Mushrooms!

We can't seem to stop thinking about mushrooms this week.  It's morel season in Ohio... the red buds are blooming, the May apples are growing.  It's getting warm, yet the ground is damp... this means morels start popping up and it's time to go find them.  We go out every other day looking for them, and regardless of whether we find them or not, it is a great excuse to spend some time with friends in the woods.

My first mushroom find of the season... small, yet quite the prize.

Yes, it really is that small!

This past winter we sold honey at the Clintonville Farmer's Market and had the pleasure of selling next to Swainway Urban Farm, which produces these gorgeous Oyster mushrooms shown in the photo below.  Oyster mushrooms are so intricate and beautiful!  After talking with Jen about how they grow them, and also getting some advice from Margaret Wince of Somerset Herbs, I decided to try my hand at growing our own mushrooms.  Margaret recommended Field and Forest Mushrooms out of Michigan to supply the tools needed to get started.

I bought enough supplies to innoculate 12 logs, which is about 750 plugs.  I chose the plug method because it was recommended for beginners.  

Supplies: Mushroom Plug Spawn, 5/16" wood spade bit, aluminum tags for labeling

Here is a close up of the plug spawn.

We headed out to find the perfect tree along the stream. I'm glad I married someone with chain saw skills.

Holes are drilled about 6" width, 2" apart in a diamond pattern.

Yes, that's my toddler below, playing with a tape measure.  Did you know that a tape measure can provide 45 minutes of contentment for a 17 month old?  I am not exaggerating.  I don't know why people buy so many toys for kids.

Plus spawn is gently hammered in the holes.

Plugs are coated with a hot layer of melted beeswax.

From here, I need to do more reading on how to water/store my logs.  I know innoculation happens best between temps of 65-85 degrees, and the logs need at least 1" of water a week (by rainfall or a garden hose).  These logs should produce mushrooms in about one year, and can continue to produce mushrooms for up to 8 years.

You know the rule:  Cut down a tree, plant another one!

The tulips are in bloom, and the kids love to cut bouquets.

 Friday night was really cold, so we decided to cut an abundance just in case they would get nipped by the extreme temperatures.  Maizy took the job really seriously, and when I tried to get her to smile for the camera she said, "I can't Mom, I have to keep cutting these!!"

We've also been inspired by the song "Tea Party" by Frances England.  So we set up a little nook in the trees and had a tea party.  The kids informed me that you had to have milkshakes and graham crackers at a tea party.  I hope to add a little fabric tent canopy this summer, clear away some of the brush, and make this area a nice little get-a-way place for the kids to play.

We also began some renovations on the back of our house.  We're adding a laundry room, a mud room, and "breakfast nook" in the kitchen.  We currently don't fit around our kitchen table very well, so the extra space will help out.  I can't wait to show you the before and after photos.

But why is Uncle Perry digging in to the back of our house?

Isaac has been busy this week, moving bees to pollinate apple orchards, bottling honey, making splits with new queens, and making honey deliveries.  You'll see another blog post from him, coming soon.  Have a wonderful weekend!  It's our last Worthington Winter Market of the season.

A little arrow of Truth

-Posted by Isaac

I was out painting equipment in front of the barn yesterday and I got to watch the following:
A car pulls up to the farm stand, and a lady with her young son get out and make their way over. Maizy, just milling around and being Maizy, immediately takes it upon herself to give the boy a tour.
"This is Honeyrun Farm. We have lots of bees."

(She points at the old tanks and extractors)
"And lots of Honeyrun Farm... umm... stuff..."

Maizy shows off our junk pile

Maybe it's time for some Spring cleaning.

Purple Deadnettle

-Posted by Isaac

A quick blog post to show what the bees are doing as these April days continue to brighten and warm. This early ground-covering plant is called purple deadnettle. You can see the small purple flowers, and in this photo, a bee collecting pollen (center).

The pollen is an impressive bright red. The last few days have been good for collecting and the bees have been bringing it to the hives by the wagonload.

This is a rich source of protein for the growing brood nest.

The Good Life in early April: 

 This stuff is everywhere- fields, roadsides and gardens. It can stay around awhile but the farmers will spray it down soon, as other weeds start coming on.

Fields get sprayed, gardens get tilled.
Usually there is only about a one or two week window for collecting the delicious red pollen

 And for making pretty deadnettle bouquets for Mommy.

Georgia On My Mind

-Posted by Isaac

Vacations- 

Jayne and I have recently been trading off. Last month was me in New Orleans. Then she took a trip to Illinois to visit a friend, and this week it was my turn again; Georgia for package bees.

Some of you may have heard about the higher then normal bee death we've experienced in Ohio this winter. So far, and we're not yet in the clear, I've heard that it's up around a 60% die off. Our own bees didn't fare that bad but we were not untouched either. Day after day this month, checking hives, I'd come in to report more bad news to Jayne. I got a bit drama-queenish. Finally (I think it was her suggestion) the idea came up to try and replenish with package bees out of Georgia. What a brilliant girl I married!

I called about six places down south, got on waiting lists, and luckily a few days later got a call from Gardners in Baxley, GA.

Hey, drama queen times call for drama queen measures.

So I left this cold miserable weather and drove 13 hours to the sunny south. By Nashville the snow-white dogwoods were calling out for attention, and by the time I hit Georgia I was in a flowering beekeeper's Eden.

