Pure Raw Honey

It takes 10,000,000 flights of a bee to create 1 pound of honey. But the little things are so industrious that they not only store enough for themselves, but also fill up extra "supers" that we can harvest without harming the colony.

Harvesting honey is a family affair. Carefully stealing frames of honey from the beehive, and gently brushing off the busy ladies tending them, then placing them in a tote before more bees land on them. If you aren't careful and gentle the sweet little fuzzy things turn mean, and if you aren't quick to seal them away you will end up with several stowaway bees in your house.

After the frames are free of bees, they simply need to be uncapped, and the golden sweet liquid can be spun out with an extractor. This part of the process can be very messy, with lots of finger licking, then hand washing, then re-stickying your fingers to be licked again. Honey is filtered by gravity, it takes longer that way but heating it to make it flow faster would damage the enzymes and pollens that make raw honey so beneficial. After the jars are filled you can take a moment to admire the clear yellow glow of it. A few more spoons and utensils can be licked then, before returning all the tools, buckets, extractors and emptied frames outside. The bees will come and carry every drop of honey left over back to their hives- pleased with themselves like tiny conquerors bearing their treasure home. No honey needs to be wasted around here- 10,000,000 trips, you know...