We had a bad storm roll though last night, so I kept the boys in the strongest room of the house with quick access to the basement. The power went off many times, so I got out our pre-civil war oil lamp which now burns white paraffin instead of bear grease and shared history with them. I explained how it worked and how to set the wick as well as what wicking meant and why and how the word is used. I light it and we watched cartoons on the tv when the power was one and enjoyed the warmth of the tiny dancing flame. I told them it was likely that others had sat before this same lamp for over a hundred years just as we were at that moment and I was over joyed to see how they liked the lamp and the history. I am blessed to have such great kids!
In other news we have harvested the first honey of the season and are so glad to see the amazing quality of the bees work and we are equally as pleased with their ability to share it with us. As many of our loyal readers may remember last year we harvested too late and had not honey, it was not only sad but had we depended on that honey and not had a back up well we would have been in a bad place. It is wise to keep back in reserve an extra years worth of honey when ever possible.
We do not use antibiotics with our bees, or other nasty stuff, for the most part they eat their own honey with the exception of harvest day when the hive is sprayed down with organic sugar water. We do not smoke our bees as we feel the sugar water helps them to be calm with out threat. Many people do not know what the smoke really does to the poor little bees. When bees smell smoke they think fire and they start to eat their honey in fear of losing the hive, way to traumatic, I would not want some one doing that me, so we do not do it to them. The sugar water makes them a bit drunk and a bit calmer with out threat of hive loss.
We feel as though we are in partner ship with the bees, they allow us the honey in designated levels of the hive, the rest belongs to them and we never touch it. We plant things for them to gather nectar from and make sure they have cool water, shade in the summer and a warm place to winter. It is a good deal for both them and the farm. Plus we reap the benefits of some of the best pollinators in the world.
Babies under a year old should not eat raw honey!
Other than that raw-unprocessed-unfiltered honey is one of the best foods on the plant.
Downfalls of raising your own honey:
Our honey is available for sale for $10 per pint before shipping. I can ship anywhere in the USA, yes even to Alaska! Just email me at raziel133@yahoo.com for more details, make sure to put raw honey in the subject line. Only a limited amount is available, it is raw with the comb.
Back to more farm stuff, the boys got a lesson in farm first aid yesterday as Michael their dad dropped a gate on his foot while trying to fix the horse pen at the barn. It has a small gash, it did not require stitches, but his foot did require tending too. We got him a bucket of nice hot water added Epsom salt, rosemary extract, lavender extract, and tea tree oil, it took quit a bit of the swelling down and the boys learned why we use each thing and about amounts as well as what adverse reaction to look for and how long to treat the injury. I am not saying that one should not seek medical care for an injury, only that we can treat some things here on the farm and it is good to always be prepared. There are many times every year that we are stuck on the mountain and it is good to know how to deal with issues like this. Had this been a life threatening emergency we would have taken him to the hospital, so please do not worry he is fine. Farm safety is a huge issue for us and no matter how you try to limit your exposure to danger, you can be that sooner rather than latter you will find it. Mistakes happen and one of the first things I try to explain to people is not to panic and have a plan both for small emergencies and the big ones.
From all of us on the mountain Be Blessed and be good to each other....
Shekhinah, Michael, all the kids and critters on Mahanaim Farm
http://www.mahanaimfarm.com/
In other news we have harvested the first honey of the season and are so glad to see the amazing quality of the bees work and we are equally as pleased with their ability to share it with us. As many of our loyal readers may remember last year we harvested too late and had not honey, it was not only sad but had we depended on that honey and not had a back up well we would have been in a bad place. It is wise to keep back in reserve an extra years worth of honey when ever possible.
We do not use antibiotics with our bees, or other nasty stuff, for the most part they eat their own honey with the exception of harvest day when the hive is sprayed down with organic sugar water. We do not smoke our bees as we feel the sugar water helps them to be calm with out threat. Many people do not know what the smoke really does to the poor little bees. When bees smell smoke they think fire and they start to eat their honey in fear of losing the hive, way to traumatic, I would not want some one doing that me, so we do not do it to them. The sugar water makes them a bit drunk and a bit calmer with out threat of hive loss.
We feel as though we are in partner ship with the bees, they allow us the honey in designated levels of the hive, the rest belongs to them and we never touch it. We plant things for them to gather nectar from and make sure they have cool water, shade in the summer and a warm place to winter. It is a good deal for both them and the farm. Plus we reap the benefits of some of the best pollinators in the world.
Babies under a year old should not eat raw honey!
Other than that raw-unprocessed-unfiltered honey is one of the best foods on the plant.
Downfalls of raising your own honey:
- Desire to eat more honey
- Sticky kids on harvest day
- Loving your bees to much spending hours watching them work
- Giving back to the earth
- Living a longer better quality life
- Realizing that there are no drawbacks to raising your own honey!
Our honey is available for sale for $10 per pint before shipping. I can ship anywhere in the USA, yes even to Alaska! Just email me at raziel133@yahoo.com for more details, make sure to put raw honey in the subject line. Only a limited amount is available, it is raw with the comb.
Back to more farm stuff, the boys got a lesson in farm first aid yesterday as Michael their dad dropped a gate on his foot while trying to fix the horse pen at the barn. It has a small gash, it did not require stitches, but his foot did require tending too. We got him a bucket of nice hot water added Epsom salt, rosemary extract, lavender extract, and tea tree oil, it took quit a bit of the swelling down and the boys learned why we use each thing and about amounts as well as what adverse reaction to look for and how long to treat the injury. I am not saying that one should not seek medical care for an injury, only that we can treat some things here on the farm and it is good to always be prepared. There are many times every year that we are stuck on the mountain and it is good to know how to deal with issues like this. Had this been a life threatening emergency we would have taken him to the hospital, so please do not worry he is fine. Farm safety is a huge issue for us and no matter how you try to limit your exposure to danger, you can be that sooner rather than latter you will find it. Mistakes happen and one of the first things I try to explain to people is not to panic and have a plan both for small emergencies and the big ones.
From all of us on the mountain Be Blessed and be good to each other....
Shekhinah, Michael, all the kids and critters on Mahanaim Farm
http://www.mahanaimfarm.com/
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