Winter can be a very stressful time for a beekeeper!  Winter losses happen to even the best beekeepers, but we all try our best to prevent that (and worry straight from November through to May).  

Preparing bees for winter begins in the Spring, becomes crucial around August, and by the time temps are starting to get cool in October there's not much more to do to help them survive but cross your fingers.  

After you've done everything you can do for them and tuck them in for several months, it's then crucial to go back in late winter or early Spring (usually a warm day in February) and make sure they have enough food stores to last until the dandelions come.  

You don't want to open them up in the cold unless absolutely necessary.  So, doing a simple "heft" test to tilt the hive forward a bit and see how heavy it is will let you know if they have enough stores or need some help.   If the hive feels light, it's far better to open them up rather than letting them starve.  We aim to do it on a sunny day that is above freezing if at all possible. 

Today we went out and 4/8 hives felt light and 4/8 hives were still decently heavy.  We decided to go ahead and give them all some food (homemade sugar patty) just in case.  

All 8 hives were alive and fairly large.  They seemed happy for the sugar even if they weren't too thrilled with us opening them up.  We work fast and try to get everything back together as quickly as possible. 

Some people are quite surprised to hear that we feed our bees white sugar.  Haven't we all been told that white sugar is "bad"? Well it isn't bad for bees!  

We send them into winter with as much of their own honey as possible. However, adding a sugar patty made out of just water and white sugar can make the difference between winter survival and starvation.   White sugar most closely matches the chemical composition of nectar and can be a valuable source of nutrition for honey bees in times of dearth.  

We NEVER feed during the milder months when there are plenty of flowers about and they are making the honey we sell to you!  We only feed when they have no natural way of getting enough food on their own.  (Cold weather, or lack of nectar due to extreme heat or drought) 

It was a beautiful day and it was a great sense of joy and relief to see the ladies again.  We tucked them back up and wished them well.  Just a little longer...

Here's to a great Spring! 

Let's talk about crystallization!    Have you ever bought a jar of liquid honey, only to have it become thick on your cupboard shelf? 

What you are witnessing is the crystallization of the honey.  It is a chemical process that occurs to all pure honey, but many people (including us before we became beekeepers) do not understand what is happening to their honey.    It will happen to all honey eventually, but does happen to some honey faster than others.  However, it can be surprising if you have never experienced it before.  

We often get questions like:  "Why did my honey become thick instead of liquid?"  or  "Is my honey still safe to eat?"  

First of all, it is perfectly safe to eat.   Honey that crystallizes is a sign that it is pure honey, with nothing added, and has not been heated to high temperatures for filtration or pasteurization.  

However, when honey is kept in its natural state,  the sugars in the honey begin to change slightly over time depending on the sugar ratios that are in that particular batch.  

The rate at which the honey crystallizes is quite the science lesson!   It is completely dependent on the nectar source of that specific harvest.  All nectar is made up of natural sugars.  Nectar contains fructose, glucose and sucrose.  Sucrose is a disaccharide, or a complex sugar made up of the combination of fructose and glucose.  Fructose and glucose are monosaccharides or simple sugars.  

The nectar of each type of flower has a different amount of sucrose, fructose and glucose.   As the bees bring the nectar back to the hive they are bringing back all 3 of those sugar compounds in varying ratios depending on the flower, the weather and the time of year.  

Once the bees have collected nectar, they process it into honey.  Simply speaking, they do this with a combination of processes.  FIrst, they use a special enzyme to break down the sucrose into fructose and glucose.   At the same time, they also evaporate the water out of the nectar by fanning their wings.   Once these processes are complete,  you have capped honey that is ready for them to eat or ready for the beekeeper to harvest.  This amazing combination of processes is part of the magic of honey and what makes it so unique!  

These two processes have another important feature when combined.  Concentrating the honey by breaking down the sugars and evaporating the water is arguably one of nature's best preservatives.  Once it becomes honey, it doesn't spoil or ferment!  Without outside contamination during use, it can remain shelf stable for decades!

However, this super-concentration can have other effects on honey such as crystallization.  

If the batch of honey has a higher concentration of glucose, it will begin to crystalize much faster than honey with a lower glucose content.   

