Beekeeping

Beekeeping is hot right now. The only other thing close to it is chicken keeping. Chicken keeping I’m very familiar with, but beekeeping I wanted to learn more about.

On a recent Saturday morning, my granddaughter and I went to our local Blue Seal in Rochester, NH, to hear Wendy Booth, President of the NH Beekeeping Association, give an overview of beekeeping.

Wendy Booth

Blue Seal was packed – chairs were full, some folks stood the whole time, while others just picked a spot on the floor and sat down.

Wendy’s first suggestion for those who think they want to be a beekeeper is to attend a beekeeping class. There are fall classes by local NH beekeeping organizations and spring classes by Wendy. The cost in some cases is $100 per person while others charge $100 per family – check the details.

The youngest beekeeper she knows is 6 while the oldest is 94 – true definition of age diversity.

Her suggestion for reading material was Beekeeping for Dummies which is a good, practical outline of what beekeeping involves.

Bees are truly fascinating. Did you know that a honey bee has three night eyes between their two regular eyes or that they have hooks and eyes on their wings? Who knew?

Within the hive, some bees clean, others nurse, while still others perform the job of undertaker. These bees don’t need a jobs program, they have it all worked out.

We also listened to the pros and cons of the various types of hives available including 8 – 10 frame vertical hives or horizontal top bar hives. Vertical appears to trump horizontal, and this was documented by a research project. Thirty six experienced NH beekeepers maintained horizontal hives for two years. At the end of two years, there was only one horizontal hive alive.

There are also several predators that can affect the health of the colony, and we discussed two, including mites in the hive and bears trying to get the larvae from the hive. Here in NH, we have bears so an electric fence is required to protect the hive.

Did you know bears can smell bee larvae from a mile away or that they can smell sunflower seeds from a half a mile away? No wonder the State suggests taking down bird feeders the first of April.

She covered so much more – bee bites used as medical treatment, information on swarms, beeswax, grocery store honey versus real honey, used hives possibly holding disease, bee poop eating car paint, and there are no native bees only European bees. Whew! It truly was a great learning experience, and we barely scratched the surface of what is covered in a bee school.

Bee on Spiderwort

We’re on a waiting list for Wendy’s honey. Can you imagine – a waiting list for honey! I think it shows that people are continuing to be more interested in where their food is coming from, what it contains, and how it is handled.

If we decide down the road to pursue beekeeping, Wendy Booth will be the lady we turn to for bee school and guidance. She has a wealth of knowledge and an easy but informative way of sharing it.

She has two websites. Bee Buddy lists her classes, mentoring, inspections, and maintenance services. Hive Healthy covers the products she sells including her wonderful honey.

According to Wendy, to be a beekeeper you have to be comfortable with uncertainty, but that it is the most fun you can have with bugs in a box.

Oh, did I mention she keeps bees in her bedroom? I told you it was an interesting presentation.

Granddaughter (11) comments: It was a great presentation. I learned a lot of fascinating information about bee colonies, but I don’t want to have hives in our yard.

Linked to Katherine’s Corner.

Painting and Friendship

I love to paint – craft projects, walls, fences, houses, whatever – I enjoy it. After a professional career in Corporate America, I find painting relaxing. It provides a beginning, a middle, and an end. When you are done, you step back and feel a sense of satisfaction in a job well done.

Painting with my granddaughter is the most fun of all. And, we are so lucky to have a talented friend who can do just about any craft out there in addition to being a wonderful painter. Because she teaches crafts and painting in a variety of settings, she is a busy lady.

So, my granddaughter and I love it when she has time for us to have a painting class. The other day we went to visit her and had a good time as usual. We paint. We laugh. We talk. We catch up on family news. We laugh. We paint some more. It makes for a great morning.

At each lesson, we do a different project. This time we painted a funky chicken on a slate tile. We had leftover slate tiles from the farm-house kitchen so we took some with us. She provided the example, supplies and thankfully her expertise.

Life really is good when you can spend a morning with a special friend, enjoy your granddaughter’s company, learn to paint something new, and laugh out loud while doing it.

We’re already planning our next painting project – sheep. We’re going to do a primitive painting project that will include some sheep. And, without a doubt, another good time will be had by all. Can’t wait!

Granddaughter (11) comments:  Love going to see her. She is always so nice to me.

Wordless Wednesday – 08/01/12

Staring contest between a Mama Duck and a six-year old. Who won?

Lunch at New Castle

Last Sunday it was a beautiful sunny day, and we decided to drive about 25 minutes to New Castle Common and take our lunch.

