Father's Day Gift Ideas for the Honey and/or Honeybee Lover

Looking for some unique gift ideas for your hard-to-buy-for dad? Look no further! (And don't worry, Dad: We're getting you a tie this year!)

For the bee-curious dad (who may or may not be a beekeeper):
He's likely to enjoy Thomas D. Seeley's 2010 book Honeybee Democracy (Princeton University Press) and recently featured on NPR. Seeley is a professor of biology at Cornell and a passionate lover of and advocate for honeybees. In this latest book, he describes how honeybees make collective decisions about where to locate a new colony when they swarm. From this, Seeley draws some delightful conclusions about how humans can make better collective decisions. The writing is lively and fascinating. The book is available on-line for about $20.

For the dad who loves honey and wants to know more about it:
Check out Kim Flottum's The Backyard Beekeeper's Honey Handbook. I reviewed this book in Review of Honey Cookbooks, Part I. It's written for beekeepers, but provides a very nice discussion of honey varieties, talks about how to treat honey well and includes some great recipes, too. You might also look for Gene Opton's Honey: A Connoisseur's Guide, (reviewed in Review of Honey Cookbooks, Part II), though it's out of print, and may take some searching to find.

For the beekeeping dad who like gadgets:
One of the handiest gadgets we've added to the many beekeeping gadgets we've purchased over the years is a simple and compact cigar lighter that makes lighting a smoker a dream. If your dad's a beek and doesn't have one, he'll thank you for it! You might also look for a "frame holder" or "frame perch" which is a handy when you're beekeeping on your own. They're available at all major beekeeping supply places. (Joe Z. at Country Barn Farm is a local distributor for Brushy Mountain. Blue Sky Bee Supply in Hiram, Ohio is another small and fairly close source.)

A Pre-Father's Day Shout Out to Drones!

Drones of two different bee races.  The lighter colored drone is
likely Italian while the darker color is probably Carniolan.

Much-maligned honeybee drones (the male bee in a colony) get a bad rap for being lazy because their one and only function is to mate with virgin honeybee queens. Unlike the busy (and aptly-named) worker bees (who are all females), drones don't collect nectar and pollen.  They don't tend to the brood.  They can't even defend the hive because they don't have stingers.  When they're not hanging out in "drone congregation areas" waiting for virgin queens to fly by, they shuffle from one colony to the next begging food from busy workers.

Yet drones serve a crucial function for honeybees by providing a diversity of genetic material that helps the entire population of honeybees survive.  As Thomas Seeley writes in Honeybee Democracy (2010, Princeton University Press), drones "help their colony win in the ceaseless evolutionary competition to pass genes on to future generations" (p. 24).

An interesting "Father's Day" fact about drones is that they themselves don't have fathers, though they do have grandfathers.  Here's why:  in most cases, the queen will fertilize the eggs she lays with sperm she obtained from mating with 10 and 20 drones when she took her maiden flight.  Fertilized eggs become female worker bees (or, if fed a rich diet of royal jelly, a potential new queen for the colony).  As Seeley writes, the queen will withhold sperm from about 5 percent of the eggs she lays.  These unfertilized (fatherless) eggs will become drones.  So, drones don't have a father, but they do have a grandfather--the drone that provided the sperm that fertilized the egg that eventually became the queen that laid the unfertilized egg to produce a drone.

While the drone's seemingly lazy life might sound like a sweet deal, if he's successful in achieving his life's mission and does mate with a queen, he does not survive the event.  Seeley writes that "when it comes to seeking sex, drone honeybees are no slackers" (p 24).  They strive to out-fly the other drone competitors and inseminate the queen 30 to 60 feet in the air. Go drones!

Women Beekeepers Potluck!

