Superfoods From the Hive

I am fascinated with the honey bee. The more I work with these incredible creatures and learn about their world the more amazed and enamored I become. There are so many parallels between our universe and theirs. One of those is processing food. Do you know that bees ferment and dry food for storage?

A drawn comb of capped honey and bee bread

Honey bees process flower nectar into honey. The worker bee gathers nectar from the flower source by sucking the liquid through its proboscis into it's honey stomach where it is partially broken down by enzymes into two by-products, gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide. When the worker bee gets back to the hive it transfers the contents of it's honey stomach by regurgitation to a hive worker bee who regurgitates it into a cell. It is an enzymatically-activated, partially fermented food. The nectar is 80% water. If left in that state it would ferment into alcohol so other worker bees fan the face of the honey comb to aid in dehydrating the nectar to 14% - 18% water. At this level the bees seal in the honey with a capping of wax. (I'm wondering if we got the idea of sealing canned jam with wax by observing honey bees?).  By processing the nectar in this way honey provides a much higher energy source per pound than nectar alone and it becomes storable.  Honey will never spoil because of it's high pH level. Bacteria cannot survive within it. Honey has been discovered in tombs of the Pharaohs perfectly preserved and is recorded being used medicinally on Sumerian clay tablets.

Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic depicting honey bee farming

Honey bees process pollen into bee bread. A lacto-fermented, enzymatically-activated food which is the honey bee's staple protein source. The worker bee forages flowers collecting pollen, mixes it with a little bee saliva to hold it together and packs it into a hair sack on each back leg. She then flies it back to the hive and transfers it to a hive worker that mixes it with 30% honey and packs it into a cell. The fermentation process that takes place breaks down the pollen walls and cellulose layer which are hitherto indigestible to bees (and humans). The fermentation allows the bees to digest the pollen. Bee bread is high in vitamins, amino acids, vitamin K, antioxidants, zinc, magnesium and silica. Bee bread is used by humans as a superfood. It is important to recognize that one teaspoon of pollen takes one bee working eight hours a day for one month to gather. Each bee pollen pellet from the hair sack contains over two million flower pollen grains making one teaspoon containing over 2.5 billion grains of flower pollen! The bee bread will store for about a year.

Each layer is a pellet gathered by one bee and brought back to the hive in it's hair sacks

Honey bees process tree resins into propolis. The worker bee collects resins from tree bark and sticky buds, mixes it with salivary secretions and beeswax. It is then used to seal and sterilize the hive against infections. Once processed this mixture is called propolis or bee glue. Containing 55% resinous compounds, 30% beeswax, 10% aromatic essential oils and 5% pollen, propolis neutralized bacteria, fungi or viruses that may come into the hive. It is one of the most potent antibiotics found in nature and bacteria cannot build a tolerance to it. When analyzed by scientists, propolis was found to be rich in amino acids and trace elements, high in vitamins and contains at least 38 bioflavonoids which gives it a high antioxidant value. It is used to treat injuries and burns. It has been made into a gum and mouthwash for dental health. Propolis can only be dissolved in high proof alcohol.

When warm propolis is pliable, when cold it hardens and becomes brittle.

Amazing, right? Such useful products from an industrious insect that you can access from your own backyard or local farmer's market. My hope is that you've been "stung" with curiosity and you'll bee propelled to learn more about the honey bee.

Happy Learning!

Lydia

Time Flies

Salmon Fishing in Florence

Well, 2014 came and went. Welcome to 2015! You may be wondering where in the heck I went. Well, not far! I just started a new career which has dominated my life! I'm sure there are plenty of you out there that can relate to diving into a new career - Nothing Else Exists. Right?

Bottling honey in the Autumn

The urban farm lives on and is steadily growing, some things by leaps and bounds, others almost at a snails pace, imperceptible to anyone but me, who is on constant vigil for the slightest centimeter of growth or the mounding of soil over a pushing stem emerging from the seed planted last fall. Our season here in the Pacific Northwest is early. While the rest of the country is still blanketed in feet of snow we are enjoying air filled with the scents of spring bloomers and fresh mown grass. Because of this, my olfactory bliss is cautioned by yellow flags of what-ifs.

Farmers are constantly weighing the What-ifs. What at one moment in the season is counted as a blessing can at another moment be counted as a curse. Early blooming of essential nectar and pollen sources for honey bees means an abrupt end to nourishment in Autumn when the Blackberry and Japanese knotweed end there blooming while cold weather is still months away and there are still thousands of mouths to feed within the colony. Natural method beekeeper's hopes are fixed on the ability of the bees to adapt and push out the drones before natural instincts might indicate those actions be taken.

What-if this is a drought year? It wouldn't be the first. I remember a drought year when every home owner had a brown lawn to conserve water. Many non-native trees, bushes, and plants died. With little snow fall we may be headed to this extreme this summer. I'm glad I'm prepared with 655 gallons of collected rain water stored in beautiful urn shaped barrels. My fruit, berries and vegetables will be fine, I'm prepared. On the other hand, if it IS a drought year there will be little nectar to sustain the pollinators in the blackberry blooms...