In Ontario, crystallization most often happens with Autumn harvested honey.  The flowers that are available later in the Summer tend to have nectar that is much higher in glucose.   

 In the Spring and early Summer our bees love basswood, apple blossom, dandelion and the other early blooming flowers and trees.  As the warmer weather comes, they move on to clover, various flowering plants in our vegetable gardens, as well as borage, bee balm, wild vetch, Joe Pye Weed, milkweed  and many other wildflowers.   The nectar of these flowers is not particularly high in glucose, and therefore Summer honey tends to take a while before crystallization starts occurring.  

Towards Autumn, two of the common late blooming plants in Ontario are goldenrod and aster.  These flowers are a fantastic source of food for the bees as winter approaches, but the nectar is much higher in glucose.  So, when you purchase honey and your local beekeeper has sold out of the Summer harvested honey, you might find your jar a bit thicker than what you were expecting.  And now you know why!

We like to eat the thicker honey ! It still spreads nicely on a piece of toast,  works well in a mug of tea and is great for baking.   However, if you prefer liquid honey, you can put your jar in a bowl of warm water for a little while and it will liquify again.   But make sure it is just WARM (90 degrees F or so) and not HOT so you keep all the wonderful qualities of unpasteurized honey.  

It has been very busy since the last blog post.   I have not spent much time on the computer during the bee season and growing season.   If you would like to stay up to date with all that is happening, I highly suggest you follow us on Instagram or Facebook.   It tends to be a bit easier to post there than it is to post here.

We are expanding our food plots, expanding our apiary, and trying our best to manage the challenges of this very strange weather season.  Between the smoke, intense heat, lack of rain and then too much rain - all we can do is our best.  Mother Nature and Climate Change are in charge here and we must learn to adapt and be flexible.  

Our bees decided to be very reproductive this year.  We came out of winter with 4 hives and now have 10!  All hives are doing well and it has been quite the ride!  They definitely keep us on our toes.  We will soon be preparing them for winter.   The Summer bees will be dying off soon and the Queen will be laying the bees that will protect her and the hive throughout the cold season.

You can find us every Sunday at the McDonald's Corners Ag Hall Market. I love it when local friends come to chat.  Please stop by! The market has also grown and expanded this year and we are so happy to be a part of it.   

The agricultural fair season is approaching as September inches closer and it is always a good time.  Come and join us at the Middleville Fair on September 13 and the McDonald's Corners Fair on September 30.  So much to see and do at both fairs!

I had the privelege of being both a speaker and a vendor at the Eastern Ontario Homesteading Conference on Saturday, May 6.  

It was a day full of gorgeous sunshine after a week of cold rain.  There was an energy of excitment and joy in the air.  

There were so many farmers, artisans, gardeners, makers and sellers at the wonderful market.  It is a great community of people. It was so good to be back at an outdoor market again!  

The seminars inside the hall provided knowledge on various topics related to homesteading and self-sufficiency.  

We were happy to be a part of the vendor market selling our ready-to-plant seedlings, CSA memberships, beeswax and honey skin care, and homestead baked bread.  

I, Summer, also enjoyed leading a seminar on the art and benefits of fermentation.  Fermenting can be a great asset to any homestead.   

I have basic recipes and processes on our Fermentation Workshop Links and Info page for those of you who attended, or anyone wanting to learn more!  We discussed the detailed processes, concepts and questions in the Conference, so the page just has basic recipe information.  I hope to do more free workshops and seminars in the future with Plan B Lanark, or fee based workshops in a commercial kitchen!  Stay tuned.  

The red-winged blackbirds were singing for me to hear just 2 days after the Vernal Equinox.   They are my sure sign that Spring is here.    Even if there is still a foot of snow on the ground, when they are singing - there is hope.  

Yesterday,  I took a long walk out on the land looking for signs of Spring. There are so many signs and I am starting to get excited for the months ahead. 

I walked to visit:

• The bee hives  (They are still alive! Yay!)  

March  can be a tricky time for honey bees.  It starts to warm up, but there isn't much natural food for them.   We will be feeding them homemade sugar patties tomorrow to help tide them over until the tree pollen, pussy willows and dandelions can help provide some reliable food for them.   

