When it Rains, it Pours and here comes April Showers.......

Hello again Friends, Beekeepers and Honey Lovers,

It's been a wildly busy new year for me and Red Bee Apiary. My book HONEYBEE was recently released in paperback with a brand new cover featuring a complimentary quote from The Washington Times -“Ms. Marchese has given us a lovely gift. Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper is an entertaining and useful primer for the novice and honeybee devotee alike.” This has brought me some wonderful new opportunities to speak at some venues this year that I could only dream about like Stone Barns Center For Food and Agriculture and the Eastern Apicultural Society annual conference in RI.

Above is a preview of the story in

Life@Home Magazine

When it rains it pours and April is showering on me with lovely stories about my work and memorable Honey Tastings in magazines like Life@ Home and Cottages & Gardens. It's incredible to believe that my book is being read in the far corners of the planet and last week I set my alarm clock for 4:00 am to speak with Ann Meyer host of The Food Hour Radio Show in Fremantle, Australia about single-origin nectar source honey. I am pleased that foodies and chefs are paying attention to honey by the floral source and Ms. Meyer appreciated the chapter titled Honey Sommlier. Period Living Magazine in the UK mentioned my book in their Going Green section. If that's not the icing on the cake, Time magazine recently interviewed me for a story on the astounding new interest in beekeeping across the nation. The trends are clear, the future of beekeeping is woman and creatives who are taking this hobby to new levels. Has the world gone honeybee crazy or is this just part of the new greening of the world we live in?

Above is a preview of Cottages & Gardens magazine

story featuring Red Bee Apiary.

Many of you have asked if we will be holding Honey Tasting events again in our apiary gardens this summer. We are kicking off the season early with our first Tour, Talk and Honey Tasting of the year on Sunday, May 29, 2011 at 1:00 till 3:00 pm. Visitors will be treated to a short guided tour of the apiary gardens while learning about honeybees and how they make this liquid gold we call honey. The fun continues with a formal honey tasting, farmhouse style in the apiary gardens. Please sign up early if you miss this opportunity there will be others throughout the season. So check our calendar of events for the dates, I hope many of you who expressed interest in the past will make it to one of these fun and educational honey tastings.

Here is a fantastic shot of a worker in action,

note the pollen on her hind legs.

This year we are hoping to plant a few acres of sunflowers upstate at one of the farms we work with hoping the honeybees will bring us sunflower honey! More later....thank you to all of you who signed up for our newsletter and continued support of honey and the bees who make it!

If you are looking for more about Red Bee Apiary or my book HONEYBEE follow me on Facebook.

Bee good to yourself...everyday!

Marina

Red Bee Apiary

"Local" means my Back Yard Garden

Red Bee® Cool Cucumber Soup Recipe

Ingredients:
6 freshly picked cucumbers, rinsed and dried
2 cloves of fresh garden garlic
16 oz. plain Greek yogurt
6 sprigs of fresh spearmint
6 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 cherry tomatoes and mint leaves for garnish.

Method:
1. Remove skin from half of each cucumber, this gives a lovely green color to your soup.
Slice in half length wise and remove seeds with spoon.

2. Chop into 2 inch pieces and place in food processor. Add garlic, yogurt and herbs. Process until fine texture and blended well.

3. Pour into stainless or glass dish and cover. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or more until flavors marinate.

4. Serve in bowls add quartered cherry tomatoes, and mint leaves for garnish.

Natural Remedies using Raw, Local Honey

The healing properties of honey have earned it a reputation as one the purest and most natural remedies. Honey has been used for centuries to treat a wide range of medical problems, including wounds, burns, and scrapes. When honey is used for wounds, inflammation, swelling, and pain are quickly reduced, and healing occurs rapidly with minimal scarring tissue. Honey local to your area contains minute particles of pollen from the local flora. By ingesting pure, crude honey that is produced by honeybees in your geographic locale, your body begins the process of desensitizing itself, and you build up a natural immunity to dust, mold, and pollen in the air.