Today I opened one of my hives to discover ten bars of capped brood. This is phenomenal! In most years the queen would have just begun laying, maybe. There will be a full work force in this colony by the time the maples start blooming in a few days. For the first time I will harvest Big Leaf Maple honey! I am so jazzed about this! Also, I will get early pears this year as there are plenty of pollinators out perusing the blossoms. 

Chocolate Souffle from our Eggs

Earlier this winter we lost a hen to a predator. I can't say for certain but I am pretty sure it was the very large grey tom cat that can leap my 6 foot fence with little effort. The hen was only mauled. Any wild animal would have eaten her or dragged/flew her away. All I can say is I am so thankful for my husband who is a hunter and used to the reality of death. He disposed of her. The sad thing is that she had to be disposed of instead of used for sustenance. That may seem strange to some but farmers and hunters have respect for their food sources. They don't waste the life that was taken. Wasting equals disrespect. We have deterred the perpetrator with vigilance, cunning and a game camera. Because of this loss we decided to get two more hens to keep the egg production on track. They will be delivered in the next week via USPS. I would buy from our local grange but they do not offer pullets. I would get chicks if I had the time but in my world right now those poor little needy creatures would only suffer and possibly die. No thank you. Know your limits and act accordingly no matter how sweet those little fluff balls appear!

I have plans to lay another stone patio in the front and continue the side path to the back yard. As for construction, that's about it. My creeping raspberry (Rubus calycinoides) ground cover died out and only a few plants survived so I'll need to supplement that. Other plans include making another batch of wine since our 2012 vintage is about gone.

Our First Table Grapes

With our farm entering its fourth season I'm encouraged by the ever increasing yield and the rhythm which we have fallen into. Like a heartbeat, seasons resound and fall silent. Within those seasons another heartbeat ready to be birthed, each season yielding its particular fruits. Those fruits marking our hearts and minds with pleasant memories which beckon us to continue the journey, tilling the soil, pruning the branches and caring for livestock.

May your life's rhythm be as pleasant...

Lydia

Showcasing Local Artist on Local Turf

Vivid colors and organic shapes come to mind when you mention the name Chihuly. I fell in love with his works long before that name became an international synonym for modern blown glass. Yes, Chihuly holds his own amongst all of his famous glass-making predecessors. 

A few weeks ago I took a Saturday afternoon to visit the new exhibition, Chihuly Garden and Glass, at the Seattle Center. Sited just below the Space Needle, the collection takes a rightful seat among Seattle's legendary historical icons.

You might be surprised to learn that Dale is an avid collector of Northwest Native American woven baskets, trade blankets, and Pendleton Woolen Mills blankets. I first saw his Northwest collection at his famous Boathouse on  North Lake Union where I was privileged to be in the company of then U.S. National Women's soccer coach, Tony DiCicco and national team player and Olympic Gold and Silver medal winner, Tiffeny Milbrett. We sat at the single-slab fir table which spans some 86' and is lighted by seven of his chandeliers. It was a magical night. The Northwest Room boasts a similar table displaying basket-inspired glass bowls.

As you move through the inside exhibition you'll see Dale's inspiration paintings and other sprinklings of his design process but mostly his fabulous glass creations. One of my favorites was the Sealife Room. 

If you've ever been to a Chihuly exhibition, you'll be familiar with the ceilings he creates with thousands of bowls, baskets, and odds & ends. Lit from behind they create a colorful swirling collage of glass and form. This display in named "Persian Ceiling".

A few years back I attended a private function on the grounds of an estate in Medina on the shores of Lake Washington where a Chihuly installation was the focal point. Dale had made a delightful display in old wooden row boats floating just off shore. These (or similar) are now displayed here in the Ikebana and Float Boat room.

Have you ever walked around in downtown Seattle or Bellevue? Then you have for certain seen one of Dale's fabulous chandeliers hanging around whether you recognized it or not. If you noticed it you were sure to be impressed! 

Once you've meandered through the Exhibition Hall and it's nine rooms you'll find yourself gazing upwards as you enter the Glasshouse. The disk chandelier that spans the house glows from the sun's rays and takes on its own sun-like qualities. Like sparks falling to earth from a sun flare...and then you notice it. A space ship floating amongst the sparks.

And thus you transition from inside to outside and the gardens.

Coordinated in swaths of complimentary and contrasting colors each space has been thoughtfully planted and designed. Chihuly's penchant for organic shapes lends his pieces for garden use.

His glass creations mimic nature's forms which takes your imagination on a journey of interpretation. I know I've seen this gaggle of birds on the National Geographic channel, right?

While in Scottsdale one year, I attended the Desert Botanical Garden's exhibition of Chihuly where we stayed until sundown to see the installation lighted. The DBG purchased three of these spike columns for permanent display. They are just as much at home in the desert garden as they this one is here. I plan to come back and see the Seattle Center display at night.

Tucked among Black Mondo Grass this spotted ball seems to be lying in a nest...the egg of some unknown creature.

As not to rush your exploration, an outdoor cafe provides refreshment and invites reflection.

In the words of Dale Chihuly, "I want people to be overwhelmed with light and color in a way they have never experienced." You won't be disappointed by this display even if you've seen other Chihuly exhibitions. For me the complexity of his design and array of color will never be dulled by over-exposure!

Lydia