A Change Of Scenery

I guess it didn't really hit me until I saw this picture...this handsome man standing in front of the home we brought him home to 33 years ago. He arrived snuggled inside a Christmas stocking on a snowy winter day. We gently laid him in the crib in his new bedroom, in the home that was just 9 months old. It also took 9 months for his Dad to build this house and just like a pregnancy it took lots of hard work, emotion, aches, pains and anticipation!
As I looked at this picture I realized it was the last time this man would visit the home of his childhood. He has his own family now and lives in Europe and the next time he visits the States we will be long gone...

Hubs has had an interest in Ecuador for quite sometime now. It seemed pretty random to me and I never paid much attention when he'd mention it. A year or so ago I discovered I had a long lost cousin living in Ecuador. Boy, did that ever spark some excitement and get his eyes to light up!
Cousin Linda started emailing us on a regular basis and always provided us with huge amounts of information and links to all things amazing in this South American country.
Late last winter we agreed it was time to make a visit to Ecuador. It was time to add it to the list of places to retire, or to cross it off completely...(I was leaning towards "cross it off completely").
We packed our backpacks and headed to the airport last March. We were off to a country we'd never been to, in a hemisphere we weren't very familiar with. It was time to check it all out and hook up with a cousin I hadn't seen or talked to in 45 years.
It's fairly easy to get to Ecuador and there is no jet-lag as they are in the same time zone. That seemed like a plus! We arrived in Quito late in the evening and spent the night in an airport hotel. I was surprised at the efficient new airport and how kind and accommodating everyone was. There was even a driver waiting to whisk us off to the beautiful hotel literally just minutes away. Early the next morning we headed back to the airport and boarded for a short flight to Cuenca, Ecuador.
What happened next is all a bit of a blur! We were greeted at the airport by cousin Linda and I recognized her immediately. Still as hip and pretty as I remembered her from when I was a teenager. I was intrigued and fascinated that she had "walked" to the airport to meet us. We did catch a cab and headed toward her beautiful inner city apartment and fabulous roof garden! We all hit it off immediately and were treated to a short walking tour of her neighborhood and a local market.

The local market was HUGE and colorful and full of everything imaginable and things I'd never seen or heard of before. We ate lunch here and enjoyed some of this guy (or one of his relatives)...

These baskets adorned several of the street corners. Guinea pig is a traditional meal here. It may take some time before I get up the courage to give it a shot...

I was surprised how much I liked this city. It is a World Heritage Site. It was very easy to navigate and wander and I was amazed at the variety of restaurants we passed. Mexican food, Thai food, traditional Ecuadorian cuisine, French and Belgian options as well.
Cousin Linda has lived here for 7 years and is well versed in everything regarding this city and Ecuador.

The variety of colorful plants on the roof garden of Linda's apartment were crazy and beautiful. After our lunch at the local market we sat and visited here for a time before making our way to our hotel.
It all seems a bit surreal at this point and things moved quickly. It seems that THIS was going to be "the retirement" destination after all! I could barely catch my breath some days.
On our second day in Cuenca we hooked up with a realtor. Hubs had been doing his research and lined up some properties he was interested in seeing. He had been telling me about these places he had found on the "Internet". I barely humored him and told him they probably didn't even exist. I guess I was wrong...
So, on day two, we met with this complete stranger in the lobby of our hotel. Linda accompanied us to keep us in line and up to date on the intricacies of buying property in a foreign land. The realtor was "car-less" and so a cab was hired to drive us to our first destination...about 25 minutes outside of Cuenca in a lush green countryside. It really was beautiful there and again I was surprised how much I liked it and how much it resonated with us.
It must seem pretty crazy to end up purchasing the first home we looked at...even more insane that we made an offer that very day...and completely certifiable that a mere 6 months later we are deep in preparations to make the move.
Here I was stumbling around this property and wondering the $&?% we were doing! The house was about 75% complete and really quite stunning. While I was standing there getting my picture taken some Ecuadorian insect chewed up my ankles pretty good...

Ya, but this view...right?!