Queen Bees tart de citron by Danielle Marvit

A busy swarm of Pittsburgh-area women beekeepers arrived at SteffesWood Apiary Saturday afternoon to share beekeeping know-how and some fantastic food, including this delightfully decorated and delicious tart de citron (lemon tart) made by Danielle Marvit.  Danielle is a baker at La Gormandine in Lawrenceville and is a partner in Churchview Farm (busy woman!).

Joan and Chris "cracking" open a hive.
Claudia's in the background 

A hive inspection begins with "cracking" open the cover, which sounds much more destructive than it is.  Honey bees glue their colonies together with a sticky substance called propolis that they make from tree resin and their own salivary secretions.  So, to get into a colony, beekeepers have to "crack" the propolis seal on the lid with their hive tools.

After cracking open the inner cover, Jennie, Joan, Monica and Barb look at the top of the hive to see if the bees need more space.  The one below is a small 5-frame "nuc" (short for nucleus) that just got started this year.  The bees in this colony were still building comb and didn't need more room.

from l-r:  Jennie, Joan, Monica (behind Barb) and Barb looking
at newly opened colony to see if it needs more space

Monica, Claudia, Eva (holding frame) and Kerry
looking at a frame to see if it has newly-laid eggs

Monica, Claudia, Eva and Kerry inspecting a frame to see if it has newly-laid eggs.  Spotting eggs is an important beekeeping skill.  If you can see freshly-laid eggs, you know that the colony is "queen right"--they have a queen who is laying.  

Barb, Claudia, Kerry, Chris and Jennie take a close look at a frame to see if it has brood (eggs, larvae and pupae).  Eggs are very hard to see--they look like a tiny grain of rice at the base of a cell--so it sometimes takes close inspection!  We brought a couple magnifying glasses to the apiary to help us out.  

From left: Barb (in pink), Chris, Kerry, Claudia and Jennie
looking at a frame of brood

(Clockwise from lower left:  Christina (her back is to us),
 Barb, Jana, Roberta, Kerry, Wendy, Mary Anne and Lynetta
(Linda and Robin are hiding in the corner.)

We called this the first ever Western PA Queen Bee Pot luck, but we were much more like worker bees than queen bees.   Here's part of the "field force" enjoying dessert!





Then it's back to work again! :)

Queen bee?  Looks more like a worker bee!
Barb at sink with honorary "honey bee" Lucy the Dog

Thanks to everyone who came out, brought food, shared your knowledge and then cleaned up!

RHUBARB REFRESHER
This is a tart drink that is nice after a hot day in the apiary.
4 cups rhubarb, chopped in 1 inch dice
2 quarts water
4-5 cups (even more, if you'd like) orange juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 cup honey (or more to taste)
Seltzer water (optional)
Place rhubarb and water into a large sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer, uncovered for about 20 minutes, or until rhubarb is very soft.  While the rhubarb is simmering, stir together the orange juice, lemon juice and honey in a large container (3+ gallons).  Strain rhubarb water into the container, pushing on it a bit to release its juices. Stir well to dissolve honey and combine.  Cool to room temperature then place in refrigerator. To serve, fill a glass with ice, then fill half way with seltzer water and pour rhubarb mixture on top. Add-ins and alternate:  Add a splash of vodka   Or, use sparkling wine instead of seltzer.  Or, skip all that and just pour a tall glass over ice.  Makes...oh...a lot!

Waggle Dance Video!

We took this brief (but exciting for us!) video of the bees performing a "waggle dance" in one of our colonies a few days ago.  Foragers use the waggle dance to communicate to their sisters where they found a good source of nectar or pollen when the source is far from the colony (over 150 meters).  She marches in a figure 8 pattern, wagging her tail as she walks down the center.  She angles the center "waggle" in relation to the sun and the colony to communicate the direction of the source.  The duration of each waggle she makes communicates how far away the source is.


If the source isn't far away, she'll perform a round dance--see diagram below.

Source:  P. Kirk Visscher, University of California, Riverside. 

Memorial Day Picnic Recipes

SPICY VEGETARIAN HONEY-BAKED BEANS!

