Bee Happy Honey

Harvesting honey is always an intense experience. First, one has to convince the bees that it’s okay for them to give up their hard earned stash, a concept they are not quick to accept. We usually do this by blowing the bees out of the honey supers (top hive boxes) with a modified leaf blower or by lifting each frame of honey and blowing the bees off of it. This can be hot work in the midday sun with a full bee suit on and many bees trying to sting you.

After the honey supers have been gathered, they are loaded on the truck and taken to the honey house. If we are not careful to keep the boxes well covered, bees start robbing the honey. (Yes, bees do turn to robbing, especially if there are not many flowers blooming in the area.) Inevitably, there are some bees who tag along for the ride back to the honey house, which makes the work of extracting quite exciting.

To get the honey out of the frames, first we cut the wax top off of the cells with a hot knife. Then the frames are put into the extractor with their tops outward and they are spun until the honey flows out of the cells and onto the sides of the extractor. This is possible because each cell is tilted slightly upward allowing the honey to flow out of the cell and across what is normally the top of the frame.

When the extractor is running, the fragrance of the honey wafts into the air with such sweetness that the entire honey house has the fragrance of a million flowers. This attracts bees from the area who buzz about outside constantly looking for a place to get in. After the honey is extracted, it is placed in a stainless steel holding tank for a few days to allow the air bubbles and small pieces of wax to settle to the top. A few days later, it is bottled and labeled.

These days, we sell honey at the restaurant and use it in many of the dishes Stephane prepares, including honey glazed walnuts for salads, honey mousse for dessert, honey and fresh berries, and other delicacies.

Honey is a lot like wine with every season giving a distinct flavor and color. This year, the spring honey is a bit more full bodied than last year, with a deep rich fragrance and flavor. This is probably the result of the late rains and the extended period of blooming of wild flowers in the area.

Harvesting our own honey is only part of our plan to deliver the best and most flavorful meals possible at French Garden.