This adventure had a life of its own! I lost complete control over sanity and woke up several nights in a cold sweat and freaking out! I couldn't believe we were doing this and doing it so quickly...
It's kind of amazing all we accomplished in the 2 weeks we were there. Linda tried to help us mix business with pleasure and I think we did a pretty good job of it! We visited attorneys and notaries and contractors and banks. But we also toured a beautiful little city in South American and ate really great food and soaked in mud and mineral water and walked in and out of little streets.
The house is almost finished now and our home of 34 years has been sold. It isn't easy going through 34 years of memories and mementos. It's exciting and fun and overwhelming and emotional all at the same time.
We don't have an exact date of departure just yet...but, I have a feeling it won't be long now. It feels like a pretty big adventure...but we can hardly wait!

Homemade Coconut Butter Cups..Easy, Delicious and Satisfying!

I live in a funny part of the Universe. I am surrounded by breathtaking beauty, majestic mountains and beautiful canyons. I'm able to find a trail head in any number of places within 30 minutes. I never take it for granted. Sadly, these imposing mountains rise from a valley that is plagued with terrible pollution every winter. Rising up through the fetid air and into the higher elevations the air clears and the skies are blue. Looking back, you can see a smokey brown blanket of poison laying over the clean, well planned city. :(
What does this have to do with homemade coconut butter cups??? Well, this January when we were choking from the smog and smut, we decided it was a good time to do a detox. The program we chose was just 10 days long and targeted environmental poisons as well as the usual culprits of sugar, alcohol, caffeine and wheat.
Luckily, my daughter and son-in-law joined me for this undertaking. We actually shopped for groceries together, shared recipes and commiserated together. It was pretty great!
Although I've really cleaned up my diet in the last several years I still enjoy baking and adding sugar to my coffee. Yeah, I only use organic, non-GMO ingredients. Still, organic cane sugar is still sugar. I was worried about giving up this sugar for 10 days.
This "cleanse" was well thought out and included supportive supplements and a nutritional "shake" mix. I was surprised by a couple of things. I was never hungry and I didn't crave sugar! I did crave blessed coffee and hot oatmeal cereal! Go figure...
I really thought I would lay awake at night twitching for homemade brownies or peach tarts. It didn't happen. I did dream longingly about hot, steamy, sexy coffee...and a HUGE bowl of steel cut oats!
I did go through some physical withdrawal symptoms. Mild headache and flu like symptoms on days 3 and 4 and possibly (I'm not sure) I might have been a bit snippy.
Well, day 11 rolled around and I had absolutely no desire to eat sugar! It was so strange. Of course I figured that wouldn't last but decided to ride the wave as long as possible! I thought if I stocked the house with a few "go to" snacks it would help drag out the sugar famine.
I purchased some very pricey coconut butter cups to have on hand. The ingredient list was small. Organic coconut butter, organic unrefined coconut sugar and organic dark chocolate. Although not craving sugar, I did crave a snack and those really hit the spot. I could happily linger over just one cup and have no desire to eat anymore. They were totally satisfying. Unlike the old days where I could easily knock back a half package of Reese's miniature peanut butter cups and still crave more! Side note...so glad I gave up high fructose corn sweetener! Never looking back!
Well, after about 2 weeks I had finally made my way through all of those stashed coconut butter cups. I thought about ordering more and then realized I could just make my own!
Several blog posts back I have recipes for making more traditional peanut butter and almond butter cups. They are very yummy and I highly recommend making those instead of indulging in their HFCS cousins...
So, I just figured I would use the same method and make coconut butter cups instead! I thought I might have to use a little trial and error to get the right ratio. Nope...I hit the target on the first attempt!

I have to admit I could not find "organic" coconut butter where I live. As soon as I go to the big city I am going to stock up! Note...this is "coconut butter" not to be confused with coconut oil. (which I also love)...

Gently warming the coconut butter and organic, unrefined coconut sugar. Yeah, it sort of looks like oatmeal...I just barely warmed it until it all melted together and was a spreadable consistency.

