"Yeah but I been a working man, dang near all my life."

-Posted by Isaac

Notice how Merle holds that cigarette with this picking hand-- a lost art.

I've done a bit of working the last two bitter weeks and this old Merle song has popped into my head. My thinking was that I would regale you with some of my superhuman efforts to keep bees alive. This involved crowing about my past and how you've got to step up your game when times get tough. The tough get going, right? I was going to make myself into some kind of working man hero with that song as my backdrop. "...gotta buy my kid a brand new pair of shoes..."
But yesterday I walked by the barn and noticed this:

Skis n' Bees

 And I realized something... who am I kidding? Most of my life has been play. In fact, just about all of it. There was one small and horrid stint of teaching school. I can say that felt like real work. But for the most part, throughout my life, when the cold comes and when the snow falls in blankets, when things get tough... the tough get going...
                                                                  skiing.

King of the Hill

 I've been busy feeding bees, yes, but we can't deny a few hours (every day) for fun.
The Crown Hill Nordic Center has been practically empty. Come on out! You'll have the trails to yourself.

I just don't know how they manage to stay in business.

So the weather got nasty didn't it? Just a week ago the mercury was reading -19 F at our place. Kind of tough on bees. Does this remind you of anything rather recent? Like, hmmm, about a year ago...

SINNERS REPENT!

It only furthers my conviction that God has it out for the Bible Belt. And our Bible Belt bees.

But we won't let any little thing like the wrath of God stop us. 

We're going to save our girls!

I've been feeding a select few of the hives most of the winter, but this past week everybody got a patty. This was homemade stuff, about 800 pounds of sugar and a lot of mixing.

This time of year the bees are brooding. They need to keep that precious next generation warm...at 90 degrees or above. A tough task when just outside the hive, winter howls, -35 windchill.
I don't know how anyone survives. It's a miracle, really.
But to make the miracle happen, bees need calories! And that's my job. (The big working man pats his back.)
Here's a pick-up load:

Unfortunately you can't just drive up to the hives and dump them in. In fact, my 4x4 is in the shop (Of all pleasant weeks for that to happen!), so it's been a lot of walking.

The bees are doing good, I'm glad to report. Still hanging in there, and I'm happy to pay them a visit. Even though it has, at times, almost resembled actual work.

"Gotta buy my kid a brand new pair of shoes."

"And sing a little bit of these working man blues..."

Teff, Oatmeal, and Honey Pancakes

Today we bring you a new healthy honey pancake recipe.  We made these on Monday and they were terrific.  We enjoyed them with homemade jam as a topping, but they are also great with honey or maple syrup.  Teff flour is a whole grain flour made from the smallest grain in the world.  It is a great source of fiber, protein, and iron.  I purchased mine from Walnut Creek Cheese in Holmes County, but you can also find it at most natural foods sections of a local grocery- specifically the area with the Bob's Red Mill flours.

Teff, Oatmeal, and Honey Pancakes

• 1 cup (200 grams) ground teff or teff flour
• 1 cup (140 grams) whole-wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons fall honey
• 1 ¾ cups milk
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup (270 grams) cooked oatmeal(rolled oats, 1/2 cup uncooked)
•  Butter or oil as needed for cooking
• 1 cup blueberries, black raspberries, or red raspberries

1. Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the honey, milk, canola oil and vanilla. Quickly whisk in the flour mix. Do not overwork the batter. Stir in the cooked oatmeal.  (To make the oatmeal, I mixed 1/2 cup rolled oats with 1/2 cup water and cooked it for 1 min in the microwave).
3. Heat a griddle or a large skillet, either nonstick or seasoned cast iron, over medium-high heat. Brush with butter or oil. Use a 1/4-cup ladle or cup measure to drop 3 to 4 tablespoons of batter per pancake onto your heated pan or griddle
4. Place 6 to 7 berries on each pancake, gently pressing them down into the batter. When bubbles break through the pancakes, flip the pancakes over and cook for another minute, or until they are brown on the other side. Serve right away, or allow to cool and wrap individual servings in plastic, then place in a freezer bag and freeze.

Adapted from the New York Times Cooking, Teff and Oatmeal Pancakes, Martha Rose Shulman.

Be Still My Heart

-Posted by Isaac

A few weeks ago Jayne and I were invited to promote bees and bee products (sell honey) at COSI. It was part of the "Sustainability Series", a once a week showing of an independent film which dives into some poignant issue touching our world. That week the issue was honeybees, and we had the pleasure of watching "More Than Honey."

The film was fantastic, the photography was amazing, but we left with somewhat of a sour taste.

Here's why- shortly into the movie you could sense a distinct and biased angle, a bent that persisted throughout the film against the "evils" of commercial beekeeping. You'll feel this bias just by watching the two minute trailer. (By the way, Einstein didn't say that.)

The film maker seems to have things figured out: the cause of CCD, the reason for honeybee decline is commercial beekeeping and the pollination service to modern industrial agriculture.

And for all I know this may be true.

Big beekeepers do live and work in a chemically dependent, screwed up, unnatural system. They do truck bees around, they do, as John Miller stated, "deal with death on an epic scale." But I think the film seriously over-explored the "dirty" parts of big beekeeping and understated or misinformed the viewer about the importance of beekeeping on a commercial scale. I really felt my blood pressure go up at times... it's not the old man beekeeper in the beautiful mountain meadow who puts food on my plate! It's John Miller! It's Ed Eisele! (previous post) It's my old boss Wayne Morris and now his daughter, taking up the commercial reins. These are extremely valuable people, not the evil capitalist pigs that the film would lead the viewer to believe.