• Each garden  / growing plot

Our gardens and food plots are spread out in various spots on our property.   Some of this is intentional for sunlight / shade, proximity to a water source or proximity to our house - and some of this is purely to manage the vast amount of bedrock and large boulders that makes growing food in Lanark County Ontario a true adventure. 

• The greenhouse

Our greenhouse is unheated so temperature management is necessary.  I check the temps daily to ensure all the plants are happy and healthy.  We also have many seedlings indoors under grow lights.

The photo of the moon is in our "lower" garden plot.  It's down the hill behind our workshop  / garage.   The moon is watching over some of our garlic currently.  I love these copper hand crafted decorations.  We have several from a talented artisan in Michigan, and their beauty brings such joy every time I enter one of my growing spaces.  I have a moon, a heron and a dragon fly.  Each one has a very special meaning for me.  

The next few weeks are a pivotal time for anyone growing food in Eastern Ontario.  As soon as the snow melts we will be direct sowing so many things -  peas, mesclun mix, lettuce, herbs, onions,  spinach, radishes and so much more!

We will also be splitting our beehives into new colonies to increase population and production.   

We know challenges will come, but we are excited for the 2023 growing season.    

For those of you who have placed seedling orders - your peppers are doing great!   We have tripled our growing amounts for peppers (and several other items, as well)  due to a significant increase in interest for seedlings, fruits and preserves last year.  We have 6 varieties started currently.  3 hot and 3 sweet.  I can't wait to start making some salsa!!  

Anyone still wanting to order seedlings or join our weekly CSA membership - there's still time!  Space is limited so don't wait too long!  

These jalapeños could be in your future!

CSA Membership 

Products 

We are introducing our CSA membership option today.  As we do so, I thought I would write a little bit about the why and how of what we are trying to do.  

As growing season approaches and we are looking to expand our food plots,  I start to think about food security and the reasons behind why we grow food.  I have many thoughts and feelings inside my head and heart on running a homesteading business, being part of a community, and contributing to the food security of our community.  It is a subject that has been near and dear to our family for a long time. 

It is an important topic for us as responsible individuals living on Planet Earth, for us as  parents who have a family and possible future generations to care for, for us as entrepreneurs and business people, and for us as members of a wider community.  

While topics of inflation, profits, and food security are currently in the headlines, our approach has been years and even generations in the making.  In my childhood, my family completely depended on packaged foods from the grocery store. In contrast, Andrew grew up with his parents and extended family using depression-era self sufficiency skills to create "victory gardens" and farms into the 90s. 

It continues beyond our own backgrounds to the awareness that many people in our community are struggling to have access to the food they need.  

Simply, food security means that everyone has access to nutritious food.  Access means it is physically close, financially reasonable, and includes the ability to obtain information about cooking and nutrition.  Beyond that simple definition, it also means that the food producers are able to continue to provide local, nutritious and accessible food for many years to come.    

With the recent rising prices of food at the grocery stores and our society's increasing distance from the land, it can be hard to feel like food security is truly an option.  That is what motivated us to do something to change that for our family and hopefully for those around us, as well.  

Growing your own food or partnering with a local small scale farmer can help reconnect you to the land and provide food security for your family and those around you.  

Small scale farming does two things that I think are important in relation to food security.  

First of all, It regenerates the land.  It treats the land as a part of the growing relationship.  It takes the approach that growing food (and other plants) is a reciprocal relationship between the land and the farmer.   This relationship ensures that growth can continue to occur for many years to come.  

Secondly, It regenerates the community.  By creating a direct relationship between members of the community and the farmer, it helps distance us (ever so slightly) from the capitalistic grind of consumerism. While large scale farmers who specialize in one or two crops do contribute greatly to global food production and the economy, their neighbours can't stop by and pick up some canola, for example, to make for supper.

If we can help you start a garden by providing seedlings or offer quality produce for you and your family, then we have formed a relationship.   The large corporation middle-man that is between you and your food is reduced.   

The more that small scale growers and farmers can continue to support their families and communities,  and the more the communities can support the small scale growers and famers, the more food security is truly within reach.  

