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.