There are maybe 1200 of these men and women in the country. In the country! These are truly exceptional people. They manage to keep bees alive and get strong colonies placed in the orchards and the fields at the critical right time. This takes great skill, experience, know-how and at times a little luck. These people work hard, long hours full of sweat and dirt and huge chunks of the year away from their families.  Believe me, I know. They indirectly provide you and I with about a third of our food. The good parts of our diet- nuts, fruits, veggies... these people are the gatekeepers.

Is it for money? Of course. Good money. But they're not money hungry capitalists, as the film insinuated. The few commercial beekeepers I know, do it for love. For the love of bees and love of the lifestyle. (Wayne Morris: "Isaac, we're the last real cowboys.") They know they have a duty of key importance, and they're quietly proud in that knowledge. 

Ok movie over.
Time for my almond season tip-of-the-hat to commercial beekeeping.

Sorry to do this again, but I'm gonna, embarrassing as it is...

The year on the road with a commercial beekeeper taught me many things. For one, I don't want to do it. That is, I don't want to do it unless I'm the boss. This song is one thing I got out of that experience.

It's a love song, sort of. And a trucking song, sort of. I was in California with the bees and Jayne was back in Montana with school. It was midFebruary and the almonds were in bloom. 

Here you are. Poor singing from our "recording studio" in the honey house. Enjoy, and Happy Valentines!

"Business" Trip

-Posted by Isaac

Last week, Sunday morning, Becky and I set out for south Florida.
Becky is my rich produce-farming sister. Just the night before she had thrown a big crazy party for her rich farming friends.

I drove.

The goal: find Ed Eisele and buy a skid-steer forklift. Pictured below, you can see the skid-steer in action. This machine will hopefully one day come in handy around our little bee farm.

Ed Eisele is a commercial beekeeper.

He has a few hives.

And some nice toys.

Ed winters his hives in south Florida and summers them in Michigan. In between, he chases the big bucks in the California almonds.
This load was the last one of 15 heading west. All netted up and ready to ship out by 9 pm.

The next morning I got my "new" skid-steer.

Don't worry, Ed. We got this.

 5000 pounds heavier, 1200 miles to get home. It was time to put my frumpy old truck to the test.

 But first, some fishing. It was south Florida after all.

Becky's hangover had worn off by Tuesday.
We really did pretty well. About twelve miles off the coast of Naples; constant fish coming in. Mostly red snapper and Atlantic white grunt. Mostly small... but good eatin'!

On the way out we watched the private jets fly into town.

On the way in we marveled at the second homes and yachts.

Naples is such a playground.
A place vegetable farmers go to retire.

Becky's future boat

Up the coast to Ft. Myers Beach. The weather was beautiful-- 75 degrees and sunny.

Time to find a spot for some free camping.

Around midnight we had one small brush with the Ft. Myers police, but it was nothing a wink and a bribe couldn't handle.

It's hard to hide with this outfit!

Finally, some shelling.
My mother told us that Sanibel Island was a famous spot for finding cool shells. It's also another spot where the wealthy hang out. Becky just loved it.

We spent the morning and it didn't disappoint.

A run up the beach was full of surprises.

In many places someone got creative.

It was a slow trip home but we made it by Friday, no worse for the wear.

Now our kids can also be creative.

These beautiful treasures have made their way to the couch cushions, the porch cupboards, the floor of the car and other spots of oblivion...fated to soon be crumbles and dust in a drier, less grand oblivion whence they came.

A Good Shop

-Posted by Isaac

I mentioned  we've been putting in some hours of shop work this winter. For beekeepers, winter is not only a time of dreaming and watching football. There's plenty to do-- thousands of frames build, brood boxes and supers to paint, foundation to wax, feeders to repair...

To do all this, you need a good shop. Maybe this is a good time to spotlight our little set-up.

When we moved back to Ohio in 2006, one of the first things I jumped into was turning an old garage into a shop.

Much to Jayne's chagrin.
It's not like there was nothing to do on the house. But I tried to explain why I needed to be out there day and night.
Eye rolling.
It's not just a dumpy little shack, Honey! It's the foundation of a business!
More eye rolling.

Well, anyway, eventually it got done. Electric, outlets, lighting, insulation, heat, benches, cabinets, drawers, tools, saws, grinders, nuts and bolts... the works!
And decor. Very important, decor... as you saw in my last post.

Now, spring, summer, fall and even cold winter, we can turn a pile of old bee boxes...

Why snowshoes? Decor, very important.

...into a pile of old bee boxes with paint on them.

Heat, storage, decor. Check. check, check. 

And music. Also very important. Music.

Ok, enough already. Let me show you a real shop.
I spent some time in my brother's shop this week.
The first noticeable difference: there's room to move!

Also, new tools. Good for "borrowing."

I had to do some welding. He has a welder in his shop! Also a torch. Most beekeepers don't fool with that stuff.

Everything is air-powered:

A big compressor sits in a soundproof room.

Of course he has his toys.

And a little of his own brand of decor.

Some farm toys just a step out the door-

So we're cramped. That's ok.
We can still awkwardly fit three separate work stations.
Henry waxes foundation, Mr. Blair builds frames.
I watch.
I sip martinis and read Tolstoy. (Because it's a long day.)

Sometimes Jayne brings out the linens.
We both watch; nibble some Italian cheese with a touch of honey. Ah, so refined.

Thanks, Whole Foods!

So there you are.
The shop has evolved over the years. The work has evolved.
But I still contend, a good shop is the base of a successful career.
Whatever the career may be.
Beekeeping:

Masonry or general construction:

Or even animal husbandry: