees, local and exotic butterflies, beeswax candle making, and Apple Valley honey (a fun partnership with Karen Dubs of Flexible Warrior Yoga).

April 19, 2024April 19, 2024

Earth Day Celebration!

We’re kicking off the season tomorrow at Dejon Vineyard. They’re hosting an Earth Day event with BBQ, corn hole, and lots of wine! There will be cute, friendly farm animals, live music, and we’ll have honey!

Craig and I bottled about 80 pounds of spring harvested honey this week and it tastes amazing!! We’ll also have some Windtree Bee t-shirts and can answer any questions you might have from “What should you do if you see bees swarm in your yard?” to “How do you start beekeeping in Baltimore County?” No admission fee for the event but bring your own camp chairs if you want to sit outside. Hope to see you there!

What else have we been up to?

The American Museum of Natural History

This spring, I visited the AMNH near Central Park in NYC. It’s a huge museum! I limited myself to only the insect-related exhibits and I still didn’t see everything. (I forgot to reserve tix for the “What’s in a Name?” exhibit, a collection of rare books, entomological illustrations, Warhol art, and the “surreptitiously displayed” “whimsical” Withus oragainstus longhorn beetle. Sounds intriguing – a must for next time!)

The exhibits I saw were excellent:

The Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium – an exotic butterfly house with a pupae incubator. It was magical, although my favorite butterfly houses are still native ones like Ladew Gardens’.

The Solomon Family Insectarium – really neat! There’s a huge honeycomb exhibit, lots of info on honeybees, other bee species, and all sorts of interesting insects + a ginormous leafcutter ant farm.

“Extinct & Endangered” – Levon Biss’ macrophotography, which is best appreciated up close and in person.

Erie Eclipse Trip

We were lucky enough to be able to travel to Erie, PA to see the total eclipse. Craig planned our trip nearly a year ago. We were worried we wouldn’t see much because of the cloud cover, but the clouds cleared enough at just the right time for us to see the totality and immerse ourselves in one of the most outstanding natural science moments of 2024.

Until this month, I had only ever seen a partial eclipse. The Totality was everything they said it would be – incredible!! Such a neat experience. Witnessed flocks of circling birds beforehand, felt the temp drop during the event (so much so that I had to put my jacket on), and was able to see Baily’s beads, solar prominences, and the stellar corona. Hard to capture with words how extraordinary those three and a half minutes were!

Lots of hiking, a bit of beachcombing, and prayers for our bees…

Unfortunately, our prayers turned out to be last rites because most of our bees did not survive winter. It’s always sad but not uncommon. We’re constantly trying to up their odds of winter survival. Beekeeping is both an art and a science… and a little bit of faith.

Queen Rebecca (a.k.a. Boudica II) survived! She is the sole queen to make it through winter. Her line continues to be robust and strong. Long live the Boudicas!! 😀

We’ve also been catching swarms, jarring honey, and getting ready for the 2024 Season!

I’ll update everyone on the new bees and the Hereford Farmers Market soon. In the meantime, hope everyone’s spring is going well and that we will see you soon! Maybe tomorrow at Dejon Vineyard?

October 20, 2023December 11, 2023

Hereford Fall Fest + Season Wrap Up

This weekend, we’ll be at the Hereford Fall Fest. We’ve been vendors there for years and it’s always a great event. Weather should be typical fall weather here – cloudy and a bit windy. Bring your muck boots and a giant backpack for all the stuff you’re gonna buy! 😉

We’ll have:

Pumpkin Pie Spiced Applesauce – a favorite that was very popular last fall. This year’s batch was made with SweeTango and Cortland apples. I like to use at least two different varieties because I think it gives the applesauce a better flavor. (But, honestly, what isn’t good with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves added to it?) Even if you’ve had your fill of PPS drinks, no one ever gets sick of PPS applesauce!!

Caramel Apple Coffee Jam – for coffee lovers! Delicious all year long, but especially in the fall and winter. I simmer the apples in espresso before turning them into jam. The caramel flavor comes from the brown sugar I add to sweeten it. This jam is perfect for a Pumpkin-Shaped Baked Brie Puff Pastry.

We’re also bringing:

Honey – the last of our 2023 harvest. We only have a couple dozen jars left. You know the deal, when they’re gone, they’re gone! Stock up on local, raw, minimally filtered, unprocessed, pure honey for your winter tea, oatmeal, toast, etc. It never goes bad. (Ever.) If it crystalizes, just gently heat it (do not boil) to bring it back to liquid form.

Summer jams – SALE! – I have a dozen or so “summer cocktail” jams that I’ll be selling at a discount. They’ll be shelf stable through the winter, so use them for thumbprint cookies come January when you need a sugar boost!

