Bees and Tea

Since Valentine's Day is almost here, I thought I write a little bit about HONEY.  Well, not like your sweetheart honey, but the honey that comes from bees.  In October, I got to help a friend harvest some honey.  I thought I was going to be watching, but he had a protective suit for me to put on so I was right in the middle of the harvest. 

It was very exciting!!

Our friend has a number of hives on his property 

and these are the ones we worked on that morning.

Before we got started, he explained what 

the inside of the hive would look like.

He made a little fire in the smoker.
It was my job to use the little billows to keep 

the fire /embers active so that they would 

produce the smoke that keeps the bees calm.

My sweet husband, without a protective suit, 

took the pictures from a safe distance.

The hive was opened and I got my first

 look at the bees inside with the honey.

He used a clean, dry paint brush

 to gently sweep the bees from the honey comb.

Can you see all the bees in the air

 in this picture?  I felt completely safe! 

He didn't take all the honey from the hives.

He left honey for the bees so they won't

 starve during the winter.

My husband told me that there were a lot of bees on my suit---

well, sure--it's because I'm so sweet! ;)

He put all the frames, filled with

 honey/honeycomb, in this box.

We went in the barn where he was extracting

 the honey from the waxy honeycomb.

He had been working on his 

harvest for awhile....he had a lot of honey!

I brought home a frame filled with the honeycomb.

The honeycomb's chambers were filled with honey. 

 When I sliced off the top of the chamber, the honey came right out.   

 Yes, it was sticky.  Yes, it was yummy.  And yes, I chewed

honeycomb.  I actually chewed enough honeycomb

 that I began to feel like I was chewing tobacco

 (not that I actually know what that's like).

I got a quart jar of honey from my frame.

My husband has enjoyed his coffee sweetened with the honey.

I watch my caffeine in the afternoons and I've

found a Tazo tea called Wild Sweet Orange. 

 It's delicious--  very fragrant and no caffeine.

   The perfect cup of tea on a chilly afternoon--

sweetened with a little bit of honey.

A beautiful fall day in Alabama.

Joining the Party:

Rattlebridge Farms Foodie Friday

The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson Share Your Cup Thursday