home-harvested honey, homemade jam, and cottage bouquets
Come see us tomorrow at the Hereford Farm Market! We’ll have pumpkin pie spiced applesauce, autumn apples studded with raisins & cherries (perfect for oatmeal, ice cream, French toast, or to add to homemade stuffing), and one pound jars of our 2022 honey. We’ll also have cottage bouquets and our artisan stained glass suncatchers. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table across from The Contented Rooster. Hope to see you there! 🙂
We won’t be at the market tomorrow because our neighborhood is having a yard sale. My neighbor, Elizabeth, who was one of the very first residents of Windtree Valley back when there were only a few homes, has been organizing this NEIGHBORHOOD-WIDE, MULTI-FAMILY YARD SALE for years now. We’re often busy and can’t participate, but this year — we’re in! And have lots of stuff to sell!! (We also participated back in 2020, which turned out to be a terrible year for most things but a wonderful year for our neighborhood yard sale — when do we get a chance to say “hope it’s like 2020 again”?!)
Windtree Valley is the neighborhood immediately south of 7th District Elementary School. The yard sale starts at 8:00 a.m. The pictures in this post aren’t everything we’re selling, not even close! My neighbors, one of whom sells antiques, another who has years’ worth of set decorations, etc. also have some cool things to sell. Not sure what everyone else is selling, but there’s sure to be a lot of variety!!
I’ll have themed tables set up on our driveway, which will include:
ELECTRICIAN & HANDYMAN’S TABLE: outdoor light fixtures, cables, wires (many of which are still in boxes), extra-long outdoor extension cord + miscellaneous stuff from our garage, including college bed risers, etc etc etc…
TEENS & TWEENS TABLE: Two pink makeup cases + sample and full-size cosmetic and beauty products (most are unopened and in original packaging). Daughter had a gift Birchbox subscription. Sooooo many items! Perfect for birthday party favors, Girl Scout troops, sleepovers, etc.!
PARENTS & TEACHERS TABLE: Tons of school and craft supplies… paper, paint, markers, binders, poster board, mailing envelopes, book bags, Vera Bradley & Scout lunch bags, clip board, bulletin board, fabric squares & pieces, yarn, pony beads, and two vintage sergers.
SPORTS EQUIPMENT: skim boards, old lax sticks, bike helmets, beach buggy, kids camp chairs, a nearly new pair of ladies’ skates, size 6…
KITCHEN TABLE: Cuisinart ice cream maker (only used once), crème brulee blow torch (still in box), paper plates & bowls, plastic utensils, mugs, picnic cooler, various small kitchen items
GARDENER’S TABLE: organic raised bed soil, grass seeds, lawn lime…
I’ll have honey for sale too. You can see the bees – from far away! All my profits from the yard sale will be put toward supporting those little gals!! Please spread the word to anyone you know who might want to come. Hope to see some of you there! Thanks & have a great weekend! (We’ll be back at HFM next Saturday.)
Hereford Farm Market is tomorrow! 9:00 to noon. We’ll be there with fresh cut zinnias, home-harvested honey, fruit jams, smoky-spicy applesauce, and artisan suncatchers.
If you buy honey, flowers, or a suncatcher, you get $2.00 off one of our homemade jams AND zinnias are $1.00 each (min $5.00 purchase; the jar is included).
Tomorrow may be the last day I sell flowers at HFM this year, so if you want a Windtree Bee cottage bouquet, don’t wait to stop by our table!! 😀
Mandi’s back too, and she’ll have her adorable knitted pumpkins available. Look for our “Hats & Honey” banner, across from the Contented Rooster at HFM tomorrow — 17004 York Road, Parkton, Maryland.
The Summer 2022 honey harvest has been filtered, bottled, labeled, and is ready for sale!! As always, its taste is unique to this particular summer and we won’t have it for long. Every year, we sell out, so if you want it — please stop by our market table soon!
We didn’t enter our honey in the State Fair this year because we were moving our daughters into college. Both of them are at school now, which means I’ll need to muddle through Instagram solo now. Hahaha! 😉
After a slow start, the flower garden I planted for the bees is finally blooming. This means, for a short time only, I’ll have beautiful Mason jar bouquets for sale at the market.
I’m not a professional flower grower, seller, or arranger. But I get so much joy out of my tiny flower garden. It’s full of pollinators — honeybees (of course), bumble bees, moths, and butterflies. Saw my first monarch of the season today, which made me happy!