Dark fall honey makes a great substitute for molasses in baked beans. These beans are quite spicy, so if you want to tone that down a bit, add a little less (or omit altogether) the chipotle pepper.

2 cups dried navy beans (we've actually used black-eyed peas for this recipe with great results)

2 teaspoons

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried ground chipotle pepper

1/2 cup dark fall honey

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

ground black pepper to taste

Rinse and pick through beans to be sure there aren't any stones. Place in a bowl and cover with cold water three inches above beans. Place in fridge and soak over night. (If you're short on time, you can place beans in a pot, add water to cover three inches. Bring just to a boil--just until the small bubbles appear around the edges of the pot. Turn off heat and cover for 1 hour. You'll be ready to continue with the recipe.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-proof pan (like a Dutch oven) and saute onion and garlic until soften. Drain beans, rinse well, and add to pan. Stir in 4 cups water, chipoltle pepper, tomato paste, honey and salt and stir well. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours, checking about once an hour to stir and see if the beans need more water. Add more water as needed. Serve hot or at room temp. Beans should be very soft and the sauce quite thick.

Another vegetarian addition: Add a few pats of butter when you remove from the oven to make the beans even more...mmmm!

Omnivorian addition: You can fry 4 or 5 strips of bacon (cut in 1/2 inch pieces) until crispy. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and reserve. Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon fat. Add the fried bacon when you add the beans. Makes about 8 to 10 servings

HONEYED COLESLAW
Very simple--but deliciously tangy. You can also use sour cream instead of the Greek yogurt (that is if your calorie budget can bear it.)

4 cups finely shredded cabbage

1 cup Greek yogurt

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons celery seeds

Combine well and chill. You can add some shredded carrots for color.

Makes 8 servings

GRILLED SKIRT STEAK WITH HONEY MARINADE

We sent this recipe out last year to the folks who subscribe to our email newsletter list recommending this marinade for the delicious skirt steaks the McElhaney Family Farm sells at the St. James Farmers' Market (and elsewhere). One reader wrote that McElhaney steaks are so good, nothing should be added to them! So, if you want to "gild the lily," try this recipe.

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup summer (or fall) honey

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup canola oil

2 pounds skirt steak

Combine everything except the steak in a jar with a good-fitting lid and shake to mix well. Add the steaks to a zip-lock bag along with the marinade and refrigerate over-night (but not longer). Prepare grill for cooking on medium-high heat. Remove steaks from the bag and discard marinade. Grill for 6 to 8 minutes on each side (slightly less for very thin steaks). Let rest 5 minutes (crucial step!). Slice thinly against the grain and serve slices with freshly grated horseradish or horseradish sauce. This recipe serves 4, but if used for sandwiches it will serve 8.

Looking for dessert? Check out our honey rhubarb pie recipe previously posted!

Rhubarb and Honey Recipes

Rhubarb is about the only thing thriving in our garden right now. Even the peas seem a bit anemic. We have three big rhubarb plants near our shed. Though most instructions for growing rhubarb stress that it prefers full sun, ours gets about four or five hours of direct sun a day (that is, when the sun actually shines in Pittsburgh!) and seems to do just fine. We named our "pure-bred galoot" (an 80-lb hound mix) after one of my favorite desserts: Rhubarb "Ruby" Pie. She would not turn down a slice of rhubarb pie if you offered it to her!

Ms. Rhubarb "Ruby" Pie

Here's a very simple rhubarb pie recipe that you can augment in many ways (swap out some of the rhubarb for strawberries or blueberries, add some cinnamon or a teaspoon of vanilla). It comes complete with instructions for my favorite super easy pie crust, which is all-butter (and truly no fail). I know that hard-core pie bakers swear by crusts that use lard, but this crust does it for me. To make it as easy as possible, rather than make a top and bottom crust, I just roll the dough out in a big circle (like making a rustic tart), put it in a pie pan, add the filling and fold the overlap over to form the top crust.