Sorry about the glarey picture! These are the chips I used. So many choices...I went with these and they worked just fine and taste good.

I melted the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pan of simmering water. You know the rules...NEVER get any water in your melting chocolate and DON'T use a microwave. Yes, I know you can melt it in the microwave...but, it's a microwave!!!

So here is the recipe I came up with...

1 cup of coconut butter
2 Tablespoons of organic, unrefined coconut sugar
tiny dash of good salt
1/2 teaspoon of organic or homemade vanilla ( I'm proud to say mine is homemade ;))

1 pound of good quality, dark chocolate

Warm the butter and sugar together until you have a nice smooth consistency, add the pinch of salt and vanilla and stir until blended...it will stay melty and smooth while you melt the chocolate.

I used mini muffin pans with mini cupcake papers. It yielded 24 mini cups.
Start by taking a teaspoonful of the melted chocolate and covering the bottom of the cupcake paper. Then dip your spoon again and add a bit more chocolate and drag it up the sides of the paper. I let it set up in the freezer for about 5 minutes.  Then, add a dollop of your coconut butter mixture right in the middle of the cup and pop that into the freezer for another 5 minutes. I was using 2 mini muffin pans and it worked great alternating them. Finally, scoop up another teaspoon of melted chocolate and top them off. I smoothed the chocolate with the spoon trying to make them look "perty"!
Then I put them in the freezer until they set up. After they were solid, I just kept them in the refrigerator in a container.
Confession...after I did the first 12 cups I added a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the rest of the coconut butter mixture. So, I did 12 regular and 12 almond flavored. I also added a tiny sprinkle of Himalayan pink salt to the tops of the almond ones.
I think I may try making them with a bit of orange extract or a bit of mint extract next time. And oh, there WILL be a next time!

These are super fun and fast. Even better...I had 24 coconut butter cups stashed in my fridge!

I really am satisfied eating just one!!! Also, since the detox, I'm adding either a bit of this unrefined, organic coconut sugar to my morning coffee or a teeny tiny drizzle of maple syrup! So not missing the morning sugar!

One more thing! They taste exactly like the pricey store-bought coconut butter cups...! Yay...

If interested in the detox cleanse we used...find it here.

metagenics.com

German Pancakes...Winter Comfort Food...

We are knee deep in winter over here. It's been downright bone chilling for several weeks now. I feel like hibernating and think that is what Mother Nature actually intended! I want to wear fuzzy socks and long johns.
Oh, I've drug myself out into the elements several times. Living in this hemisphere in the winter you just have to. Once I get out into the beautiful snowy mountains I feel great...and then, I go home and put on my fuzzy socks and hide under a blanket.
My daughter suggested we try a 10 day metabolic detox this winter. I'm not much of one for the cleanse of the month or juice diet of the week...but, we live in an area that the cold air traps a lot of pollution during the winter and it is terribly unhealthy at times...think China...
Getting up above the smog and into the mountains is a must. For your mental health as much as your physical health. This year hasn't been as bad as usual. We have had storm after storm come through and cleanse the air. It makes a huge difference!
Still, a little metabolic detoxing can't hurt! Right?!
So, I'm right in the thick of this cleanse. Day 4 to be exact. I'm planning on going the distance and I don't feel hungry at all...but, I can't lie...I'm dreaming of two things...Coffee and German pancakes!
Winter comfort food at its best. The day after the cleanse I plan to make myself a creamy cafe au lait and a big ole plate of German pancake. Of course I will use whole organic milk and coffee and a bit of organic brown sugar for my steamy java and I seriously can't wait!
I love this pancake recipe for several reasons. For one thing, it's super easy! Then, I always have the ingredients on hand and it is relatively low in sugar and flour. For us chicken farmers we always have eggs in the fridge or in the coop ready to be collected. And, last but certainly not least, the Sprouts love nothing more than to crack eggs open! This is the perfect recipe to entertain those little busy hands.

Super Quick and Easy German Pancakes

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Throw the following ingredients into your blender:

6 eggs
1 cup whole organic milk
1 cup organic unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Blend it all up until just frothy.