Our Mason jar bouquets have zinnias in them. That’s it. But they’re pretty and every jar you buy supports our queens and their hives — remember Elphaba, Buffy, Cleo, Gaia, Tempest, and the rest? #supportlocalroyalty 😀
Hope to see you tomorrow at the Hereford Farm Market! We’ll be across from The Contented Rooster. Look for our Windtree Bee Banner! (Mandi has the “Hats & Honey” banner, but won’t be there tomorrow.)
We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Two new jam batches this week: Blueberry & honey-sweetened strawberry. Either (or both) would make the perfect gift to bring to a neighbor’s backyard BBQ! Have a safe and happy holiday weekend, everyone! 🙂
We’ve been busy! After our Beekeeping Q&A at the Hereford Farm Market earlier this month, we did a Pop Up Shop at Oak Spring Farm and a whole weekend at the Hereford Fall Fest. It was awesome, despite having to close early Saturday due to rain and nearly losing our tent Sunday because of wind.
Tomorrow, we’ll be back at the Hereford Farm Market with some fun Halloween-themed offerings. I put together some trio packs of kiwi preserves, strawberry balsamic jam, and a “dessert rub” — all packaged in a cute Halloween pack that is perfect for gift giving. (Why should the kids get all the treats on Halloween??)
We’ll also have Pumpkin Pie Spiced Applesauce, a homemade Chai Tea blend, Mulling Spices, and the VERY LAST TWO JARS FROM THE 2021 HONEY HARVEST + autumn scented, handcrafted, hot processed soaps!!
Mandi (my table partner/Rosie Posie Design Co) will have knit pumpkins, pumpkin beanies, autumn cowls, Maryland beanies, and other knit accessories. Stop by our table! We’d love to see you!! 🙂
We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market, 17004 York Road, in Parkton, Maryland, from 9:00 a.m. until noon tomorrow. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table beside The Contented Rooster.
I’ve posted a lot about my two favorite parts of beekeeping (planting pollinator-friendly flowers & harvesting honey), so I figured it was time to share some other aspects of it – swarm catching and wax rendering.
Craig built his first swarm catcher in the spring of 2020. (Click here for pics of it and a little bit about why beekeepers love catching honey bee swarms.) Since he built it, we’ve hung it in at least three different places and have captured absolutely nothing with it. Despite its uselessness, Craig was still able to capture two swarms this summer using other methods, which is fantastic!! The swarm hives are both still alive and thriving – one on our property, the other on a nearby farm.
Earlier this week, Craig and I decided to try to make beeswax candles. It was our first time trying it, so we started nice and early – around 9:00 p.m. 😉 I’d heard that making beeswax candles could be challenging (think maple syrup-type labor — where you basically spend hours and hours and hours to get one small 16oz jar), but I was motivated because I wanted to sell adorable, sweet-smelling beeswax candles during our beekeeping Q&A this weekend. (Spoiler alert: I do not have any beeswax candles to sell this weekend.)
We started with a huge bucket of unrendered wax. It was so heavy, I thought we’d get soooooo many candles out of it. Like 100 or more. We took a quarter of the unrendered wax and put it in a double boiler. (I’d bought two inexpensive pots for just this purpose.) Fast forward forty-five minutes or so and we’d basically created a mangled sausage omelette.
It was getting later and I was getting frustrated. I was tempted to throw everything — the crappy, waxy pots; the sticky, gooey half-rendered wax; and the idea of making candles — in the trash. But then I remembered how hard those little bees worked to make it and I couldn’t. So we rendered it again using a different method. Around midnight, we called it quits and left the wax out to cool. In the morning, we were rewarded with a near-perfect disc of wax. For one night’s effort we probably rendered enough wax to make one 4oz candle. Hahaha!
Still, with a good night’s sleep, I was able to look at the project more objectively. Most things are difficult in the beginning. Next time, I’ll start earlier and have realistic expectations. It will be messy. There will not be a lot of yield. But it will be worth it!!! (I think.)
I’m bringing honey-sweetened jam and preserves – honey lemon apple jam and honey cinnamon pears. I intentionally did not add pectin to the jam, to keep the ingredients all natural. The pears can be added to oatmeal, yogurt, cottage cheese, or just eaten on their own. We still have honey (it will probably sell out by mid-October), as well as some favorites from past market days.
