Tulip Poplar

-Posted by Isaac

The first week of June we jumped into pulling honey and extracting. The spring honey looks like this:

A combination of nectars in this area-- Autumn olive, bush honeysuckle, and black locust. The result is a gorgeous honey. Light, luminous, almost radiant, with a delicate, floral and somewhat unique taste.

Just a few weeks later, we finish out the spring harvest with this:

What a change! This is the Tulip Poplar-- Dark, rich, somewhat musky... a product of the woods and hills of southeast Ohio.

We've got 45 hives down there, and this year they kicked butt!

Best tulip poplar year I've ever seen! We must have hit the weather just right. Almost every super looked like the photo above.

In fact, pretty quickly it was evident that I didn't put on enough supers.

Most years it's a pain. Having bees an hour away for the sole purpose of producing a speciality honey... it's a gamble. Sometimes it barely pays for itself. As you know, taking care of our girls involves more than just pulling honey.

But this year I drove home from the Tarlton yards in a very good mood. 25 hives done, 20 more to go. What would the Bainbridge yards bring?

More of the same! 

Awesome year for the tulip poplar! It kept us busy extracting another two days. The change in honey house aroma was incredible.

With only 45 hives producing this wonderful dark honey, no, we don't make enough to wholesale. But you can still find it every week at the farmer's markets. And some of the smaller stores- check out Produce And Provisions in the North Market.

It makes a great gift, and for me, a great conversation-- something truly unique from the hills of southern Ohio. I've got a couple pounds riding with me in the bee truck. You just never know who you'll run into.

With the tulip poplar done, we pretty much call it a wrap on the spring harvest. Three weeks of intensity finished! 

What to do? What to do? I can think of some things. 

Celebrate, for one. Yesterday I threw a big party and invited all my friends...

Fair Week- may the odds be ever in your favor.

-Posted by Isaac

What a gorgeous week we've had! Did you catch any sun?

The bees here at home certainly did. And along with their sun, they awoke one morning to a buckwheat buffet. We've arrived at bloom! It took just four weeks,

and for the next 20 days or so, the girls will be fat and happy. Black honey to follow!

With 15 acres of plentiful forage, it's a good time to make some babies. You know what I mean- baby bees, of course!

These 32 nucs will be put on full feed and moved into the pumpkins by late July. They'll grow fast with the aid of the rich buckwheat pollen. The big fat queens are local- produced by queen breeder extraordinaire Dan Williams just thirty miles south.

As part of his 4-H project, Mason (tentatively) helped me install them.

C'mon Mason, they don't bite!       Oh, that's right.... they sting.

Ironically we capped off a beautiful week of pulling honey and making nucs with a Friday afternoon monsoon. I think we've now had close to three inches. Enough to flood the baseball fields, canceling Bridger's last game today. Not happy about it.

Well, to tell you the truth, I think he couldn't care less. He's now happily idling away on the ipad in the next room.

But we won't idle for long. The fair awaits!

Cousin Owen is back with Rusty! And Rusty has done some growing this year.

Pickaway County as  you may know, has the earliest fair in the state. We kick off the summer. This was Mason's first year in 4-H, so we started with projects we sort of already knew- goats and bees.

For better or worse, our early fair falls right in the thick of the honey pulling. Jayne handled most of the feeding and projects and entertaining kids, while I plugged away in the bee yards. 

But one day the bees were near enough to town, loaded with honey on my way back, it was convenient to nose in next to the horse people. Beekeepers represent!

We took our bee wares to the fair...

... and cleaned up!  First place ribbons in five different honey and wax categories!  

(No one else entered... shhh...)

But unlike the beekeeping, there was actually some stiff competition in the goat arena.

Ok, maybe not. Half the Beginner Dairy Goat class was still Mason Barnes. That's cousin Olivia leading Mason's other goat, Cammy. Mason still wanted to take on the ever rambunctious Gilly.

Beekeeping and goats: when it comes to competing, it's pretty serious stuff. We like it when the odds are in our favor.

Sure we'll still love them even if they don't win,

but boy is it fun to show off that blue ribbon!

I guess it must be up to me

-Posted by Isaac

My beautiful young bride turns 37 today. Shhh... she's not up yet... but in about an hour she'll be driving to work, bringing you your weekly sweet goodness at the Worthington Farmer's Market.

 Yes, she's off to work on her big day. Meanwhile I run the kids around. I'm sure they won't even mention Mom's birthday. Selfish little gnomes.

She's the head of the household. Someone's got to do something for Mama.

I guess it must be up to me.

An ensemble of "Jayne's favorites." This week she declared guacamole her favorite food, surpassing even fine cheese. Of course chocolate, wine and coffee also make the list. We're going to try to brew coffee a bit quicker on the next camping trip.

And speaking of camping, Mason and I got in a little outdoors life this week.

It was my brother's idea. A two day float trip down the Big Darby. Ten of us total.