Raw honey is a living food with unadulterated health benefits. The pH of honey is commonly between 3.4 and 6.1; the average is 3.9. This relatively acidic pH level and honey’s moisture-absorbing qualities prevent the growth of many bacteria responsible for infection. They also keep honey from spoiling. Honey is a predigested sweetener that is easily assimilated by the body, and it is an excellent energizer that can be used to enhance athletic performance and relieve low blood sugar. Honey supplies two stages of energy. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost. The fructose is absorbed more slowly, providing sustained energy. Raw honey still in the comb contains the most bee pollen and is high in vitamin C; it is excellent for your immune system. Raw honey has been proven to kill E. coli, staph, P. aeruinosa, and H. pylori, which causes many stomach ulcers. The enzyme glucose oxidase in honey makes honey a natural preservative and can create hydrogen peroxide to form an antimicrobial barrier. Honey has antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal, and antibacterial properties, and it contains antioxidants.

The Essential Elixir:

Honey is an all-round healing elixir, which can promote health and general well-being. I take at least a spoonful of honey on a daily basis, whether as a sweetener in drinks, spread on toast or sinfully by the spoonful. Cinnamon with honey is a natural match and these together help blood pressure.

Honey Cleanser:
Give yourself a daily boost with this cleansing tonic: mix a spoonful or two of honey and the juice of half a lemon into a cup of hot water and drink each morning before breakfast.
The Energy Provider: Next time you exercise take a spoonful of honey beforehand. Easily absorbed by the body, honey is a source of natural unrefined sugars and carbohydrates, which are, providing an instant energy boost with long-lasting effects. For this reason, many athletes take honey during training sessions.

Coughs and Colds:
Honey is a natural remedy for the relief of the symptoms of colds, coughs, sore throats and flu. For a sore throat, take it on its own or gargle with a mixture of two tablespoons of set honey, four tablespoons of cider vinegar and a pinch of salt. It coats your throat instantly making it feel better. This is the reason many singers use honey to protect their voices. A traditional drink made from hot water, lemon juice and honey will help to soothe cold and flu symptoms. Adding a little eucalyptus oil or root ginger will help to ease congestion and, to help enhance sleep, try a drop of whiskey in the mixture.

Cuts and Burns:
Honey used as an ointment can help to keep external wounds, such as cuts and minor burns, clean and free from infection and minimize scaring. By absorbing the moisture around the wound, honey, a mild antiseptic can help to prevent the growth of bacteria. Dry, flaky, skin? Honey wills sooth your skin by adding moisture. Honey has been used as a healing aid centuries and it continues to be used today in products for skin and hair care. Because of the hydroscopic qualities of honey, it absorbs water and causes the skin to hold moisture.

A Digestive Healer:
It was the Romans who first discovered the beneficial effects of honey on digestive disorders when they would prescribe honey as a mild laxative. Honey has also been used as a treatment for upset stomachs, gas, indigestion, diarrhea, stomach ulcers and constipation. The principle behind these theories is that honey is believed to help destroy certain bacteria in the gut by acting as a preserving agent. Honeys properties

Chronic sinus:
Honeycomb or crude liquid honey ingested can alleviate sinus infections. Mixed with a fine grained salt in warm water and poured through the sinuses using a neti pot is an ancient Ayurvedic technique. Neti, which literally means nasal cleansing with water in Sanskrit, where the practitioner uses a neti pot to perform the irrigation is a common practice in India and South Asia.

"Excerpted with permission from
Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper
by C. Marina Marchese,
published by Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2009."

English Tea with English Honey by English Beekeepers

Last weekend our English beekeeping friends Lillian and John were visiting their family here in CT. When they visit we always get together and exchange information and updates on how our bee season is going. They reported to have harvested some 3,000 lbs of honey this year and are always thoughtful enough to bring us a jar of their special harvest. Their Oxfordshire honey is close to white in color with a hint of warm yellow. As you can see from the picture it is practically pure cream in texture yet with a gentle granular texture. I love how honey can have these two completely different qualities in the same mouthfull. Not only did we get to indulge in their honey, we were treated to a traditional English tea party! Below are a few photos of the offerings...


