Farm Notes

Well, I have to eat crow on my eagle post from last time. It has been pointed out to me that the young eagle has the white chest coloring of a 2nd year juvenile. We wanted it to be a new chick from this year, and we hadn’t seen last year’s juveniles in a long time, and it was flying with both adults, so we just assumed it was a new fledgling. But you know what happens when one assumes…

This correction gives me the opportunity to share this stunning picture of adult and juvenile flying together taken by bird enthusiast Jeff Roisman, who was watching at the same time we were from across the slough. (We ended up in one of his pictures!). And it is interesting to see the adults hanging out with this young one. We had wondered if the offspring just leave to new territory and never come back. It’s kind of heartwarming to know that the family bond continues. Junior came home for the holidays to meet the stepparent, as it were.

You’re getting honey in your boxes this week from the beehives Keith Kimes keeps on our two farm properties. The bees have done very well this year, maybe partly due to the easing up of the drought conditions.

The honey is raw and unfiltered. For this reason it crystallizes more readily than commercial honey. You can simply use it crystallized (it spreads nicely that way and the flavor is just as good.) Or you can easily reliquify it if you prefer it that way by removing the lid of the jar and placing it in a deep pan of hot (not boiling) water. Stir the honey occasionally to evenly distribute the heat throughout the honey. Boiling or pasteurizing the honey will change the flavor and is not recommended.

Here is a brief explanation of crystallization from the Kimes Apiary website:

“Honey crystallizing is the process of dextrose reverting from a dissolved solution form into a solid crystal form. Some honey, such as mustard honey, has a higher percentage of dextrose and will crystallize very quickly. Some honey, such as sage honey, has a higher percentage of levulose and will crystallize very slowly. Honey does not spontaneously crystallize; the crystals must grow on a seed surface. This is why commercial packing plants filter honey, removing any small particles from the honey, eliminating many of the seeds upon which the crystals may grow. Heating honey also dissolves any microscopic crystals that are too small to be seen, removing them as seed surfaces. Raw honey has an abundance of seed surfaces as it is loaded with pollen, microscopic dextrose crystals, and bits of wax and propolis. It will crystallize relatively quickly as compared to commercially heated and filtered honey.”

Keith goes into much greater depth in his explanation of crystallization and fermentation in raw honey, so if you are interested, dig into it here. Otherwise, just enjoy your honey! I, for one, will use it to make my pumpkin pie for Christmas.

We hope you have a joyful holiday.