Pour into a 9 X 13 pan that has 2 tablespoons melted butter and bake for 20 minutes.

Always blessed with such beautiful eggs!

It's fun for the Sprouts to peek through the oven window and see it puff up.

I sprinkled a bit of organic powdered sugar on this one. It was a special occasion! So pretty when you spring it from the oven.

Feel free to slather some grass-fed butter on top!

We doused it with organic maple syrup AND homemade peach butter! Yep...it's true!

Just a side note...we didn't have a great peach crop this year. A brutal hail storm took it's toll on the beautiful fuzzy peaches. I was gifted a box of local organic peaches. Kind of like getting a shipment of gold! I wanted to make the best use of them and honestly we ate most of them fresh. But...on a whim I decided to make some peach butter. Holy Cow...it far exceeded my expectation! It is outrageous! This really is comfort food at its finest...

If you are looking for me next Tuesday...I will be sitting at my kitchen table with a large cup of creamy Joe and a big ole plate of German Pancake!

Homemade Popcorn...A Simple Pleasure

I've been craving popcorn! Long cold winter nights and movies at home seem to be the cause. That crunchy, salty, buttery kind of popcorn that we used to make as kids...It has been haunting me!
I've been off popcorn for several years. That wonderful treat has become a demon. Corn in general is a BIG issue. It is almost impossible to find non-GMO corn in any shape, form or variety! We have way too much crappy corn in our diets! It is hidden everywhere and it has been turned into every possible additive. Corn sweeteners, corn fillers, corn starches and all made with GMO corn and corn products.
I have unsuccessfully planted non-GMO organic corn in my garden the last couple of years. The results were dismal and unrewarding. Well, this year we actually harvested 5 little ears of lovely golden corn. 5 little ears from several rows of corn! Still...they were the most delicious little ears of corn you can imagine! We ohhhhed and ahhhhed over each little bite and it brought back memories of corn back in the day. Back when corn tasted like corn and you couldn't get enough. When corn was sweet and delicate and flavorful. I'm willing to try again next year, even if we only yield another 5 tiny cobs...
Microwave popcorn became all the rage about the time all food became packaged and processed. I was as enamored with it as the next guy! Buttery, salty popcorn without any effort at all! No mess, no time. I also lived through all the other popcorn fads. Jiffy Pop, air poppers, free standing poppers, etc. I'm pretty sure they all ended up at Good Will with thousands of others. Mine did...
Then...microwave popcorn accommodated every possible fad! Movie style popcorn, low-fat popcorn, extra-butter, sweet and salty, cheesy, kettle corn. What a dream come true! I wouldn't be surprised if there is a "gluten-free" popcorn available! Just because that sounds cool and trendy! Toss a bag of this processed product into your microwave and in 2 minutes or less you have a large bag of warm popcorn. Never mind the ingredients. Don't worry about the fact that it is GMO and now one of the worst crops available. It tastes okay!
Then reports of "popcorn lung" cropped up! What??? A new disease occurred just from microwave popcorn?!? A new disease just because we want to eat some super fast and convenient highly processed popcorn? It just doesn't seem fair...
I had lost all will-power and occasionally had popcorn at a movie theatre. Somehow it is hard to enjoy, though. Thoughts of harmful GMO's run through my head and I'm pretty sure the butter they use is actually some form of motor oil. I never felt good after eating it. It might have been all in my head. Regardless, I stopped ordering it up at the movies.
Last summer we were invited to a lovely "cabin" in the mountains with my brother and his family. I use the term "cabin" loosely as there was a huge kitchen with Wolf appliances. One evening as we were playing card games and watching movies my niece got up to make popcorn. Hmmm...I was pretty bummed as I've sworn off popcorn and didn't want to be conspicuous...awkward!
I wandered over to the kitchen to see just what she was up to. To my surprise and delight she pulled out coconut oil and organic popcorn!!! Now, I've been impressed with this kid before. I should have known! She has two little girls that she feeds really well! She has a nice, tidy little garden in her backyard. Her kids are great eaters. She is always coming up with innovative and healthy recipes. I shouldn't have been surprised! She ended up making the most amazing homemade popcorn! She popped the corn in coconut oil which makes it outrageously good. Then, she melted grass-fed butter and tossed it all together when it was finished popping. After it was salted we ALL dug in. Oh my...it was THAT popcorn! That crunchy, salty, buttery popcorn of my dreams! It is literally the perfect taste combo and crunch. It satisfied that popcorn itch!
One of our Sprouts spent the night here last week. A long, cold dark night. I asked her if she'd like to make popcorn. Of course she said yes...I haven't had an official popcorn popper in years. No worries...I have a Le Creuset dutch oven that works for everything! ( Have we had this chat before? How everyone needs at least one Le Creuset in their kitchen? How it will change your life?)