It’s time to think about your 2023 garden!  And we can help!!  We are offering locally grown organic, heirloom and naturally raised seedlings for your gardening needs. Don’t wait for the Spring markets where your favorite varieties may be sold out.

Pre-Order now and make sure you have what you need.  Fill out the form below and we will be in contact for etransfer or cash payment.  Farm pickup in Middleville will be the week of May 15-22 (some varieties may be slightly earlier or later).  Order will proceed once a 50% deposit is made.  

If you order before March 31, not only will you get last year’s prices - you will get your personalized seedling order planted and cared for by us -  to be ready for your garden at optimal planting time.  

$4 for all vegetable and fruit seedlings except tomatoes

$4.50 for all tomatoes

$3 for all flower seedlings

Prices and varieties subject to change after March 31.  

***SALE HAS ENDED CONTACT US FOR CURRENT ORDERING INFO

Contact Us with any questions. E-transfer preferred for all pre-orders.  Cash payments accepted

This time of year can be tricky for honeybees.  If they are prepared for winter and did not have any lingering issues (i.e. queen challenges, heavy mite load, not enough honey stores, low population, etc.)  then all should be well at this point.  

However, as the days warm up, the chances of them running out of food before the first pollen and nectar begin to be available starts to increase.  When it is cold they do not use up as much of their food stores.  But when the days warm up, they move around more, take cleansing flights, prepare for Spring egg laying and eat, eat, eat!

In the Ottawa Valley region of Ontario, the first pollen comes from trees (not flowers!) and usually comes in early March.  However, until the dandelions are in full bloom sometime in May, the bees do not have enough reliable food sources to ensure survival if their in-hive food stores are running low.  

This tricky balance of nature vs. human intervention becomes very evident at this time.  We must monitor our bees diligently and intervene if necessary.   

It is still too cold to open the hives for more than a few minutes at a time.  We don't want to disturb them too much which could cause them to "break cluster" and not be able to keep themselves warm.  We don't typically open them up and inspect until it is much warmer.  We want to assess that they are still alive in the least invasive way possible. Thankfully, beekeepers are an ingenious bunch and there are quite a few inexpensive "hacks" that can help us assess what is going on inside.  

To see if they are still alive, we have a few non-invasive options.  First of all, we look for dead bees and poop droppings in the snow outside the hive.  This means that they are "cleaning house" and keeping a hygienic environment inside the hive.  Secondly, we can either listen to the hive or take its temperature.  In the past, we have used a stethoscope placed to the side of the hive.  It is amazing to do that and hear the humming and buzzing from inside.   However, this year I learned an even easier way and it works like a charm.  A meat thermometer!  Who knew?  You can stick the probe of a meat thermometer in the top entrance and watch the magic happen.   If the hive is dead it will be a similar temp inside as it is outside.  If the hive is healthy and alive, there will be a somehwat dramatic temperature increase.   As you can see from the photo - this hive is doing great.   It was definitely NOT 73 degrees Fahrenheit outside.  Our other living hives were anywhere between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit within a few seconds.  Exactly what we want to see! 

We did lose 2 hives due to queen issues that occurred  last Summer and made them too weak to survive the winter.  Thankfully, we are aware of what went wrong and various options of what to do if something similar happens again.  There is continuous learning in the beekeeping journey!  It is a sad fact of beekeeping that sometimes you lose hives.  

Our surviving hives all got a temperature check and a stethoscope listen - except our fairly "spunky" hive that started pouring bees out of the bottom entrance when I went to check their temperature.  I assumed that was a good sign they were alive and walked away quickly.  I got stung in the face by this same hive last fall when I went out to check the ratchet straps without my veil.    I wasn't willing to let that to happen again!  Getting stung in the face is not fun!

Once we determine that they are still alive  - we do a "heft test".   We tilt the hive forward a bit and feel how heavy it is.  If there is a decent weight to it - then they still have plenty of food stores.  If it feels too light and too easy to lift - then it is time for emergency feed.   Emergency feed at this time of year is a fondant patty made from pure white sugar and water (not the kind used to decorate cakes).  White sugar is good for bees and is the best feed substitute for them if /when they need it.  We have one hive that may need some emergency feed but the rest seem to be pretty heavy still.  We will quickly open the light hive on a warmish day and add a fondant patty to help them along until the flowers come!   