Windtree Bee Merch – SALE! – I’ll also be selling our #SupportLocalRoyalty bedazzled t-shirts at a discount. They are adorable and make great gifts!

Our Market Season is Wrapping Up

We really enjoyed selling at the Hereford Farm Market this year! We missed a lot of HFM weekends in September and early October due to various conflicts and commitments. After Fall Fest, however, we plan to return to HFM for Halloween weekend (Oct 28th).

What have we been up to?

Other fun pics of insects…

See you this weekend at Hereford Fall Fest!

April 18, 2023

Earth Day Celebration this Saturday! + a brief bit about where I’ve been

We’re excited to see everyone again this season and found a perfect event to kick things off – Dejon Vineyards’ Earth Day Celebration.

Dejon Vineyard
Earth Day Celebration, April 22, noon to 5:00 pm
5300 Hydes Road
Hydes, Maryland

*bring your picnic blankets & camp chairs!

Dejon Vineyards is a family-owned and operated winery in Hydes, Maryland. (It’s near Boordy Vineyards and the Prigel Family Creamery; to the east of Loch Raven Reservoir.) Denise and her husband, John, renovated the original cattle barn and it’s now a “cool country-chic” tasting room.

Their Earth Day Celebration is this Saturday, April 22, from noon to 5:00 p.m. The event’s theme is Make It/Bake It/Grow It/Conserve It, which dovetails nicely with what Windtree Bee is all about. (For anyone new here, we sell home-harvested honey, homemade jams and preserves, and cottage bouquets made from pollinator-friendly blooms.) The folks from Ecotone (ecological restoration), Marshy Point Nature Center, and the Gunpower Conservancy will be there to discuss wetlands preservation and Maryland’s natural wildlife. Other educators, exhibitors, and vendors will also be there to share their skills.

Craig will be there to talk about honeybees and beekeeping. If you’re interested in beekeeping, or you want to learn about local honey, or if you’re an entomologist, biologist, teacher, scout leader, etc. – please come see us!!

There will be wagon rides, kids’ crafts, live music, and LOCAL WINE! 😊

There will also be HONEY — because we have honey to sell at the beginning of the season this year! (How did that happen?! Well, it’s not because we didn’t sell out last season — we did. It’s because we lost hives over the winter. Boo! But the silver lining is we had more honey than our current bees need, so we were able to harvest it.)

Other Things We’ll Have

Breakfast Berry Jam: Our most popular jam. I made three batches!

Honey Almond Granola: Crunchy, homemade, delicious. Sold in canning jars, so you can pour your milk right in there and eat it while you’re off to work or on a hike.

Loose Leaf Chai Tea Blend: New and improved for this season! I’m now using dried and sifted ginger instead of candied ginger; 100% Assam loose leaf tea instead of a miscellaneous blend; and star anise.

Seed Bombs: Originally a guerilla gardening tool, seed bombs are also a super fun, hands on way of spreading the word about the need for pollinator-friendly plants and flowers. (There’s a guy in Dorset who calls them Bee Bombs.) My bombs are a mix of “muck” (a nutrient-dense starter soil); shredded paper (so glad to have found a use for it, since Baltimore County doesn’t recycle shredded paper); a small amount of water; and pollinator-friendly seeds (non-GMO, non-neonic).

Bedazzled t-shirts: These are slightly modified Windtree Bee logo shirts that I’m going to bedazzle myself. (I learned to bedazzle at lightning speed during my younger daughter’s dance years. Every season, I had to gem multiple costumes in less than a week. When she graduated, I swore I wouldn’t miss it – but I kinda do!)

Scenes from my former life as a Dance Mom

These are our awesome designs for the new t-shirts.
I’ll post pics of the final bedazzled shirts later…

Where have I been?

For those of you wondering where I was all winter and why I didn’t post anything here… I was working down at Princeton Sports, the ski and bike shop off Falls Road (west of Lake Roland). McCulloughs are a four-season family and I love skiing as much as biking, so helping people get ready for their next outdoor adventure was a great fit for me! Princeton is a third-generation family business and the owners, customers, and my coworkers were super friendly and always fun to talk with. While I didn’t see as many people from the Hereford Zone as I used to see at the library, I enjoyed working down there and hope to return next year for their busy winter season (which conveniently starts just as Windtree Bee’s active season wraps up).

Me in Park City, Utah, earlier this year.

I’m looking forward to the 2023 farm market and festival season! I have some exciting news about the Hereford Farm Market, which I’ll post about soon … In the meantime, happy spring and hope to see you this Saturday for Earth Day!

December 2, 2022

Christmas Bazaar, Reindeer, and Hiking in the Highlands

Craig and I visited Scotland last month. We flew into Edinburgh, spent a couple of days there, and then took the train up into the highlands. They were magnificent! I really hope we can go back again someday.