So, I pulled out the dutch oven and sat the Sprout on the kitchen counter.

My helper measured out 3 tablespoons of organic unrefined coconut oil and dropped it into the pan. I turned on the flame and melted the oil. After it heated up we added the popcorn.

We added 1/3 of a cup to the hot oil and put the lid on the dutch oven. When I went in search of my organic and non-gmo popcorn I was a bit surprised it was produced by "Jolly Time". Go figure...

I had the heat on medium and I did move the pot back and forth a few times to evenly pop it. The Sprout and I both enjoyed the popping sounds and got pretty excited! In the meantime I melted 2 tablespoons of grass-fed butter on the small stove burner in a Pyrex measuring cup. I much prefer this method. I rarely use the microwave oven anymore. I'm pretty sure it just kills any nutritional value in anything you toss in there.

The butter melted in about the same time it took to pop the corn. You'll know when it's done. The popping slows down. Just like microwave popping!

Pretty cool, right?

Then we tossed it all together and sprinkled pink Himalayan salt on it. (Fairy dust salt according to the Sprout)

You really must try this! Two luscious healthy fats combined to make a decadent treat! Himalayan salt not only adds a delicate flavor but many naturally occurring trace elements and minerals. 

It's just sooooo good!

Thanks to Lisa for this fab idea and also for feeding her kids a healthy diet! You make me proud...

I'm thrilled to have homemade popcorn again. 

The Sweetness of Applesauce...

I'm very fortunate to have an awesome neighbor named Adam...I think I've mentioned him a time or two in previous posts. He purchased the 9 year vacant and rundown house next door to us about 3 years ago. The transformation is pretty much on the level of a miracle. Adam has tended and groomed and re-vitalized his backyard into a maze of beauty and flora. He also plants a kick-ass garden. He dropped in about 50 heirloom tomato plants this year and he is always generous with his bounty.
When Adam moved in he inherited 4 or 5 ancient and amazing apple trees. Although they had been neglected and forgotten for many years they were still hanging on... crossing their branches in hopes that a cool guy would come along and love them back to good health. There are several varieties. Some best for pie fillings and others delicious right off the tree. One day when I was out herding chickens around I heard Adam holler over the fence. He told me to come and pick as many apples as I'd like! See, that's a great neighbor.
The next day I grabbed a couple of re-usable grocery bags and headed over the fence. I was in search of the perfect apple for making applesauce. I found that apple on a gnarled old Gala apple tree in his back pasture. It was literally loaded with small, crisp, perfect apples. I find something very satisfying about picking and processing our own food. I love being outdoors in the sunshine. I love the buzz of our bees gently landing on the apple blossoms. I love hand-picking the perfect fruits and turning them into something healthy and delicious to feed the Sprouts. I love that Adam shares his apples!
I picked almost two full bags. I wanted to make sure I could carrying them back over the fence.

I'm still relatively new to all this food preservation stuff. Although I'm completely smitten with it I had only bottled applesauce one other time. It seems that I picked these when they were in their prime! I had never seen such beautiful apples and the taste almost knocked me over! They were the perfect sweetness, yet tart and juicy. They were pale yellow with no brown spots anywhere. I dug out the apple peeler/corer tool and got started. I couldn't stop admiring how lovely they were every time I tossed one in the pot.

