Even Bees Get Cabin Fever

Everyone asks us, "What do your bees do in the winter?" The answer is, not much at all. They just kind of huddle up and try to stay warm. The temperature inside a beehive can stay pretty warm , due to the heat generated by the bees. They crowd around the queen and try to keep her warm. They also eat the honey they have stored up (the honey we didn't steal from them).

Today I walked outside to get some pictures of the hives covered by snow. It was a beautiful sunny day, even though temperature was still only hovering above freezing. I did not expect to see these bees buzzing around outside their hives! Some of them seemed a bit confused about the snow. I guess bees can get cabin fever, too.

And here is a picture of our 'honey house' near completion. Isaac has been working hard this winter; building frames for future hives, preparing pollen patties to feed the bees, and working on the interior of the honey house. There is a lot left to do, as we still need to install all the extracting and bottling equipment that is currently in storage. Hopefully it will completed in time to use it this summer!

When you are married to a beekeeper, you never know what you might stumble upon when you open the door to your freezer. Just the other day, I found a dead bee. Apparently, Isaac was saving it to show to the bee club (it is a queen bee). The freezer seemed like the best place to preserve it, of course.

Becky has started planting today, and is seeding her leeks that will grow for several weeks in flats in the sunroom, until we fire up the heater in the greenhouse in mid-March. The smell of the potting mix really brought back memories of Spring. It gives us something to look forward to. But for now... I am going to enjoy the snow, just as our bees are doing.

Wittenberg Magazine features Honeyrun Farm

Wittenberg University (our alma mater) has featured Honeyrun Farm in their December magazine! Find the link to the article and view a video about our farm here. We really appreciate the time that Wittenberg put in to this story and video! Isaac, Becky, and I all have fond memories of our time spent there, and although none of us really studied agriculture while at Witt, our respective areas of study helped prepare us in our roles at Honeyrun Farm.

Buy local this Christmas!

Looking for some great local gifts this Holiday Season? Come check out the North Market Holiday Open House, Saturday 8-5 and Sunday 12-5. I will be there selling our pure honey, herbal infused honey, soap, lip balm, lotion sticks, homegrown herbal teas and spice mixes, beeswax candles, and handcrafted gourds. There are a lot of other great events going on including music and free samples from merchants. Come find me in the upper level of the market, with all the other great artisans.

Scheduled Holiday Open House Activities include:

Saturday, December 5

* 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., North Market merchants and Craft Extravaganza vendors open

* 8 a.m. - 12 p.m., Christmas tree sales on the farmers' market plaza with Seibel Trees and Rhoads Farm Market

* 9 a.m. - 11 a.m., holiday music by Willie Phoenix

* 9:30 a.m. - 2 p.m., roasted chestnuts and pretzels sold in the farmers' market plaza

* 11 a.m. - 1 p.m., holiday music by Suite Strings

* 1 - 3 p.m., holiday music by Miss Molly

* 1 - 3 p.m., Joyunspeakable, the living statue as the Nutcracker Toy Soldier

* 3 - 5 p.m., holiday music by the Eileen Howard Jazz Trio

For more info visit: http://www.northmarket.com/activities-and-events/2009-12-05/holiday-open-house-and-craft-extravaganza

Hope to see you there!

Honeyrun Farm CSA being offered in 2010

Honeyrun Farm is now offering a CSA! For those of you who aren't familiar with the term CSA, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Participants are able to buy a share of the produce from the farm for an annual fee, and in exchange receive a weekly bag of fresh seasonal produce. This way, the consumer is able to share in the bounty of harvest, while also weathering the seasonal fluctuations of availability with the farmer. After receiving numerous requests to start a CSA, Becky has decided to offer this to the first 20 participants in 2010. Here is a quick outline of the program:

*Program runs June 12- October 23 (20 weeks)

*Pick up available at Pearl, Clintonville, and Worthington markets

*Cost for 20 weeks is $400, paid by February 1, 2010

Here are some examples of the vegetables that will be offered through the CSA:

Heirloom tomatoes

Bell, Specialty, and Hot Peppers

Fingerling Potatoes

Fresh Herbs

Winter & Summer Squash

Candy Onions

Root Vegetables - Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Radishes

Lettuce

Tomatilloes

Husk Cherries

Brussel Sprouts

Parsnips

Braising Greens

Asian Greens

Zucchini

Cucumber

Eggplant

Garlic

Beans

Questions about the CSA? Email Becky Barnes at honeyrun.produce@gmail.com.

Here's a picture from a 2008 Spring market... Mason was just 4 months old here! Time has flown by. It has been a fun and exciting journey.

A long overdue post from Honeyrun Farm!

So I took a few months off after having a baby on August 4th, but I think that is a reasonable excuse, right? Markets are tapering off and the fall weather is upon us. But there is still one month left of great produce, and the honey is always in season. Becky will be at her regular markets through the end of October, and Isaac will be selling honey at the North Market for one more week, with honey and soap available at the farmstand throughout the year.

Here is an update on what Becky has to offer from her fall harvest, as well as storage crops. Greens... greens... greens! Did you know one of her customers actually refers to her as the "lettuce angel"? Pictured below is bronze arrow heirloom lettuce. This is available in a mix with black seeded simpson, red deer tongue, and the beautiful bright red ruffled "lolla rossa" (my personal favorite). I was so excited when I finally got to eat my first BLT with a homegrown tomato and homegrown lettuce. Next year we will have to raise some pigs to complete the local meal.
And this is another favorite at the markets; Arugula. It adds a nice spicy component to any salad, on top of pizza, in a stew, or with your favorite pasta dish.
Other greens that are growing at Honeyrun Farm include Tatsoi and Mizuna, which are asian greens that are great in salad, stir-fry, and soup. Swiss chard and Red Russian Kale round out the greens selection. Other crops available are brussel sprouts, beets, turnips, carrots, sweet potatoes (as big as your head), pie pumpkins, scorzonera (get to the market early for this... it's going quickly!), and parsnips. For those of you that have never visited the farm, pictured below you can see the layout of the crops, taken from the top of a grain bin in early July. If you would like to visit the farm in person, just send us an email and we can arrange a visit.