ABOVE: Lovely cucumber sandwiches, crustless in the traditional style, English Breakfast tea with bee designed napkins...a thoughtful touch. BELOW: Scones with strawberry jam and REAL clotted creme! It was all so heavenly and a chance to relax and while reflecting over the bees who bring us such lovely indulgences.


My Recipe for Traditional English Scones:

Yield: 1 dozen
Level: easy
Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the 1/4 cup sugar, beating until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, then add the flour mixture and the buttermilk. Sprinkle the raisins over the dough and gently fold them in. Using an ice-cream scoop, place mounds of dough on a baking sheet and sprinkle with the remaining sugar. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve the scones warm, with strawberry jam and clotted cream.

Blueberries, Honey bees and Coffee Cake

Yesterday I ventured out into the evening humidity to pick some blueberries for fun. After a long hike through the trails at Trout Brook Valley land trust, I arrived at the infamous gate that instructs visitors to turn right, go down the hill to the patch where the blueberries reside. Carrying my basket, bug spray and a bottle of Pellegrino in great anticipation of encountering fresh blueberries, I continued my quest downhill to a huge field. I arrived at a manicured field of bushes neatly lined up and each baring clusters of plump blueberries dangling for the picking. Without hesitation, I plucked the first and popped it into my mouth. A mini explosion took place as I crushed the berry between my tongue and roof of my mouth. Firm in texture, sweet and sour all at the same time, fresh blueberries are nothing like the ones you find at your corner store. And these wild blueberries are truly pesticide free, if you can believe that. The local honey bees love the mini white blossoms that give way to these fruits that range in color from ultramarine to violet. When honeybees gather nectar from the blueberry blossoms, beekeepers harvest blueberry honey! Yep! It's true, there is a blueberry honey and it is one of my favorites. Blueberry honey is light to medium amber in color. It has a smooth texture with hints of fruity blueberries and lemon and it is so buttery I love to drizzle it on my favorite blueberry coffee cake. Recipe below:

BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Ingredients:

• 2 cups freshly picked blueberries, rinsed and pat dry
  
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup Red Bee® Blueberry Blossom Honey
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Method:

Place blueberries in bottom of greased 9-inch round cake pan; distribute evenly. Sprinkle with flour; drizzle with honey and lemon juice. Set aside. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside. In a medium bowl, combine honey, eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon peel and vanilla; beat with folk until well mixed. Add flour mixture; mix well. Stir in melted butter; mix well. Pour batter over blueberries in pan; spread to cover evenly. Bake at 350°F for 30 to 35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto large plate; cool.

Red Bee® Blueberry Blossom Honey

www.redbee.com

Divine Desserts à la Honeybee

Last night was the Back Yard Beekeeper's Annual Pot Luck dinner. This is where local beekeeper's get to actually hangout with fellow beekeeper's, eat some delicious food, chat and chill. There are no lecture's or presentations by famous entomologist, no how to or hands on work shops, it is the only time of the whole year we get to enjoy each others company. I am writing to share three spectacular desserts that were prepared by our talented members. All were painstakingly prepared and each truly a work of art!

First you must see these hand decorated cupcakes by beekeeper and artist Heather Mezzacappa (above) featured icing pipped into a honeybee and a detailed blue flower. Cleverly displayed upon a tiered cupcake rack these treasures were dripping with luscious frosting too beautiful to actually devour. Cupcakes are all the rage right now and these earn high marks for their delicate colors and authentic cupcake flavor.


Now for the craftiest of all desserts, mini Marzipan honeybee bites. Prepared by beekeeper and restauranteur Bobbie Meyzen. These honeybees are actually mini marzipan sculptures with chocolate striped bodies and sliced almond wings. I nabbed my early on with no intentions on devouring this darling confection. Absolutely lovely!



Another cupcake offering by beekeeper and crafty Stefanie Baum. Each one looks like it was hand stamped with an embossed bee skep design then hand tinted for a stained glass effect. I have no idea how this effect was created but I am sure it was not easy to get them absolutely perfect. Shredded coconut framed the edges of each giving them a three dimensional textural quality. Each one of these desserts are no short of award winning in my book. I was charmed by the artistry of these divine desserts.