Rhubarb Honey Pie with No-Fail All-Butter Pie Crust
For the filling:
4 cups chopped rhubarb
1 and 1/3 cups summer (amber) honey
7 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped almonds (or walnuts)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon sugar
dash of cinnamon or nutmeg (optional)
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Combine the rhubarb, honey, flour and salt in a bowl and mix well to combine. Make crust (see below). Sprinkle chopped nuts on the bottom of the crust. Add filling and dot with butter. Fold overhanging crust over filling as if you were making a rustic tart and being sure to leave the center open for venting. Brush top of crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar (and cinnamon or nutmeg, if using). Place on a cookie sheet to catch drips and bake in center of oven for 10 minutes. Lower heat to 350 degrees and bake for about another 50 minutes. At the 30 minute mark, check and tent with foil if crust is over-browning. Cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.
For the crust:
1 and 1/2 sticks unsalted butter (12 tablespoons), cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in the freezer while you gather the rest of the ingredients.
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1/3 cup ice water
Briefly (about 5 seconds) pulse the flour, salt and very cold butter in a food processor until the butter is pea-sized. Sprinkle water on top and briefly pulse again to evenly distribute it. The dough will be in loose pellets. Pour onto a lightly floured surface and knead it three or four times to bring it together. Form into a flat disk. Roll out to about 16 or 17 inches (1/4th inch thick). Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, letting dough hang over the edge (this overhang will be folded over the filling to form the top crust).

Rhubarb & Honey Ice Cream Topping
You can make a delightful ice cream topping simply by cooking a couple cups of chopped rhubarb with a pinch of salt in a little bit of water to keep it from scorching. When the rhubarb releases its juices and begins to bubble, slip in a cinnamon stick and about 1/4 cup of honey--or more to taste. Remove from heat and add about 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Let cool a little bit and the spoon over vanilla ice cream.

Up for something savory with your rhubarb bounty? Check out this lentil dish, which is great with rice--and also on its own. The inspiration came from a recipe in the June 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. I've embellished it a bit, with honey, of course!

Lentils with Rhubarb, Spinach & Honey
Olive oil for the pan
1 medium sweet onion, diced
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup raisins (or currants)
1 1/2 cups brown lentils, rinsed, picked over for stones, and drained
4 cups broth (I used chicken, but you could use vegetarian)
1/2 lb rhubarb cut in 1/2 inch slices (about 2 cups)
6 cups spinach, rinsed and cut in strips
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper to taste
Heat a sauce pan and coat bottom with olive oil. When oil is hot, add onion, a pinch of salt and saute for a few minutes. Add mustard and cumin, stirring in and continuing to sauce until onion begins to brown just slightly. Add ginger, garlic and raisins. Stir and heat for a few minutes. Add lentils and 3 1/2 cups of broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 25 minutes. Stir in rhubarb and 1/2 cup more of broth and cook for about five minutes. Stir in spinach and cook for about five minutes more. Taste for salt and pepper and also to see how much honey you want to use. You can either stir the honey in or serve it in bowls and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of honey on top of each. Makes about 8 1-cup servings.

Get Your Veggies & Make the World a Better Place!

Want to subscribe to a great local community supported agriculture (CSA) program AND help out a great cause? Look no further!

Glade Run Lutheran Services, with headquarters in Zelienople, provides a range of vital services for kids in need. Part of those services include Glade Run Adventures, which offers therapeutic horticulture and animal programs for the kids in their care and for people in the community.

This year, they've started Glade Run Adventures Cooperative CSA. When you subscribe to the CSA, you get a weekly box of fruits and vegetables and other treats from their garden. We'll be working with them to be sure the subscriptions include a jar of honey on occasion. Click on the link above for information about how to subscribe. It'll make you feel good not only because you'll be eating your veggies, but also because you'll be supporting a wonderful agency that does much good in the world!