Tuesday, May 31, 2011

We have Honey!!!


We have honey in our store!  Well, we did as of this weekend.  The stuff goes fast and why shouldn't it? Our honey is a mix of citrus and avocado blossoms with wildflowers.  It tastes great and is so much better for you than just sugar as a sweetener.  And don't forget it's organic.

Today's blog is a guest blog done by Natasha Pekin.  Natasha is a Dietetic intern who volunteered some of her time to the farm.  So enjoy the read and don't forget to get your jar of honey!

Bees on the Farm

After spending a week at the Tierra Miguel Foundation and Farm all I can say is wow what an educational experience. I want to share with all of you something that I never really knew much about, Bees. This farm houses twelve bee hives on its property and for good reason: Pollination. 

Honey Bees pollinate a variety of fruit and vegetable crops which help produce a plentiful harvest. Since Tierra Miguel Foundation and Farm is certified organic, the Bees and their honey are organic as well. This means that the bees are not given antibiotics, pesticides, or any other chemicals or additives. These bees are also not fed high fructose corn syrup; a practice adopted by many non-organic bee keepers.

Most farms will only rent bees during crop season and then return them to the beekeeper once the crops are harvested. This is not an ideal situation for the bees because many will be lost during transportation which will hurt or destroy the hive. Tierra Miguel has taken a progressive and a humane approach to their bees. They are permanently housing their bees on their property. 

To provide the bees with pollen during off seasons the farmers are planting wild flowers throughout the farm. Keeping the bees on Tierra Miguel Farm will help grow the hives and as the hives grow in size they will be able to harvest honey, a benefit lost to those farms who only rent bees. 

This humane bee treatment along with their commitment to organic and sustainable farming makes Tierra Miguel Foundation and Farm an amazing place for a Dietetic Intern, such as myself, to be a part of. I look forward to volunteering my time here on Saturdays and hope to see you there!

-Natasha Pekin, Dietetic Intern




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