Harvesting Honey

If you're at all interested in buying fresh raw honey from a local beekeeper or other supplier, now is the time.

We were literally scraping the bottom of the barrel, so we called our local beekeeper again (he didn't respond to our first message), who told us he would be harvesting this week. And we live in one of the coldest parts of our state, so that means most everywhere else that can support bees should also be harvesting.

My father-in-law, who is a beekeeper (as I've mentioned here and here), took these beautiful pics of bees in his area earlier in the season. I also love them because they remind me of what an efficient and industrious creature the bee is, which are qualities I strive to develop.

For a reminder of all the health benefits of honey, click here and check out all the links. Now might just be the time of year you need some of these helps. And it's definitely the time of year to stock up your honey supply so as to have these benefits available during the winter (like building the immune system and helping arthritis). Not to mention, a supply with which to cook sweet goodies during all those winter cravings for comfort foods... :)

To find a local beekeeper who sells honey, do an online search for just that, which should get you started nicely. You could also try simply looking up beekeepers in the phone book, as some of them are listed that way as well. And if you think your city is too urbanized to have this option, think again. When we lived in Cincinnati, we found a local beekeeper within 10-15 minutes of us. And at least one man in New York City does rooftop beekeeping (see link for short video).