Now really...who says organic fruit doesn't look good! These apples taste like apples are supposed to taste! They look like apples are supposed to look! And, lucky me...I got to pick them!

I ended up making a couple of different batches. I did add a bit of organic sugar and a bit of organic cinnamon to one batch. I also sourced this organic lemon juice! I highly recommend it. So much better than the "other" bottled lemon juices easily found on the grocery store shelves.

The smell of the cooking apples was so sweet. Literally and figuratively...It brought back tender memories and a story my brother shared with me a few years ago. When my four older brothers were small boys my sweet mother would treat them to graham crackers with homemade applesauce and whipped cream. I can just picture her looking through her humble pantry and coming up with a surprise dessert for her gaggle of little boys. It created such a sweet memory that was never forgotten and shared many years later...

After I filled all the jars there was a small bowlful leftover. Not quite enough to fill another jar...

So, I headed to the grocery store and picked up a small container of organic whipping cream and a box of graham crackers. That night I prepared the whipping cream. I stacked a couple of graham crackers in a bowl and added the applesauce. Then of course topped it off with whipped cream. As Hubs and I enjoyed this quiet simple dessert I couldn't help but think of my sweet mother and my big brothers...
So many memories, so much pleasure... (I made sure Adam got a jar of applesauce!)

Beginner Beekeeping - Winter

I've had this post rolling around in my head for quite sometime now. I have struggled with how I want to approach it. When I first started this blog I was committed to sharing our successes as well as our "failures". This "failure" has been particularly hard to come to terms with...
When we started beekeeping in Spring 2014 we were beyond excited. We had mulled it over for a few years and been studying up on it. I made no secret that it seemed like a huge learning curve and there is an overwhelming amount of information available. What we found doing our research was for every theory there was a counter-theory or an opposing theory. Honestly, it was hard to filter through everything and come up with a plan. Through the local bee community we found wonderful resources and some really amazing folks who are passionate about beekeeping.
I have shared our "bee" successes in earlier posts. The high of installing our first bee colonies and the excitement when the bees emerged in the warm spring air and filled the neighbors flowering tree.
In the Fall, when we realized we would be able to harvest an ample amount of "virgin" honey we were over the moon! I'm not exaggerating when I say our honey was the tastiest golden gift we've ever had! I can back that up a bit by reminding you our honey won a 3rd place ribbon (and $4.00) in the State Fair!
We have been high on honey for many months. Each time I add a spoonful to my tea or spread some on bread for the Sprouts I give thanks to those hard working and giving bees...
We checked the bees just before the cold weather hit. We had a lovely long autumn and it wasn't until November that we checked on them for one last Fall visit. Hubs was pleased with the way the first hive looked. Happy and healthy and thriving. We left them a lot of honey for their winter stores. Satisfied he put the top back on and moved to the second hive. He was shocked when he opened it! It was literally and completely empty of life! NO BEES...no honey...nothing! No sign of anything. No disease, no robbing...NOTHING! How could this be??? It was such a blow and very depressing. Absconding and hive abandonment are terms we had read about. We just never expected it. We have learned it is becoming more and more common. Again, there are theories...and more theories...but we don't really know why they left or where they went. We hope they swarmed somewhere and ended up safe. We hope someone became aware of them and they weren't destroyed. We hope a beekeeper was called to safely remove them and give them a new home. We hope...
We became complacent as Winter approached. It was a mild beginning. We felt that "Hive 1" was in good shape. The do's and don't's of beekeeping can seem overwhelming. You shouldn't move them for the winter. You shouldn't cover the hive with anything for insulation. They need ventilation. They are bees and know how to handle the winter. If you've been feeding them at all through late Fall, make sure you remove it. They will hunker down and do what bees do in the winter months. You don't open the hive in the winter...we felt confident and the "sting" of losing Hive 2 was lessening.
In December we were completely caught off guard. The days were mild and we weren't getting any storms. We live in an area where every few years we get "canyon" winds. They can be brutal. They don't happen often and we tend to forget they exist. These winds blow with hurricane force at times and usually last 24-48 hours. They drop the temperature to below freezing and are relentless for those blowing hours. Of course we thought of the bees! Really, what could we do? We crossed our fingers and hoped they would survive the 70 mile an hour onslaught and frigid temps. The winds died down after a couple of days but the cold persisted for a few weeks and snow came off and on. We thought about the bees often and wondered if they survived that surprising wind storm. A month later the crazy weather stopped and was replaced with more crazy weather! Winter warmth! The temps rose into the 50's and the sun was bright. We decided to go check the hive. We weren't going to break the rules and open it up...but, it was warm enough we should hear or see a bit of activity...