Craig’s bringing some of his beekeeping equipment and would love to answer any questions you have about beginner backyard beekeeping! 🙂
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.
I’ve been telling everyone all season I would do a day where I would offer customer favorites — make the jams that everyone’s been requesting. By far, the most requested jams have been berry jams. That doesn’t mean everyone hasn’t loved the variety of other jam, jelly, and preserve offerings (thank you very much for all the compliments and for continuing to shop at our table!!) but folks clearly and understandably love good old fashioned berry jams. So, for tomorrow, I’m offering one of my most popular choices — Breakfast Berry, which is a mixed berry jam. I put all four favs in there: strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, and raspberry.
I also made a few jars of simple-but-delicious Morning Blueberry and a new berry flavor, Strawberry Kiwi. I think you’ll love it! 🙂
Another popular item we offered earlier this summer was “Everything Bagel” Spice Mix. It’s reasonably priced, can be used in many different ways (see below), and its only preservative is natural salt.
We still have one pound jars of our award-winning honey. I’ll likely sell out before the season ends, so don’t wait if you want to stock up for winter.
Because I often offer jams, jellies, or other items that require instructions, recipes, or suggestions on how to use them, I started printing out little “Jam & Tea Notes” to give to customers. Sometimes — especially if we’re chatting while I’m putting everything in your bag — I forget to include them. So, here’s this week’s in case you need it.
Windtree Bee’s Jam, Tea & Spice Notes 9.25.21 Cider Jelly: Can be used as traditional jelly on toast, etc. or pour water over a spoonful for instant hot spiced cider. Smoky Applesauce: Use with pork, chicken, or pierogi. Watermelon Jelly Vodka Cocktails: Put 2-3 tablespoons of jelly in a rocks glass. Heat in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Watch it and remove it as soon as it turns to liquid. (Don’t overheat.) Fill the glass halfway with sparkling water. Add a shot of vodka (citrus flavors work well). Stir, add ice & enjoy!! Orange Spice Tea Blend: Use 1 ½ tablespoons of tea blend per 8 ounces of boiling water. Use a tea bag or ball. Steep for 7-8 min. Add lemon and/or honey. Chai Tea Blend: Use 1 ½ tablespoons of tea blend per 8 ounces of boiling water. Use a tea bag or ball. Steep for 7-8 min. Add milk and honey. Mulling Spices: Each jar contains four steep sacks. Each sack will spice one bottle of wine or ½ gallon of apple cider. To make mulled wine, warm a bottle of red wine over low heat along with the steep sack and 1/3 cup honey for about 20 min. For mulled apple cider, warm the apple cider along with the steep sack for 20-30 min. Discard steep sacks when finished. Everything Bagel Spice Mix: Use with or in – Homemade hash browns, Your CSA eggs, Avocado toast seasoning, Baked potatoes!!!, Grilled meat rub, Roasted veggies, Salad topper, Butter add-in, Bloody Mary rim rub, French fries & tater tots, Popcorn, Add to olive oil for quick bread dip.
Interested in beekeeping? Come to the market next Saturday for an informal Q&A. In the past, Craig’s done a whole Beekeeping 101 presentation at local libraries with Power Point slides, observation hives, etc. This time, we want to keep it simple. He’s going to bring his equipment and will answer questions about backyard beekeeping. If your goal is to get a hive in Spring 2022, he’ll make sure you know what to do and how to prepare!
Beekeeping not your thing? Come if you’re interested in bees or want to know more about where the honey you’ve been enjoying comes from.
I’ll also be offering new jams & preserves naturally sweetened with honey. Please help us spread the word to anyone you know who might be interested!
We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market, 17004 York Road, in Parkton, Maryland, from 9:00 a.m. until noon tomorrow. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table beside The Contented Rooster.
“The pollen-dusted bees
search for the honey-lees
that linger in the last flowers of September” ~George Arnold
Mid-September means the growing season is ending. We’re still pulling flowers and peppers out, but that’s about it. I have mixed feelings about my flowers this year. On the one hand, my zinnias weren’t as strong as they usually are. I didn’t sell any at the market, which has been a goal of mine for years now. I wasn’t even able to give as many away this year as I have in years past.
On the other hand, I was completely smitten with my dahlias this year. I’d never tried to grow them until this summer and, even though they are more difficult than zinnias, and don’t seem to last nearly as long in the vase, I was thrilled to be able to include them in this summer’s bouquets.
