Thornhill Farm

“Celebrating the Bees” By Annie Watson

The first snow is on the ground. It was 16 degrees this morning here in the Champlain Valley. Inside the hive, the bees have massed into a ball to keep themselves warm. Now comes the time when we trust that they can withstand the cold weather of the year. We too withdraw to the indoors as the days of gratitude and celebration come upon us. Barr Hill Gin, Vodka, and Elderberry cordial help to keep us warm and remind us of the astonishing work the bees do every year. Without the honey bee, we could not make our wonderful products, which are outstanding because of the honey they contain. We are truly grateful for the bees.

“Chicory and Thanksgiving” by Annie Watson

We had long warm fall, which allowed the bees to forage late into October.  On many days the temperature got well above 60 degrees, allowing the bees to fly, and, we hope, make more honey to prepare for the winter.

During the warm fall the lasting blooms of the chicory flower (Cichorium intybus L.) were one of the flowers bees could visit. Here, a worker bee gathers both nectar and pollen from this beautiful blue flower. The sprinkling of pollen on her head and thorax looks like stardust…

Introduced from Europe, Chicory is widespread in North America. Like the dandelion, it’s a superb medicinal plant. The chicory used as a coffee substitute is a slight variation on the wild plant.

As Thanksgiving approaches we voice our gratitude for family, friends, a bountiful harvest, and the opportunity to share healing, compassion, and nourishment.

“New England Aster” By Annie Watson

This is a great year for our native purple New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) . These perennial flowers provide beautiful fall color in our meadows, hedgerows and roadsides, and food for many creatures including bees and other insects, wild turkeys, deer, and rabbits.  The flower petals can be purple, lavender, or light pink in color, while the central disk florets are yellow or gold — the complementary color for purple. When two complementary colors are put next to each other, each color “pops”: The purple looks more purple and the gold looks more gold. This is the last big summer flower to give food for the honeybees. The honey made from these flowers has a hint of spice in its flavor and it crystallizes very quickly in the comb. The flower itself exudes a subtle spicy scent.

As the leaves on the maples turn yellow, orange, and red, warm sunny days have allowed the bees to gather the maximum amount of nectar and pollen from these flowers, as well as the smaller White Heath Aster (Aster pilosus), in their preparations for the colder weather to come.

For more information about this wonderful plant go to http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/ne_asterx.htm