We rounded up the pups and headed out to see what was up...We slowly approached the hive. There was no outside activity. Hubs got closer and closer and there was nothing. He bent down and put his ear right on the hive and there was no sound. We broke the winter rule and carefully removed the top. Nothing...no activity, no sound. A beautiful healthy hive filled with dead bees. We have no doubt they froze in the wind storm.

Everything looked good...except for the part about the dead bees. :(

I thought you might like to see this. It is a normal queen cell.

This is as well...pretty cool...or would be if the bees were alive...sigh

Sorry...but I think it's worth seeing the dearly departed. The poor dears are all huddled together and were trying to stay warm. They still had plenty of honey...We were heartbroken. I'm not going to lie. I cried most of the afternoon and Hubs retired to his cave to mourn.

It was a tough loss. It also caught us off guard. Things were going so well and we just didn't anticipate losing a hive...let alone two!
We were initiated into the world of beekeeping...on many levels.
We plan to replace the hives this spring and maybe even add another. We have done more research and commiserated with other beekeepers. It has been a rough year in the bee community. The erratic weather and disease has taken a toll.
My philosophy about most things is to stay upbeat. I like to call out the good and ignore the bad. I want to preach success and happiness and leave the gloom and doom behind...but...beekeeping has once again opened my eyes to what is NOT right with our food system.
We NEED bees and we are losing them. I feel a bit like I did several years ago when I realized how broken the food system is. GMO's were filling the grocery shelves. HFCS is in almost everything. Fruit and veggies are plagued with pesticides and poisons and meat is full of hormones and antibiotics and from the saddest, poorest, mis-treated animals possible.
Well...instead of getting discouraged I found a path. I found like-minded people and places to buy GMO free food. We easily and successfully found ways to grow our own organic fruits and veggies. I learned to can and preserve food. I gave in to Hubs and let him start a freaking herd of chickens...and, I'm the first to admit it was a good move...I'm grateful for his insight every time I crack one of those amazing home grown eggs! But...it gets easier to source quality, clean food all the time! People are catching on and getting on board. It is changing for the better and people are becoming educated and taking responsibility and it has been incredibly rewarding to be part of it.
But for a moment...back to my gloom and doom. Everyone knows we are losing the bees. Everyone has heard about Colony Collapse Disorder. What I didn't really know about before our beekeeping journey was American Foul Brood (AFB) and Varroa Mite and Nosema. Ugh...
If you are unfortunate to get AFB you can just plan to basically burn down your hive. AFB has been treated with antibiotics and of course the strains of the bacterium are rapidly becoming resistant. It's a pretty sure bet you will get Varroa Mite. At least by your second year of beekeeping. Oh yeah...there are all kinds of synthetic pyrethroids you can treat with several times a year. Wait...does any of this sound familiar? Isn't this the same thing happening in the rest of the broken food system? Outrageous amounts of antibiotics used to raise meat and the cause of scary resistant strains of strep and MRSA? Oh, yeah...I don't want to consume it in my food but it's okay in my honey??? I guess I don't really understand all the head scratching about what is happening with the bees! It is the same thing happening with all the rest of the food. Pesticides and herbicides and antibiotics. Two camps...those that insist it is necessary in beekeeping and those that want something better and to stop the cures that are causing the disease! (See, I'm not using capital letters even though I feel like I'd like to!)
I am feeling discouraged. This is something I did not understand before we decided to keep bees. It isn't some big mystery. WE are killing the bees. Commercial beekeeping is killing the bees and keeping the predators alive and well. Monsanto and all those other ugly big companies are killing the bees. Even the wax used in the frames is suspect. I want to cry when I think about it.  Okay...I am winding down my rant.
As with the food system...there are also like-minded folks in beekeeping. Few and far between at this point, but I have faith that better beekeeping will grow and evolve as people become aware and educated. People are experimenting with natural products and essential oils for mite control. There is no handbook, just trial and error at this point. Innovative beekeepers are coming up with ideas in equipment. This guy is one of my favorites for many reasons...thinking out of the box so to speak.

