Arizona Bees in the Winter

Robert and Danielle went on a hike and sent us fabulous photos of bees foraging in the desert. I think the first one is magazine cover worthy. Robert gets amazing shots without a fancy camera -- at one point in his life he wanted to be a wildlife photographer. He has the eye for it!

 

How Robert got so lucky to find Danielle, who is not freaked out by bugs, geckos, or snakes, is beyond me. We love her!

You can read more about our honey adventures in Arizona here, here, and see other bee photos Robert took here.

Bees in Arizona

Mark's eldest son, Robert, and his lovely girlfriend Danielle (Hi! We miss you!) went hiking in the desert recently.

 Pollinators and other winged creatures are taking flight as spring transforms the earth and blue skies beckon.  Check out those contrails! It was a beautiful day for a flight.

Robert has a fascination with all things crittery, and the Lewis family loves to tell stories about him and his adventures.  "I'd come home and if there was a box with a rock and a piece of paper on it, I knew not to get in it," Mark says.  "Usually there would be some kind of snake or lizard . . . he was always bringing home something from the woods or river."  Feral piglets. Poisonous snakes. No big deal. Robert is also a great photographer.

One of my favorite pictures of Robert was taken when he was about 10 and is wearing beekeeping gear.  He's watching a honey bee crawl on his gloved hand and looks so happy.  I'm excited that he's interested in pursuing a degree in entomology here at Mississippi State so we'll have our very own bee expert in the family. In the meantime, we have to settle for great photos of bees who will make some delicious sage honey.

The Honey Stand in Pine, Arizona

In a previous post, I talked about stopping whenever we travel to get local honey. The good news is that Sarah uploaded her photos today, so I can now share the photos she took for me at The Honey Stand in the small town of Pine, AZ.

The bad news is that the business card on which I wrote down the name of the gentleman pictured got left in the rental car (along with several other souvenirs such as a book for Colston). My memory says Russell but that's highly unlikely. So, friends at The Honey Stand, feel free to tell me!


Mr. Honey Stand was friendly and shared the history of this old gas-station-turned-roadside shop. The original honey salesman would set up only in the summer, and outside. Now the shop operates year-round, indoors, and is well-stocked with all kinds of honey, granola, candy, snacks, jams, jellies, etc. for travelers. He carried a wide variety of flavors of honey stix, and the favorite flavor of those tasting turned out to be amaretto.
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Arizona beekeepers are fortunate to have an outlet for their wares -- The Honey Stand owners are not beekeepers, simply shopkeepers with a passion for sharing the sweet stuff with passers-by. They have an online store on their Web site, so if you know someone who'd like some dark wild pecan honey, mesquite, desert clover, or even more exotic varieties, give The Honey Stand your business.

At least until Prairie Blossom Bee Farm has some to sell. ;-)

Three Types of Honey from Two Different States

Today I present three lovely souvenirs. There would be four, but the very-dark-brown-almost-molasses-wild-pecan honey from Arizona stayed in Arizona with my brother-in-law. (Hi Malcolm!) Honey varies in color based on the time of year it was made (spring honey is lighter, fall honey is darker) and the nectar source for the bees.

First, we have a bottle of mesquite honey from Arizona. Mark picked this up when Robert took him to a fruit stand/farmer's market on Black Friday. ($5.69) I like how the label design reflects the geographical location and producer's name. This honey would be a tasty addition to barbecue sauce or grilling adventures.

Next, the bear is full of desert wildflower honey. When I tasted it at the shop in Pine, it was light in flavor -- just right for me. Generally, I prefer my honey *with* something else, such as butter or peanut butter. Putting a label on a bear is tough (which is why there's a dilemma about packaging -- will the allure of the bear's shape and the squeezable bottle be more popular than a jar?) They use a no-nonsense address-style label on the back.

Finally, I found the comb honey from Oklahoma mentioned in this post. ($8.75) The trouble with comb honey is the time and effort it takes to cut it, not crush it, and get it into the jar. Most of the time, comb honey is noticeably more expensive, so my question is: is it worth the extra time to charge the extra money? In this case, however, the weight of the honey is more than the other jars, so in reality, the Oklahoma comb honey was a real bargain! I like their relatively straight-forward design with the old-fashioned skeps. Yellow and black labels are very common, and some are more memorable than others.
Can you tell I'm thinking about our labels and containers? I hope to have something to share soon. There are so many choices, so I'd love to hear from some of you on your preferences, especially for containers! Glass or plastic? Squeeze or spoon? Check out some options at Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.