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I have a sweet tooth, there I said it. Sweet over salty for me any day of the week and the sweeter the better. The more sugar I consume, the more I crave it. Even if it’s a handful of chocolate chips meant for cookies.  There is overwhelming evidence of just how bad refined sugar is for us. A few years back I did a sugar detox. I learned that refined sugar is in pretty much everything …ketchup, mayo etc and I started actively seeking out recipes that were naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup. I stopped putting sugar...

Herbs will brighten any dish. Whether finely chopped and sprinkled on top of a salad, blended into a smoothie or whirled into pesto, they will guarantee that whatever you’re making tastes better.    Now, think beyond the kitchen…did you know that herbs also are also great in bouquets? They are easy to grow, add fragrance, interest and texture to any flower arrangements. Oh, and they also have a great vase life with most easily lasting weeks in just plain water.    Here are 3 dual purpose herbs that you can use in the kitchen and as a cut flower.  Now,...

It’s swarm season! Mark and I (well really Mark …I was just along for the ride) hung swarm boxes around the farm last week. Catching a swarm is like winning the bee lottery. It’s rare, and they move quickly and are unpredictable. This combination makes the capture of a swarm exciting. Bees swarm for several reasons and usually in the spring. This is the time when they are rapidly increasing in numbers so if the hive isn't big enough and there's overcrowding, the bees will split off from the original hive. The queen will send scouts out to find a...

Mark has been busy in the bee yard. Bee losses were high this year with some beekeepers reporting staggering losses of 80%. This is not only devastating for the beekeepers but also for the pollinators as a whole. Thankfully we had losses below 30% which is great for us but we still concerning about the losses overall.  There are many thoughts on the causes of these losses. Is it the weather? Is it the systemic effect from foraging chemically treated plants? Perhaps the pressure created by pests like the Varroa mite? It may be some time before the actual cause of...