Raspberry Honey!

We're enjoying a great Spring and the weather has been nearly ideal for the bees. We enjoyed our highest winter survival rate ever for our bees with only a 10% loss of our hives, and the bees came on strong as the spring bloom got underway.

Early nectar and pollen sources included willows, maples, oaks, and dandelion followed by Russian olive, clover, honeysuckle, and raspberry. Yes, raspberry has been a fantastic nectar source this year as you can see by the picture, above. Beautiful in color and great tasting, we've never experienced anything like it in our eight years as beekeepers. We're seeing it in hives on both sides of the Connecticut River. Meanwhile, during a drive back from Hartford today I noticed the sumac is starting to bloom. That signals the last significant nectar source for the spring/summer period. By early July, a dirth of nectar and pollen will begin until late August when we'll begin seeing purple loosestrife, goldenrod, and eventually, asters.

We're happy to report our organic honey was showcased in the June/July issue of "NUTMEG", a beautiful food and lifestyle magazine 'from West Haven to Westerly' (contact NUTMEG Publications at 646.320.8959 for more info). We hope to have our first harvest in mid-July, assuming the bees finish 'capping' the honeycomb. This occurs when they have evaporated the honey down to about 17 percent moisture content. At that point the pH of the honey will keep it from spoiling--nature's only naturally preserved food!

For ordering info be sure to visit our website Three Sisters Farms.