I’m also just very thankful and so grateful that I was able to grow, cut, arrange, and enjoy the many flowers I was able to pull from the garden this year. This winter, I’ll be mulling over what worked and what didn’t, what to do again and what to give up on but, for now, I’m posting a few more of my favorites as a way to say goodbye to the beautiful bounty of summer 2021.
My younger daughter loves to buy clothes at consignment shops and second-hand stores. She loves the idea that each piece gets a new life. She sews and often upcycles them into something different. I think she also finds the range of clothing (from every decade and style) more interesting than anything that’s offered in the “fast fashion” mall stores. In any case, when I go with her, I shop for flower vases.
One of my favorite finds this summer was the silver-plated vintage vase pictured above. I found it in a shop on South Street in Philadelphia. It’s not worth much — a couple of dollars at most — but I think it’s beautiful.
To celebrate the upcoming fall equinox, I made a bunch of autumn-inspired treats.
MULLING SPICES: wrapped in unbleached “steep sacks” and tied with butcher’s twine, each jar holds four bags, which will each spice one bottle of wine or eight cups of apple cider.
FALL TEA BLENDS: Chai and orange spice. Best when sweetened with honey! 😉
CIDER JELLY: Spread on raisin bread toast or stir a spoonful into a mug of hot water for instant hot spiced cider.
SMOKY APPLESAUCE: This is a savory, spicy applesauce. The woman who made the recipe pairs it with pork or chicken, but I had mine with pierogies and red cabbage. Delish! 🙂
SPICED PEAR JAM: a great jam with the usual morning breads or on a cracker with brie.
We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market, 17004 York Road, in Parkton, Maryland, from 9:00 a.m. until noon tomorrow. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table beside The Contented Rooster.
2021 Maryland State Fair
We entered our honey in the Small Beekeeper Class, Amber Category — and we won fifth place! This was our first time entering honey to be judged and I wasn’t sure how it would go.
The only things we care about are whether our bees, us, and our friends, family, and customers think our honey is ready for harvesting and at peak quality. The bees tell us when they think it’s ready by capping it (they seal the ends of the honeycomb when the moisture content is just right). Next, we bottle it in a clean kitchen using sterilized jars and cute packaging. Then, everyone else lets us know how tasty it is. 😉
Every batch of wildflower honey is unique and delicious. Similar to the way in which wine vintages are affected by the annual grape harvest, honey harvests are affected by the types of flowers the bees gather nectar and pollen from when they make that batch of honey. Neat, right? So, even if we wanted to, we could never again exactly produce the Windtree Bee Summer 2021 batch again. But what a batch!! We’ve been so happy with it! 🙂 🙂 🙂
The judges care about all the things I mentioned above, but they are meticulously exact about everything — as they should be. They judge each entrant’s honey on six criteria: containers, crystals, foam, accuracy of filling, density (water content), and flavor. We had top scores for nearly every criteria but so did the other beekeepers. The one area where we could improve is “accuracy of filling”. I didn’t even know that was a thing with honey! With my jellies, jams, and preserves, I’m insanely accurate about filling and I always measure the “headspace” of my jars. But we’ve never been quite that accurate with our honey because you don’t vacuum seal honey. We’ve always made sure it’s at least as full as a pound and if someone gets a little extra, no big deal.
So there you have it! Probably more than you ever wanted to know about how honey is judged! 😀
I wanted to go apple picking at Shaw’s last weekend but they’re closed on Sunday, so I drove down to Weber’s Cider Mill. I hadn’t been there since my kids were little. It wasn’t as busy as I remembered, but it could have been the weather (rainy) or the pandemic or… who knows? They have a nice little farm store where I was also able to pick up a gift for my neighbor.
For the market this week, I made a double batch of Apple Pie Jam with the apples from Weber’s. Craig said this jam is the best I’ve ever made. (While this makes me happy, he says this every time. Haha.) But it’s really delicious!
I also made two new batches of granola for tomorrow: Nutty Apple and Peanut Butter Banana. I’m selling these in 16 oz jam jars, which is about two cups. That’s a lot of granola, but if you love granola, you could eat it straight out of the jar. (BYOM — bring you’re own milk; I’ll have spoons!)
We’ll be at the Hereford Farm Market, 17004 York Road, in Parkton, Maryland, from 9:00 a.m. until noon tomorrow. Look for us at the “Hats & Honey” table beside The Contented Rooster.
Windtree Bee 