our second harvest honey is in the jars. we only got 15 kilos the second time around, which is less than the first harvest. that's not how it's supposed to work - usually, you get twice as much honey in the second harvest as in your first. we got 22 kilos the first time, so we were hoping for 40+. however, having one lazy queen (who we have now replaced) and it being a very rainy, cool summer, 15 kilos it was. apparently with the bad weather, the bees spent all of their time indoors, eating the fruits of their labors.
the second harvest honey is quite different. i suppose it has to do with different flowers being in bloom, tho' honestly, i'm still learning this and i don't really know why it's so different. the honey is much darker, thicker and richer and just tastes deeper and more complex somehow. we made a jar with pecans and one with walnuts, to have with some nice cheese this winter sometime.
we've learned so much this year and it's very satisfying to use our own honey in our morning tea and to take a jar as a hostess gift when we go for a visit. we've decided to have five bee families next year, now that we've learned the ropes, so we should have even more honey next year. maybe even enough to be able to sell some.
5 comments:
Gorgeous, I love the nuts floating! We're working right now on putting the wheels in motion so we can have bees next year.
Your honey looks great - and what a treat, those nuts in the jar!
Lovely. The thought of honey and nuts on creamy cheese is a very, very morish one!
Lovely, the walnuts in the honey! I am wondering if you first blanch the nuts, of do they go in the honey raw? Please let me know? Greatings, Lupineke
hi lupineke - i didn't blanch them, just emptied the packet directly in (we don't have a walnut tree or know anyone nearby who does). it appears to have been ok, but i guess time will tell! the honey acts as a preservative, so i think it will be ok.
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