Lots of people asked us, “Why Scotland?” We were asked if we had family there (no), if we planned on golfing (no), if we liked whisky (no), and if we planned on doing any Outlander tours (no). Friends pointed out that the weather there is often gloomy and rainy. The time of year we chose for our trip was also curious (fall, not summer). But I gotta say… it was AMAZING!! I feel so lucky to have been able to go. Part of the trip was a generous gift from my in-laws for our 25^th anniversary. And I can think of no better way for Craig and me to celebrate than to go trekking about in Alba. It’s a country that epitomizes our favorite vacation style – rugged days and cozy nights. If you are debating a trip to the U.K. anytime soon, I highly recommend!

Hillwalking

Hiking in the U.K. is often referred to as hillwalking. Although Scotland’s tallest mountain isn’t as tall as the shortest mountain in the Appalachians, hillwalking can still be risky, especially in bad weather. But we had great weather!! The days we spent hiking were sunny. And the shorter days meant that we reached the summit and/or lochs right at sunset.

The highland culture seems to fully embrace hillwalking. The Scots have a statutory “right to roam” (although it must be exercised responsibly) and the inn where we stayed regularly makes bagged lunches for guests to tuck into their daypacks. We grabbed ours, walked out the door, and just started walking. Not having to worry about driving to a trailhead felt gloriously liberating.

Reindeer

The Cairngorm Mountains have a herd of free-ranging reindeer. After one of our walks, we serendipitously stumbled into their Glenmore visitor center, a little paddock up by Loch Morlich. The enclosed area is kind of like a reindeer spa. The reindeer take turns coming down from the mountains for health evals and a bit of pampering.

If your child asks what to leave for the reindeer on Christmas Eve…

They don’t eat carrots or celery. Too bad since those things are easier to get than what they do eat: heather, sedges, lichens, blaeberry, and birch. Maybe offer them some regular ole blueberries and see if they’re gone on Christmas morning. 😉

Drambuie

We tried lots of whisky, but I preferred Scotland’s craft beers. I also enjoyed Drambuie, which you can get here in the States. Drambuie is whisky blended with honey, herbs, and spices. Since I know where to get delicious, local honey, I may experiment with making a DIY version of Drambuie this winter.

Is Drambuie French or Scottish?

Ah… it’s complicated. I asked a couple people this question and the answer depends on how you interpret its origin story, which may just be a bit of fanciful brand marketing. In any case, the story goes that, after the Battle of Culloden, Bonnie Prince Charlie fled to the isle of Skye. As a thank you for sheltering him, he gave his prized French elixir recipe to an officer there. Its name is supposedly derived from the Scots Gaelic An Dram Buidheach, which means “the drink that satisfies.” Indeed, it does! 😀

Christmas Bazaar

We’re doing one more event this year – a Christmas Bazaar down at the Federal Armored Museum this Sunday, December 4th, from 1-3 pm. Santa will be there! Admission is free. Bring the kids, get a pic with Santa, and do some Christmas shopping. This will be the last time you can stock up on honey and homemade jam before winter! I have a couple of bee & honeycomb suncatchers left. They make excellent, one-of-a-kind gifts. Our honey & jam is the perfect hostess/thank you/holiday gift. You probably know an awesome teacher, coach, neighbor, friend, or family member who would love a jar. Or just treat yourself! 🙂

St Gobnait, Patron Saint of Bees and Beekeepers

Looking ahead to winter…

Craig and I are returning to the Hereford Farm Market next year. In the meantime, I’ll post periodic updates here. Winter is a great time for hiking, skiing, and reading!

WISHING EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU A WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!!

October 21, 2022

Oak Spring Farm Chili Feast

Tomorrow, we’ll be at our regular market — Hereford Farm Market — from 9:00 a.m. to noon. And then on Sunday, we’re vending at Oak Spring Farm’s Chili Feast. For anyone who hasn’t yet heard of Oak Spring, it’s an organic CSA farm in north Baltimore County run by Lisa Duff. She and her farm are awesome! We’ve been CSA members for years. We also keep a few hives over there. You can find us there on Sunday from 2:00-6:00 p.m. NON-CSA MEMBERS ARE WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND!

From Lisa’s Facebook events page:

Let's celebrate YOU, our amazing CSA Members who helped us make this season an absolute success, with a chili feast and potluck!

SUNDAY, October 23rd, 2022 from 2pm - 6pm

We will provide two BIG pots of chili - one meat based and the other suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Please bring a dish to share, whether it is more chili, a chili-friendly side like cornbread, chips, or crackers, or other toppings like sour cream, cheese, fritos, etc. You're also welcome to bring dessert, drinks, and of course BYOB. Anything is welcome, and we encourage you to use as local and sustainable as possible!

