Here comes the honey.
*Disclaimer: I paid a reduced rate to go on the Wine Blogger Conference Pre-Excursion in exchange for agreeing to write a post about my experience.
Is that a bee I hear? On the excursion I took to Kelowna, BC prior to heading to the 6th annual Wine Blogger Conference in Penticton, BC, I had the chance to watch bee-keeping in action. And taste the fruits (honey?) of the bees’ labor. Did you know that each honeybee produces only a little over a tablespoon of honey in its life span?
Buzzzzzzzzz!
While visiting Tantalus Vineyards, we were treated to a demonstration by Helen owner and chief bee-keeper of Arlo’s Honey Farm. Helen pulled a frame from one of the beehives to show us the bees in action, softly brushed the bees off the frame, and presented it to us to dig in and taste the fresh honey. I had no idea that honey’s taste could change based on the crops they collect nectar from, though it makes complete sense to me now that I’ve actually thought about it.
Get in my belly.
Helen keeps hives on her own property and at Tantalus and keeps the Tantalus honey separate for the winery. I tasted the honey from the hives in the patch of wildflowers, and it was delicious. I’ve long known that eating honey produced locally to your residence is supposed to help with allergies, however, I did not know that honey can help cleanse your liver and helps you out if you are prone to hangovers if you eat a bit when drinking. I’m a big fan of honey as a treatment for sore throats and always remember my mom putting honey in our tea as kids, which I still do today. All in all, I found the demonstration fascinating and loved learning about bee keeping. Remember to be kind to any honeybees you see, they play an incredibly important role!
I hate to display my ignorance here, but I can’t figure out how to embed this video I took of Helen during her demonstration, but I’ll link it below if you’d like to watch. Or if you’d like to help of the technologically disinclined, I’d be grateful.
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