Wisteria vining through another tree.

Does anyone know what kind of tree this is below? Some kind of tulip?

Here's an up-close shot of the tree's blooms.

Tangent-
Traveling with a companion is of course more memorable, but being alone on the rode has its benefits also. You just find yourself some good traveling music (Ryan Bingham), a good book (David Sedaris), and  some bad food (Huddle House and Hardees, in honor of Wayne Morris, my late great Montana bee boss)... No screaming kids.... You let your mind wonder, 70 mph, and just sort of pick through the years --the people, and places and friends-- until it becomes somewhat therapeutic. At some point, it always happens, I stumble on the bigger, more encompassing thoughts. I'm sure this happens to everyone. The important and universal questions --life, death, love, hurt, continuity... the world and my   place and how I came to be doing just what I happen to be doing at this moment. Big life questions like, "Where did I go wrong anyway?"
(kidding!)

 Halfway there, Gardners called and backed up my order a day, which resulted in two good things: one, a free day in the sun to vacation. Two, I could delay driving the bees back home through the most recent Ohio blizzard.

The kids and Jayne enjoyed the Ohio snow while I was in the Georgia sun

My sister Becky told me I should check out historic Jekyll Island off the Georgia coast. Sounded like a good way to kill some time.
I quickly discovered that Jekyll Island is a place where wealthy northerners like myself come to play.

See -- They were expecting me.

And play I did. Miles and miles of beach, dunes, bike trails and forest.
 Mine, all mine!

A good omen: on a long run down the beach, within the first forty minutes, I picked up three (almost) perfect sand dollars, one for each of my three (almost) perfect children.

About a mile of the run was spent zig-zagging through a driftwood "enchanted forest."

And a little history: In the late 1800's Jekyll Island was a retreat for some hefty Guilded Age tycoons like J. P. Morgan, Frank Goodyear and the Rockefellers. Here are some of their summer "cottages."

It's all golf, tennis and croquet here.

"Scuse me, ... I'm lookin' fer the cornhole tourney?"

They do have a campground for folks like me. $23 for a "primitive" site -- Outrageous!
My spot looked like something straight out of the Mesozoic.

Didn't like the price to sleep on the ground, but then I promptly spent more on dinner. Food's important!
The island pizza joint somehow managed to have Fat Tire amber ale on tap. (A Colorado beer that has no business on the east coast.) Well that just figures...

With a big Monday of driving bees north, and before a Georgia velociraptor could snatch me for breakfast, I beat it out of there pretty early. Past the golf course, the country clubs and mansions, across the bridge and back to real life. Just a few miles off the island, I came across this place:

Mattress, anyone?

At the time I was in no great need of gas, but I couldn't resist pulling in anyway. The irony was just too much.

Packages loaded and ready to go... a long road ahead and more wandering thoughts.

Taking off, north out of Baxley Georgia, I glanced out to see this-- a beekeeper with his priorities obviously in the right place:

The future of Honeyrun Farm? Yeah right... Keep dreamin, buddy!

"Jayne Honey, my Love, my Darlin', my Dumplin'... if we work hard enough... if and only if... someday maybe pay down these debts... we'll get out of this here shotgun shack, and put'cha plop down up yonder in a fine trailer."
"With steps and all!"
"Fit for a beekeepin' queen!"

Two New Stores!

-Posted by Isaac

Here's a photo from yesterday, 7 am. There was still more snow to come!

March 21st, 18 degrees ... Whiskey Tango Foxtrot??

 In spite of this mean nasty cold Spring, I've been busy getting ready. It makes me feel good to do something, even though the bees are still huddled, trying to stay alive.
Normally, hauling empty supers is done with a trailer attached. Unthinking as usual, I left my trailer in Holmes county about three weeks ago. Hummm... problem.
I think I've made seven trips with just the truck in the last three days.

On the honey selling front, last week was a good week-- a record nine drop-offs in one day! Among those were two new stores: Whole Foods on Lane Ave and the new Hills Market Downtown.

I delivered the honey and then driving home, it hit me that I should take some pictures of these beauties.

Today's drop-offs were more moderate (five deliveries), and I remembered the pictures.

As many of you know, there already was a Whole Foods on Lane, but now it has moved a little and is new, shiny, huge and awesome.

I strolled inside and the first thing I encountered was this friendly coffee house/bar with a fireplace burning in the center of the seating area. Many craft beers on tap just in case you need a little more than coffee for your morning ritual.

And of course, to satisfy my narcissism,  I took the trip back to the honey aisle.

For two weeks in a row this is what I found: empty! 

We love you too, Whole Foods... but the cupboard is bare!

Thank you, Columbus, for loving local honey!

Downtown you can now find the new Hills Market. This beautiful store on Grant St. is an expansion of the original in Worthington, catering to people looking for healthy local food.

Inside was this unique end-display featuring mead from Brothers Drake and Ohio Honey t-shirts made by local artist Dara Schwartz. Jayne and I proudly wear ours to market. Thanks, Dara!

Get your OHIO Honey / Wine / Microbrew T's!

The maples are just about ready to bloom (three weeks behind) and it's still cold. I wish I could report an end in sight but it doesn't look good. Snow in the forecast this weekend.

Looks like it will be at least a few more days before the bees can start acting like bees and find this pollen. Two weeks from now the willow trees will be abuzz... fingers crossed.