I know what you're thinking-- Do you ever work?? And the answer to that is-- No, not really.

We're beekeepers.

The spring honey is still flowing in, my back continues to hold out. It crested 90 degrees this week... I can't imagine anything more fun.

So when Justin called with his big idea, I left the business in good hands

...and went swimming with my nine year old.

We took our fishing rods along too. In the wilderness you've got to be prepared.

A bumper sticker I once saw: WORK IS FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO FISH.

Blithe but true.

My brother the model.      My oh my, what a large fish you have!

In the wilderness you're always scratching and clawing for your next meal.

We could live off the land and imagine ourselves native Americans from time forgotten. 

My brother the model Indian.

...With just a few added perks like radios, tents and iphones. Yes, for two days we survived the wilds of mid-Ohio. Catfish for breakfast, oatmeal cream pies for lunch, Jet-boiled vacuum packed meals for dinner.

But what about brunch? What about a mid afternoon refresher?

Cabrewing.

I guess it must be up to me.

Sorry Mason. Keep paddling.

Show me the Honey!

-Posted by Isaac

Let us now bow our heads and ask a blessing on this, the Lord's bountiful spring harvest.

The Lord giveth!

Oh sweet nectar! Milk Of The Gods! 

(Not the Frank Gallagher version.)

We've been hard at it for a week now and the spring honey is aflowin'. Beautiful, light, floral spring honey! Gorgeous! Probably the best thing you've ever tasted. Or at least the best thing you've had since this time last year.

Unlike last year we're not swimming in it, thanks to that stretch of rain and cold during our late April bloom. But all the same, it's not too shabby. The very strongest hives still filled three supers.

Wish we had a few more of those!

We're about a third done at this point.

The Lafe Man has been clocking up the hours in the extracting room.

While I take advantage of these beautiful spring days in the bee yards.

It's hot, it's sweaty, it's heavy hard labor. And probably my very favorite thing to do.... Pulling honey!

Getting the honey off the hives and to the honey house-- A necessary job, but not the only job. Maybe not even the most important. Almost daily, a sampling crew comes out to meet the returning bee truck. 

It's called quality control!

Road Tripping

-Posted by Isaac

When you're on a long road trip it's important to have a decent crew.

Someone who knows all about vehicle maintenance. And of course you'll need experienced drivers, preferably wired up on caffeine and chocolate. A hearty soul or two or three, ready for the long haul.

And it's important to think BIG.

No more of these puny little trips to the Hocking Hills. No more measly three day campouts at the Ohio River. 

This year we took aim at the mountains!

Mountains? What mountains?

And for two whole days we missed. It was rough.

No mountains in Kansas.

"The sun is ris, the sun is set, and here we is, in Kansas yet."

But eventually we found them.

Yes, we love our mountains.

And we love our camping too. Maizy stole my phone and snapped the above picture. (This shot and about a hundred others.) While deleting through, I saw this one and realized that she had captured me in demonstration of the essence of camping--  Spectacular scenery. Pitchin' tents. Plenty of eatin'. Plenty of drinkin' ...and droppin' that g. It's important when campin'.

For both Jayne and I, the Colorado mountains hold a special place in our hearts. We thought that this would be a good time to sort of baptize our children.

Hoping that maybe someday a few of them will see the light. And spread the good word.

Or at the very least, let us come and visit.

The mountains are especially attractive when they create a giant sandbox for your personal enjoyment.

And it's all the better when you manage to catch a ride to your sandbox.

Mom did a lot of ride giving and just plain carrying dead weight on this trip.

Especially in the snowy high country.

As long as someone was around to carry a tired and complaining kid, the kid seemed to have plenty of energy when we finally got there.

For five days we ran around the beautiful high alpine heart of Colorado-- my old place of employment. It's been 15 years. Wow! When I think about it too hard, I get a longing, reaching, aching knot in my stomach. The great Townes van Zandt said as much in his yearning mountain hymn.

(Notice the great songwriter also dropped the g.) A few lines almost bring tears: "Bid the years goodbye, you cannot still them. Well you cannot turn the circles of the sun. Ah you cannot count the miles until you feel them..."

Ok, enough reminiscing.

We visited old friends. Some of whom had also decided to procreate. 

We panned for gold.

And struck it rich. Here Baby Eden shows off the construction of our new mountain home.

(As soon as we find that five million dollar nugget.)

Of course we shopped and sampled.  They're crazy about local honey in Colorado also.

And as always, we looked for new business ideas. 

Tar infused honey? The next big seller? Could be!

But really, who cares about local honey when there's a candy shop next door.

Come to think of it, the entire state is a candy shop.

It was Jayne's idea.

All four kids, eight days, over 3000 miles. I had my doubts... but it turned out just wonderful. ("I'm thankful that old road's a friend of mine.")

And I'm thankful to you for joining us. Sometimes a virtual road trip beats the real thing. Pretty pictures, less noise.