HivelightsToday we finally got our 1st glimpse of sunshine in 10 days! Old Man Winter’s grip is finally loosening. So far the only sign of spring on the frozen landscape has been a few misguided robins and suicidal gophers. Friday March 25 we were happy to be a part of the kick-off of ‘Farm to Table’, a new initiative by the Millarville Market to assist farmers in connecting with consumers. Stay tuned! As we wait for this never ending winter to come to close, we’re still keeping busy with mead making and getting ready for our new bee packages to arrive from New Zealand at the end of April.
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Here we are, almost to April, and we’ve not had the opportunity to check our bees or give them their 1st feeding. We wait in suspense to see if all the extra measures we took in the fall have proved successful, whether or not the snow cover has kept them warm enough or if they have run out of food due to the long winter.
Buzz Notes
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Product of the MonthBuckwheat Honey
Our Manitoba Buckwheat Honey is available in various sizes: DID YOU KNOW?
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Even if you consider the flavour of Buckwheat honey too strong, it still deserves a place in your pantry. For one thing, it is said that darker honeys contain more antioxidants. Antioxidants battle free radicals, and help fight heart disease and cancer, amongst other illnesses. Buckwheat honey is also a great source of iron and is higher in mineral content than any other Canadian honey. In addition, recent research has shown that buckwheat honey is more effective for children’s coughs than over-the-counter cough remedies.
there are many recipes that really shine because of buckwheat honey’s flavour. Traditional honey cake is always made from buckwheat honey. Other uses are to add it to your favourite vinaigrette recipe, use it in place of molasses in spice cookies or in place of maple syrup in baked beans. Your imagination is the only limitation! And if you were considering buying expensive New Zealand Manuka honey to boost your health try a combination of Buckwheat honey and propolis as a more local alternative. Mead Matters
The latest batch of Excalibur was bottled last week and has now been stored for aging. Excalibur is quickly becoming a customer favourite and having enough supply to keep up with demand has kept Art very occupied. Since then he’s started a batch of our new metheglin, spiced mead, to be released this coming fall. The long awaited release of Berry Blisssss will be Good Friday, April 22, which also happens to be Earth Day 2011. How fitting! Our Chinook Mead Slammer got a special mention in the Edmonton Journal last week. Check out this link |
The medals have finally arrived! Way back last April we entered our very first wine competition. It was the Northwest Wine Summit which takes place in Oregon and involves wineries from the NW states, and western provinces. There were so many entries that the results were a long time coming but when they finally did we were very pleased to have won silver medals for our only two entries. Both Bodacious Black Currant and Buckaroo Buckwheat won silver in their respective divisions. Needless to say we’re showing them off!
Saturday April 9 & Sunday April 10 Friday April 22
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While the Honey Tea Bread took the cake, the competition was close, with the Lancashire treat pitted against best-loved family recipes from 11 finalists. “Many of these recipes don't exist in cookbooks – they come from great-great-grandmas or grandpas who have been cooking these dishes for years,” said Slow Food UK CEO Catherine Gazzoli. “These recipes encapsulate all that is good about Slow Food: delicious, local dishes prepared with love, and families coming together around the dinner table to take time to talk, eat and enjoy life.”Bees and Honey in the NewsBees hold insights into how to reverse aging? |
“Bees can become mentally young again with just a few simple alternations to their otherwise fixed routines,” reports the blog io9 and the online journal Science Daily, based on studies by Gro Amdam, an associate professor with ASU’s School of Life Sciences and Norwegian University of Life Sciences.Cherie's Web Picks1. GMO risks for bees and beekeeping 2. Honey used as alternate allergy cure 3. GlobalHoney Bee Colony Disorders and Other Threats to Insect Pollinators 5. Dr. Frank Bures: Honey sweet way to treat skin ulcers 6. Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey Liqueur |
Teasing Trivia
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