There will be LIVE MUSIC, family friendly GAMES, and a RAFFLE for CSA members to win $100 off of their 2023 Season CSA Share!

Bring your picnic blankets, chairs, family, friends, dogs, and good spirit. We can't wait to see you.

***Non-CSA members are absolutely welcome to come!!***

What are we bringing this weekend?

We still have a few jars of honey left, but they are going fast. I also still have little 4 oz jars of mulled cider jelly left, some spiced pear jam, and — new for this week!! — HONEY MAPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE, SMOKY CHIPOTLE BERRY JAM, and OUR LOOSE LEAF CHAI TEA BLEND.

The cranberry sauce recipe I use is THE BEST. It’s a whole cranberry sauce with a smooth texture. Sweetened with my two favorite natural sweeteners, honey & maple syrup, and seasoned with cinnamon and a pinch of lemon zest, it is sublime!! Makes a perfect hostess gift for the holidays!

The smoky chipotle berry jam is a traditional blackberry jam with a hint of chipotle chili powder. It turns my ever-popular berry jam into a specialty spread that is perfect for turkey sandwiches, grown-up grilled cheese, or as an addition to your weekend charcuterie tray. This jam would pair excellently with gouda, goat cheese, or Brie. I’m offering it in little 4 oz jars — a perfect size for sampling.

My loose leaf chai tea blend is back on the menu too! Just in time for cooler weather! Stock up!! (My favorite way to sweeten it is to use honey, of course, but maple syrup works wonderfully too.

Enjoy your weekend! Hope to see you soon!

October 14, 2022

Hereford Fall Fest is this weekend!

The weather looks great! Mandi and I will be there with expanded offerings. I’m bringing honey, caramel apple coffee jam, mulled cider jelly, pumpkin pie spiced pear drizzle, chewy almond granola with currants & coconut, and HONEY!! Mandi is bringing hand-knit pumpkins, pumpkin beanies, sushi scarves, and felted GNOMES!!

We’ve been vending at Hereford Fall Fest for years and it’s always a blast. There’s food trucks, beer & wine. There are hay wagons, ponies, helicopter rides, and a mechanical bull. ATM on site. Bring your dog! For more info, click here. It’s Sat from 10-6 and Sun from 10-5.

CHEWY ALMOND GRANOLA WITH CURRANTS & COCONUT

The recipe I used for this weekend’s granola batch was adapted from the Countess of Carnarvon’s recipe for “Good-for-you Granola” in SEASONS AT HIGHCLERE: Gardening, growing, and cooking through the year at THE REAL DOWNTON ABBEY. What’s different? I used whole almonds, eliminated the chia seeds, and my berry of choice was the aforementioned currants. It’s chewier than the batches I’ve made and sold before but — I gotta say — absolutely delish!!

Speaking of gnomes… White Hall has one of the best collections of garden gnomes in this area. One of the homeowners along the Torrey C. Brown rail trail (the NCR) has created an amazing community of gnomes. Check it out for yourself! Park at the White Hall parking lot and go about a mile north.

Where have we been?

We weren’t able to make it to the Hereford Farm Market for the past couple weekends because we’ve been celebrating and waxing nostalgic about the good ole days.

Craig and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. We met at Penn State and our older daughter goes there now, so we met some of our college friends up there for the Penn State Northwestern game. It was RAINY!!!! Of course, we’re used to that kind of tailgating in State College. (We’re used to hanging out in the rain under a tent in Hereford too. Hahaha.)

I also went back to Pittsburgh for my 35th high school reunion. Was fun seeing people I haven’t seen in years, but one of the biggest highlights was taking a mushroom hike with the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club (my bestie that I grew up with is a member).

Craig’s also been getting the bees ready for winter

This year, we’re doing what we did last year because it seemed to work well. Fall means a hat trick of hive prep: varroa treatment, feeding, and insulating. Treating for varroa is always done after we harvest. It’s a pain but necessary. Feeding just means trying to make sure the bees have enough food to overwinter. We leave honey in the hives, so Craig evens that out. If some hives have a lot left and some don’t, he’ll take some from the strong hive and give it to the weak. Fall is the time when beekeepers can also supplement with sugar water, although we try to keep that to a minimum. For insulation, Craig builds a little winter wrap for each hive out of foam board.

NOW is the time to start winter prayers for Boudica II, Æthelflæd, Buffy the Varroa Mite Slayer, and all the rest!

Late Fall Garden: Flowers were left for the pollinators but will be cleared soon.

Where we’ll be for the remainder of the season

October 14th & 15th – Hereford Fall Fest
October 22nd – Hereford Farm Market
October 23rd – Oak Spring Farm Chili Feast
October 29th – Hereford Farm Market
December 4th – Christmas Bazaar at the Federal Armored Museum