We found out quickly we weren’t the only ones who had the same idea. The Common was a busy place with a steady stream of cars going around the circular drive looking for a parking space.

The beach was starting to fill up with families wanting to enjoy the sand and water. Children were swinging and climbing on the playground. Families were setting up for lunches and reunions in the covered pavilions. One family had found a quiet spot to have their religious service before they ate their lunch.

New Castle draws people – grounds that are meticulously maintained, great views, beach access, playground, picnic tables, bath house – what’s not to like. And, we paid a $2 entrance fee!

We got lucky and found a picnic table available down near the water’s edge. We ate our lunch and read while enjoying the views of the lighthouses and passing sailboats.

We went home refreshed because sometimes a simple picnic in a wonderful place can make a day special.

Welcoming sign to the Great Island Common

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Artist frame to have your pictured taken in

Nice playground for small and big kids

Great Common beach

Whaleback lighthouse

Portsmouth Harbor Light House

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Wellies

Wellies are fashionably hot or so it seems. The mall, the local feed store – wherever you go someone is wearing them out and about  in every color and pattern imaginable.

When you look up their origin, the current rubber Wellies are copies of leather Hessian boots made popular for hunting and outdoor wear by the British aristocracy in the 1800′s.

The design may have changed a little over the years, but they are still intended to keep feet dry. But while keeping feet dry, they have moved into a whole new realm and have become a fashion accessory.

If it is fashion you are looking for, you can find Wellies for hundreds of dollars at places like Nordstrom. It you’re still looking to make a fashion statement but choose not to spend that kind of money on rubber boots, you can find them at a local box store like Target in a lower price range.

I buy mine on sale at Tractor Supply. They are plain black, heavy rubber, have good soles, and keep my feet warm even when I’m plowing through drifts of snow to get to the barn. They are built to wear while doing chores like tending chickens, rabbits and goats, or picking vegetables and berries when there is heavy dew on the grass.

I’m a simple gardener and farmer – I need function over fashion.

Wordless Wednesday – 07/25/12

Blueberries

It’s blueberry season here in New England – hooray! We have very productive, established high bush blueberry plants here on the farm, but we all love them so much it seems we can’t ever get too many.

So, the other day I woke up to a beautiful, sunny day and decided to go blueberry picking at a fellow blogger’s farm. Rivard Farm is in Springvale, Maine, about 45 minutes away.

After a nice ride in the country, I pulled into Rivard Farm, drove up the hill, and parked along side at least another dozen cars. There was plenty of parking, and everyone was in a good mood greeting and chatting with other pickers. I didn’t count the rows, but there was a huge field full of well maintained blueberry bushes. There was plenty of room to space yourself from other people picking blueberries. They have blueberry bushes – lots of them.

The bushes were loaded with blueberries with some branches reaching to the ground they were so heavy.

Picking blueberries this big is like picking grapes. They are almost the size of a quarter. It sure didn’t take me long to fill my containers when they were this big.

They also have tomatoes in their hoop house. They are planted in black plastic bags being fed with an irrigation system. Interesting process that appears to be working well for them judging by the almost ripe tomatoes. So, it shouldn’t be long before they’ll have tomatoes for sale too.

Rivard Farm is a family owned farm since 1926. While according to their website, the senior Rivards may be considering retirement, the family including the eight children are looking to the future and how the Rivard Farm can continue to be a vibrant and growing part of the community. Check out their website, blog or Facebook page and keep up with their berries, hoops, bees, farmers markets, and growth plans for the future.

The summer growing season in New England is short – sad but true. If you live in the Maine/NH area and want to buy and eat local, check our Rivard Farm and their delicious blueberries. Happy picking and eating!

 

This post has been linked to the GRAND Social linky

Camping – Ellacoya State Park

We’re back from a wonderful week of camping with the grandkids. Ellacoya State Park, Gilford, NH, is on the southwest shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, the state’s largest lake. The Coleman CT260 bunk house served us well – again.

The campground includes 37 sites with three-way hookups plus cable. Even though we were camping, I must admit the grandkids loved getting the Disney Channel and Cartoon Network when they wanted a break from the heat.

The sites are all good-sized with some shaded and some in full sun – your preference. Pets are not allowed. There is a small boat launch and a full bath house including a washer and dryer. The campground and park are pristinely maintained.

At least once a day, we took a walk across the wooden foot bridge between the campground and the park, watching the crystal clear water running over the rocks, and checking out the wild blackberries and grapes.

The wild blackberries were not quite ready, and the grapes looked terrific but weren’t ripe either – darn. Maybe we’ll time it better next year?