We have a WINNER!

To celebrate the launching of our updated website, we ran a local contest on social media (Both Facebook and Instagram).  Every like, share and / or tagging of friends received an entry into the draw.  Thank you so much to everyone who participated and supported our business.  

Our winner participated on both platforms and was the name drawn from all the entries.   

They will receive a Valentine's Gift Bag perfect for gifting to a loved one or pampering themselves!

Gift Bag includes:

1 - Cooling Skin Salve

1 - Nourishing Lotion Bar

1  - Honey Lemon Goats Milk Soap

1 - Hot Chocolate Mix

1  - Fresh Baked Garlic Herb Focaccia

A $50 Value

Dried Calendula Flowers from last year's garden infusing in oil on a sunny windowsill

Miriam-Webster tells us that a salve is "an unctuous adhesive substance for application to wounds or sores".   In its basic form, that is exactly what a salve is.  However, salves are so much more.  Salves are a beautiful joining together of nature and time.  

Our salve making process begins in the late Spring when the plants and flowers start to grow both in our fields and in our gardens, and our bees begin to produce extra honey.  When the  plants and flowers are ready and the honey is ready - it is harvest time.  For both items we practice ethical harvest - taking only what we need, with gratitude, and leaving plenty behind to continue the cycle. 

Once the flowers are in full bloom, or the plants are at their peak, they are harvested  and dried.  Our children like to help with this part!  Drying can occur naturally or using a dehydrator on a low temperature.  Then they are placed in a jar, covered with skin nourishing oils, and left on a sunny windowsill for several weeks before straining.  The healing properties of the plants and flowers infuse into the oils and make a perfect ingredient in a salve.

Once the bees have capped their honey, we harvest the honey by removing the wax cappings and extracting the honey.  We do not use any heat in the extraction or filtration processes.  The honey always remains unheated and unpasteurized and can be left raw or additionally filtered to meet provincial grading standards for  Ontario No. 1 honey.   Both the raw and filtered honey make a perfect ingredient in a salve. 

Once the wax cappings are separated from the honey, we wash and strain it several times to remove debris.   After the washing is complete, we gently heat the wax and filter it to produce a clean nutrient-rich beeswax product that makes a perfect ingredient in a salve.  

Once the oils are infused with the plants and flowers, the honey and wax have been extracted, filtered and cleaned - we combine them with added essential oils to make all-natural skin salves and lotion bars.  Each beeswax skin care product we make contains different plants and oils to bring unique benefits to your skin.  

While different, each of the products are given the same time and attention and are full of homestead grown and raised ingredients.   You can have confidence in a truly local product.  Apart from the carrier oils - everything comes from our land and has been minimally processed. 

Snowy path leading from the house into the woods

This past week we have finally reached seasonal snowfall amounts and seasonal cold temperatures.  Both the Autumn of 2022 and the Winter of 2022-2023 have been very warm!  And while those warm temperatures definitely have their benefits to humans and certain animals (like our chickens who enjoyed free range grazing well into January), the natural order of things does require more snow and cold than we have had.  

For one, our honeybees do much better when it gets cold and stays cold.  They cluster together and use fewer resources because they are in a state of torpor.   If the weather is too warm they eat more and can run out of their winter stores before the dandelions are in full bloom.  Large snowfall amounts are also good for the bees.  The snow on top of and around the hives acts as nature's insulation for the extra cold nights.  We do go out after a heavy snow and make sure the top entrances are open for ventilation and any cleansing (poop!) flights they may need to do.  Yes!  Bees need to relieve themselves in the winter!

But on the days where the snow just keeps falling - it is the perfect time to work inside and continue planning and organizing for Spring.  Many people think that winter is our season of rest.  And it is!  And yet, just like the plants, insects and animals that are resting during winter it is an active rest.  There is still so much to do to make sure that we are ready when Spring arrives.  

Our Spring planting guides are made into spreadsheets that are updated every January,  our expansion projects are finalized, our website is created (yay! finally!) , our storage areas are organized and inventory done, early seeds are started under grow lights, and we get as much as we can prepared for that first song of the red winged black bird telling us Spring is here and it's time to wake up!