what I learned from the bees (#2) – the tortoise and the hare
Most of the honey bees in a hive are workers that go through a series of jobs that support the family with every chore necessary for the continuity of the family. On some days, they will be gathering nectar, propolis and pollen, and then spend some time working in the nursery to take care of the babies. At other times they are on guard duty to keep the aggressive cousins from coming and taking honey. The average life of these female worker bees in the summer months is six weeks when there is a lot of work to do, and the hive works as a family to bring in the crop and store it away. The other extreme in this range is in the winter when an average worker bee will live around six months, when the hive goes into dormancy and slows down. With the colder temperatures of the north, the cluster of bees gets tighter as the temperature drops, and the bees stay in a fairly close area, making warmth and eating enough to continue living. Their wings and bodies get more rest in the winter, and the bees live longer.
The bees essentially work themselves to death; when their wings wear out and they can no longer be useful to the family, the earth absorbs them and they become part of the great recycling of nature.
honey bee on New England Aster photo copyright Ann D. Watson, 2009
It is easy to get into this pattern in the life and seasons of a commercial beekeeper. One prepares for and then moves through the honey flowers with the bees. The honey flows can come with a powerful intensity that one wants to be ready for and efficiently utilize and not lose potential. In the years when we were working with 1,600 colonies of bees, the bees could make an average of 12 pounds of honey on a warm day when all the conditions were right, such as the soil being loaded with moisture and the fields of goldenrod not being mowed down. This translates into over 19,000 pounds of honey that they make in one day. The time to be prepared to work with nature can be intense.
I have always liked tortoises. It could be that there are not many turtles seen in Vermont, and the sightings a few times a year are special. When they are in the road, I stop and bring them to the side. They are special creatures, slowly moving along in their own shell of protection.
My path now is to learn more of the life of the tortoise. The French say that the “petit train va loin”, or “the little train goes far”. Our elderberry farmer Sylvain translates, “take your time and you will do more…..a little at a time adds up to a lot at the end”.
The honey bees are magnificent; they help pollinate almost 40% of what we eat and help make the earth more productive and colorful; they bring healing to many with their gifts of raw honey, propolis, pollen, venom and beeswax. We can value their industriousness and hard work and respect the benefit in this, while understanding that they also come in later, like the hare, or do not finish the race, in their limited time of life on earth.
May your little train go far.
honey bee on goldenrod, fall 2009 photo copyright Ann D. Watson, 2009
Recipes by Ann Kennedy
Honey Spiced Hot Cider
For each serving:
Combine in a saucepan, 1 cup unfiltered apple cider, 1/4 cup ginger ale, and 1/8cup orange juice.
Wrap 1 T whole cloves and 1 cinnamon stick in a small piece of cheesecloth and close tightly with kitchen twine.
Add to the cider mixture and bring slowly to a boil. Add 2 t of raw honey and stir until incorporated.
Reduce heat and simmer. Remove spices. Garnish with small strip of orange and lemon rind. Serve very hot with sliced, toasted French bread and blue cheese.
While this is delicious anytime, it also provides relief from sore throat discomfort.
Honey Fig Oatmeal Cookies
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup fig or apricot preserves
1 cup coconut
1 cup flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t each cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
Mix together the first 7 ingredients.
Sift dry ingredients and combine with the butter mixture.
Drop by rounded T on a parchment covered baking sheet, 2 inches apart.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-14 minutes. This is a very moist and chewy cookie.
Honey Sweet Potato Souffle
Line a baking pan with foil, puncture and bake 4 large sweet potatoes in a 400 degree oven until done–about 1 hour.
Peel the potatoes and add 6 T butter, 1/2 t Chinese Five-Spice, 1/4 t nutmeg, and 1/4 t ginger.
Add 4 T raw honey, 1/2 cup brown sugar and puree all ingredients until light and fluffy.
Beat 2 eggs until creamy and pale yellow and beat thoroughly into sweet potato mixture.
Bake in a lightly greased casserole dish at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes.
Honey Glazed Cornish Game Hens with Brown Rice Apple Stuffing
4 Cornish game hens, rinsed and patted dry.
2 T olive oil
2 T raw honey
salt and pepper
Herbes de Provence
1-1/2 cups brown rice cooked in chicken stock
5 T butter
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 T chopped onion
2 T golden raisins
Mix together the olive oil and honey and rub liberally over the game hens. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and herbs. Set aside.
Saute the celery, apple, pecans, onion and raisins in butter until onions are translucent.
Combine with the cooked brown rice.
Stuff each game hen.
Roast according to package directions, typically about 45-50 minutes until nicely brown and tender.
Honey Roasted Green Beans (A Christmas dish with a twist)
1 lb. fresh green beans
2 slices thick-sliced bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced tomato
1/4 cup raw honey
1/2 cup sliced almonds
2 T Balsamic vinegar
Blanch green beans in boiling water for about 1 minute. Reduce heat and continue to cook until crisp but tender. Drain and spread beans on a rimmed baking sheet. Combine chopped bacon, onion, and almonds in a small skillet. Cook and stir on high heat until bacon is slightly crisp. Sprinkle this mixture on the green beans along with the diced tomatoes. Drizzle with vinegar. Drop small bits of raw honey by teaspoon over the green beans. Roast at 400 for about 15-20 minutes until mixture looks slightly darkened. Recipe can be doubled. This recipe works for other vegetables as well–Brussel sprouts, root vegetables, mixtures, etc. Finely chopped vegetables prepared this way also make a great topping for bacon and brie pizza–great with shrimp and mushrooms added.
Thank you for your support of the honey bees, plant medicine, and those that work in agriculture.