Honey Tasting Laboratory Workshop

You're Invited!
RED BEE APIARY'S
next
Talk, Tour and Honey Tasting Laboratory Workshop
on Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

Learn about artisanal honey, learn how honeybees
make this liquid gold we call honey,
how location and nectar source determines
a honeys color and flavor and how honey is
harvested and extracted from the hive.
Marina will take guest through the
sensory analysis of tasting and evaluating
the honeys based upon the
Honey Sommelier chapters of her book
HONEYBEE Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper.

Only a few coveted seats available!

Sign Up Here Today!

Sustainable Skin Care Workshop

I presented my Sustainable Skin care workshop this past Sunday and we all had a great time making natural products and dining on some pure honeycomb to keep the winter blues away. Guest came from as far as NY state, some were beekeepers and others just looking for more information about living more sustainably. I made some new friends and spent time with old ones.

We mixed up three different products all using what I call the Holy Trinity- "Vegetable oils, Beeswax and Vegetable butters." These three ingredients mixed in various combinations make a base for almost any cleanser, moisturizer or mask. Salts, flower petals, honey and essential oils are what personalizes your creations.

First recipe was an easy rosemary lip balm then we whipped up a lemon scented facial scrub using vitamin packed orange blossom honey. It is fun to watch the enthusiasm of each student as they helped mix and test samples as they were ready. Last but not least, we mixed up a lavender bath salt with powdered buttermilk sprinkled with chamomile flowers. Everyone took home samples of each of the potions we made during the workshop along with recipes and sources for supplies; most you will find in your own kitchen.

Honey Scrub Mask

Yield: nearly 2 cups

Ingredients:
1 cup dead sea salts
2 tablespoons powdered buttermilk, goat milk (or powdered whole milk)
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup sunflower oil or your favorite oil

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients in small bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Add more honey and/or oil as needed to achieve a creamy consistency. Be sure to stir well to combine.
3. Store in airtight jar in refrigerator if not using immediately.
4. To use, scoop out a handful of scrub and apply to damp face, neck hands, and/or whole body! Rinse well with warm water and pat skin dry with a soft cloth or towel.

If your a purist then Rossape will be your passion.
For more information about Red Bee's Rossape Skin Care collection
and Sustainable Skin Care Workshops visit:
www.redbee.com.

Cheese Fondue with Prosecco!

Stuck on what to make your guests for New Years Eve? Red Bee’s got the answer! We’re buzzing about a decadent cheese and Prosecco fondue drizzled with honey. Cheese and Honey are a natural pairing, and when you add the bubbly fizz of Prosecco, it becomes the perfect festive New Years eve dish. What could bee more decadent and festive and with the surprise of honey your celebration will be spectacular.

Here at Red Bee we’ve put an Italian twist on it, using Fontina Val D'Aosta and Taleggio cheeses. Our alfalfa honey is fantastic drizzled over this fondue or on your dipping accompaniments; its grassy, mild flavor will play nicely with the light flavor of the Prosecco.

Cheese Fondue with Prosecco Recipe

Serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/4 cups Prosecco or Champagne
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 7 ounces)
1 1/3 cups coarsely grated Fontina Val d’Aosta cheese (about 5 ounces)
1/2 cup diced Taleggio cheese (about 3 ounces)
nutmeg, pinch
white pepper, pinch
Linden or alfalfa honey to drizzle
Crusty baguette

Method:

Stir cornstarch and lemon juice in small bowl until cornstarch dissolves; set aside. Combine Prosecco and shallot in fondue pot or heavy medium saucepan; simmer over medium heat 2 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Add all cheeses and stir to combine. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Return fondue pot to medium heat and stir until cheeses are melted and smooth and fondue thickens and boils, about 12 minutes. Season fondue with nutmeg and white pepper. Place over candle or canned heat burner to keep warm. Serve with crusty bread, shrimp and Prosecco.


