Honey Collecting & a Honey Recipe Round Up

I was so excited to share my experience collecting honey with my friend Kerri, I skipped including one of my own recipes featuring honey. Instead, I relied on some other fabulous Canadian Food Bloggers. Collecting honey was simple enough and did not take long at all. I’m fortunate to have been given the opportunity as not everyone gets a chance. I know I was very excited to tag along for the experience. I may have even invited myself along when I found out what she was doing.

I’ve been hearing for years that the honeybee population is decreasing which alarms and saddens me. I try to do my best each year to plant purple and red flowers (which I’m told are their favorite colors), and place rocks in my birdbath to help prevent the bees from drowning. I believe the bees are so important to our natural environment; I try to do every little thing I can to help out those busy little bees.

Of course I had to document the entire event. I learned later on that it was the first time Kerri had collected honey from her pretty beehives. I thought she had collected many time before as Kerri handled it like a pro!

The hives were located on the edge of a large field. Kerri came well equipped with all the protective gear we needed to stay safe from getting stung. We sure were a sexy pair, all dressed up in our white suits with the big mesh hats. I didn’t even think twice. I was dressed in record time.

Kerri had a smoker ready to help calm the bees. I had to relinquish my camera to Kerri’s husband so I could get in close with the smoker while Kerri worked her magic.

You could hear the bees buzzing in their hive as we got close. Kerri was careful not to disturb the inside panels as that is where the baby bees are located I’m told. You are only supposed to collect honey from the outside panels.

We used the smoker to calm the bees and gently brushed the bees off. Kerri replaced the panels with new ones and we brought the honey filled panels back home.

I was offered a chunk of honeycomb and told to chew the waxy honeycomb like gum. Chewing the wax released all the honey. The flavor was out of this world. I didn’t think anything could taste so pure.

You wouldn’t think there was much honey in those little honeycombs, but once you started breaking open the wax, the honey poured out!

I would have never dreamed in a million years I would ever get to experience collecting my own honey. One day I hope to own my own beehive(s). To go with my apple trees I’d love to own. 😉 A person can dream.

Now the important question is how are we going to enjoy all that fresh honey?!?