ecobeebox.net

Check him out! He is toying with a prototype "bee porch" that works at not letting the Varroa enter. He also has the most beautiful hives I've ever seen...You feel his passion and respect in his designs. (No, I don't know him personally)

Isn't this the most beautiful hive ever! Right down to the hardware...

And so, this spring we will start again. We hope to find better ways to bee keep and keep it safe and organic...that being said...our bees weren't diseased...they froze...DAMN!

Winter Greenhouse...Cold Weather Crop

We had the longest summer last year. I thought it would never end. I absolutely loved it! I just couldn't imagine the warm sunny days were ever going to end. It was the end of October and I was still in shorts and tees harvesting and playing in the square foot garden.
I just didn't have a good concept of time and season! I was mesmerized by the gentle warm breeze and sun on my shoulders. I was hypnotized into an altered state of consciousness that made me believe there was only one long season. Summer.
Unrealistically I decided to plant some cool weather crops. Lettuce, spinach, turnips and a few carrot seeds. I lovingly tended the very tiny sprouts pushing through the warm soft dirt. They were tender and trusting and believed in my endless summer.
All of the sudden, literally overnight, a cold spell was headed our way. I was dazed by this news. I was still wrapped in my warm summery cocoon and unwilling to leave it.
I couldn't bear the thought of my sweet mini sprouts freezing in the overnight lows. I should have planted them a month earlier and given them a fighting chance! In a panic I recruited Hubs. I told him I couldn't stand by while these little green specks in the dirt froze to death! We had little time and less planning. Hubs rooted through the garage and wood pile to see what he could come up with. The design was less than perfect. The materials recycled and thrown together. But...the little greenies would be covered from the cold and wind...

Really...it was an experiment. A science project. The cold and wind settled in. We gave the little sprouts a nice drink of water, covered them in their plastic bubble and crossed our fingers. We didn't open it up for fear the cold weather would seep in. I remembered a long forgotten school project where I had to build a terrarium. I hoped it would rain inside this enclosure...but, I had no idea if it would work. Two and a half months later I realized it might actually be working.

The inside of the plastic is full of moisture...I waited for an unseasonably warm day before peeking in. I didn't get my hopes up. (yes I did)
It is concerning that it is the end of January and the weather is once again unseasonably warm. We had a week or two of snow in December and a terrible wind storm that dropped the temps below zero and howled past our windows at 80 miles per hour. Oddly, it has now been in the 50's Fahrenheit for most of January.  And so, I peeled back the heavy plastic and hoped for a miracle.

Miracles happen regularly in gardening. Although it isn't a huge harvest, I have fresh baby spinach and turnips and a bit of lettuce. I'm grateful. I'm happy. I'm thrilled to have garden to table produce for at least a couple of weeks. I don't see any sign of those carrots, but who knows?...Miracles happen in gardening and I'm not ruling anything out yet.

I took enough sweet spinach to my girl's house for monthly pizza night. They made an amazing spinach and pumpkin seed pesto for some of the pizzas. (I love my kids...)
I harvested another bowl full of blessed spinach and we enjoyed a lovely organic homegrown salad for dinner tonight. Soon I will make some sort of turnip soup. It's not much, but it is a glimmer of things to come.
Gardening is a miracle. It feeds the soul as much as it feeds the belly. Bonus...it's FUN!
P.S. Next year we plan to make a proper hoop house...I will be more prepared...unless that endless summer puts me in a coma again...