Red Bee Events:

JANUARY 4 
• New Canaan Nature Center Green Book Club 
+ Tuesday, January 16, 2010 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm 
Spend an evening with beekeeper Marina Marchese 
and New Canaan Green Book Club readers to discuss her book 
HONEYBEE Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper


JANUARY 9 
• Red Bee Skin Care Workshop 
+ Saturday, January 9, 2010 at 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm 
Rossape Sustainable Skin Care Workshop, Weston, CT 
Spend a fun Saturday at beekeeper Marina's Red Bee Cottage in Weston, CT and learn the basics on how to make your own skin care 
using ingredients from your kitchen. 
Reserve your place early-limited space!


JANUARY 16 
• Honey Tasting Workshop 
+ Sunday, January 16, 2010 at 1:00 till 3:00p 
Join us for a Tasting Flight of Seven Artisanal honeys 
paired with farm style cheeses and accompaniments with Red Bee's own Marina Marchese 
Event held at "The Cottage" at Red Bee Studio, Weston, CT.


For more information about Red Bee and our events, please visit www.redbee.com.
Happy New Year and hope to see you all in 2011!

Honey, not just for your Tea

Honey and tea has been a staple for as long as we could remember. Grandmother's swore that it would ease symptoms related to colds and flues. The latest buzz is that local honey helps seasonal allergies and our customer swear by this. They stop by daily, specifically to purchase our local honey.

Here at Red Bee Apiary, we use honey on just about everything and there is no food that has escaped the drizzle of our liquid gold, from home baked breads to a sweetener for our morning coffee. YES, I said coffee. Who ever thought honey could be the perfect "green" sweetener for your morning Joe? It's full of minerals and vitamins that you won't find in processed sweeteners.

To help you explore the possibilities of coffee and honey, we are hosting a Coffee Roasting Workshop here in our gardens at Red Bee Apiary and posting three of our favorite honey recipes below. Coffee and Honey are the perfect accompaniments for home baked breads. We will be serving up all three of these tasty honey spreads with locally made Wave Hill breads and the freshly roasted coffee at the workshop.

Please join us for a Coffee Roasting Workshop with Peter and Junalyn Duveen of the Siberian Pipeline Coffee Company in NY. Learn how to roast your own coffee beans for a much fresher, robust flavor. Find out about pan-roasted coffee, and automatic roasting machines, and taste the result--freshly brewed coffee with delicious locally made Wave Hill Bread and Red Bee Honeys! Each guest will receive one sample sized bag of coffee beans.

Sign Up for our Coffee Roasting Workshop

Here's a sneak preview of what's on the menu at
Red Bee's Coffee Roasting Workshop
RECIPES:

Coffee Creamed Honey

Makes 1 cup

• 9 oz. creamed honey
• 1 Tablespoon instant coffee
• 1 teaspoon hot water

In small bowl, bring creamed honey to room temperature. Combine instant coffee and hot water. Add to creamed honey. Stir in quickly but do not blend completely, leaving some swirls of coffee. Chill until ready to serve. Makes 8 2-Tablespoon servings.

Chocolate Honey Hazelnut Spread (Nutella)

Makes 1-1/4 cups

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup ground skinned roasted hazelnuts
• 1 teaspoon raw cocoa powder
  

Cream honey and butter; add hazelnuts and stir until smooth. Serve spread at room temperature; store in refrigerator, tightly covered. Cream honey and butter; add hazelnuts and stir until smooth. Serve spread at room temperature; store in refrigerator, tightly covered. * Roast hazelnuts on flat pan at 325°F for 15 minutes or until skins blister and nuts are lightly browned. Cool slightly; rub between palms of hands or with clean towel to remove skins. Grind in blender or food processor until fine but not pasty.

Whipped Honey Cinnamon Butter

Makes 1 cup

• 1/2 cup (6 oz.) whipped or creamed honey
  
• 1/4 lb. (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  

In a medium bowl, mix together honey and butter. Spoon into jars with tight-fitting lids. Store in refrigerator.