A Most Grateful Fireside 👍
Hello my friends!
First, I want to thank everyone from my family to yours for all of the support you give us. Buying local and buying from us is how small businesses survive. For the first time since covid, it really feels that we have entered a more fiscally stable period, and that’s a big thing for any agribusiness. Honey is expensive and all other grocery prices are gouging every one of us. So every dollar spent from the community of folks who support us is hard earned, and we are proud to be worthy of your table!
I’ve been seeing a lot of honey purchased for Christmas presents. (Gifts of food are always appreciated, more now than ever…) I cannot express how proud I feel when someone chooses to gift a friend or loved one with our honey. Warms the cockles, as they say. So again, thank you my fine honey connoisseurs! You keep us on the right track, and you keep the lights on. I will always be grateful for your compliments, critiques and support.
The Slumber of the bees 🐝
Winter seems to have slept in this year. November was magnificent compared to it’s potential wrath and on the last day of it only a dusting of snow. This is pretty good stuff for the bees! Well……some of them anyway.
Beekeepers winter their bees in Manitoba two ways. Outdoor, or indoors. There are advantages and disadvantages to both methods, and with weather like this the advantage falls to the outdoor group.
Bees throw a LOT of heat. This is how they survive after all, and when you pack hundreds of colonies in a Wintering barn, the heat accumulates very quickly. You then are either spending a lot of money refrigerating the space, or you are moving bees in and out….and in….and out…. trying to forecast when winters other shoe will drop.
I winter outdoors, so my condolences to my brethren on the stress and sleepless nights. When it’s minus 35 degrees Celsius for 25 days straight, it will be my turn.
Hard news and harsh reality on the Buckwheat front. Not such a great quantity was produced this year, so we have restricted bulk buckwheat sales. You can expect the price to eventually climb on it as well since the expenses v.s. yield ratio was absolute nightmare fuel. On the other hand, Wildflower was very plentiful so you can expect that to be on sale in the New Year so some good news anyway. We may be packing a very neat specialty honey in the late winter as well! It’s not in my hands yet, and my evil twin Skippy is turning the screws on the price, but I mean to guilt him into sharing with me. Stay tuned for updates!
Coming Soon! Creamed Honey with Peppermint. The winter tea-time cozy cuppa that warms the soul, and the heart. Be real good, and perhaps Santa will…. well that’s a forlorn hope. Try this: Put out bourbon and snickerdoodles and John Russell may appear. He’s actually easy to summon. Getting him off the couch before the bees wake up is the challenge.
Take care everyone! We’ll touch base before the 25th!
John