Swimming is our number one activity. The water is shallow and warm. The grandkids with their life vests on feel very comfortable going out quite a distance before the water even hits their waist. The area is open and wonderful for using tires, boogie boards, or inflatable boats. We used all three.

There is a communal fire ring instead of individual ones at the campsites. We coped with not having a fire ring but do admit to complaining just a little about not having our nightly roasted marshmallows.

Adjacent to the Campground is the public beach and parking lot where you can pay to park and spend the day. They have picnic tables, a small playground, volley ball net, a little store, and roped off beach area with a lifeguard.

As campers, we had access to this part of the park and would take advantage of it early in the morning before the parking lot filled up. It was a wonderful little walk through the woods where you could enjoy the beautiful ferns and lush tree canopy on the way to the playground.

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A very special family lives full time at Ellacoya – the duck family. They just bring a smile to your face whether you visit them or they visit you at your campsite.

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Our trip was made extremely more enjoyable because some friends surprised us by pulling in and camping in the site right next to us. What fun to spend the week together – swimming, talking, playing cards, learning cribbage, having fun, and laughing out loud a lot.

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New Hampshire State Parks and Recreation manages both Hampton Beach and Ellacoya State Parks. Rangers are on site at both parks but are part-time at Ellacoya versus full-time at Hampton Beach.

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This is our second camping trip to Ellacoya, and it is a perfect spot for our camping family. We like the smallness of the park, ability to walk a few steps to the water, and the wooded park setting. And, who couldn’t enjoy the variety of wildlife – variety of birds, large and small, ducks, weasels, ground hogs and the wonderful loons?

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All good things must come to an end so we pulled out with a mixture of feelings – what a great week, sorry to see our friends leave, and how soon should we all head back.

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Thanks New Hampshire State Parks and Recreation for such a great campground and park.

This post has been linked to the GRAND Social blogging event.

Gone Camping – Ellacoya State Park

The to-do-list for this camping trip includes relaxing, swimming, hiking around the park, playing rummy, picking wild blackberries, eating at the picnic table, swimming, visiting Laconia, looking for the wild ducks, checking out a local farm and its produce stand, laughing out loud a lot, and swimming some more.

Ellacoya State Park, part of the NH State Parks, is on the southwest shore of Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest lake. We’ll be off the grid for five days except for our tablet so check our Facebook page for updates.

Have a good week – we’re planning to do just that thanks to the NH State Parks and their wonderful campground.

2011 Camping Trip

Plastic Row Cover – Gardening Review

Last year we built a hoop house and saw first hand how plants could thrive in that environment. The plants were protected from the harsh effects of the weather but received plenty of sun and heat to encourage growth.

While looking through the seed catalogs during the long winter months, I wondered if this same type of environment would work on raised beds. One concern – how to handle the excess heat during the day.

After some online research, I found and ordered Clear Slitted Plastic Row Cover from Fedco Organic Growers Supply. It cost $10 plus $5 shipping for a 6′ x 50′ piece of slitted plastic. We already had a supply of galvanized wire hoops from a previous NOFA-NH order that could be used to support the plastic.

We first tried assembling the wire and plastic by placing the wires in the soil of the raised beds. That didn’t work too well because they weren’t very stable and kept moving up and down.

Hoops in bed.

So, my husband drilled holes in the top of the wood, and that worked great – they were stable. The plastic fit over the wires perfectly.

I had a good supply of wooden clothes pins and thought they might work to hold the plastic on the wire, but they kept falling off. So then I tried some small black plastic clamps purchased from a local box store that my husband uses for wood working projects. They worked great.

We planted our seedlings – tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squashes and melons the first part of May instead of after Memorial Day which is recommended for this area of the country.

The slitted plastic row cover kept the heat in but allowed excess heat to escape through the slits in the top of the plastic. When it rained, some of the rain got to the soil through the slits, but we also had soaker hoses in the beds for consistent watering.

Slitted Row Plastic

When the weather warmed up and became consistent, the tomato plants were already pushing against the top of the plastic. Before Memorial Day, we removed the plastic and the hoops – imagine that in New England.

I folded up the plastic and intend to use it again. When folding, I checked it carefully and there were no tears in it after about four weeks of use.

The $15 I spent for this slitted plastic was without a doubt one of the best gardening investments I’ve ever made. If you live where you have a short growing season like we do here in New England, I would highly recommend this slittled plastic row cover to get your gardening season up and going earlier than normal

Look at my tomato plants and fruit! I’m going to have tomatoes to eat in July – now that is something to SHOUT about in New England.

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Raised bed 07/09/12.

Picture of tomato 07/13/12.