February Newsletter: Ideas for your honey, Honey Wine Recipe, SHC Apothecary, Spring Classes!

Happy February to all our honeys! 2020, I feel brought the core of us out in clear view. It tested some us until we could clearly see what and who really matters in our life. The meaning of "For better or worst, sickness and health, richer and poorer" was brought to reality, making some recognize or rediscover the beauty of "your person" We have been busy putting together custom gift baskets for the coming Valentine weekend! We have a variety of gifts baskets already made or you can come in and make your own! Pick one of our baskets or bring your own... make your selections and we will make it pretty for $5 plus the cost of your selected items for your special sweetheart! Many of our customers have asked to add any other goodies to their basket that they have picked up from other stores. Our answer is ABSOLUTELY. It's hard to keep a secret...so lets just say someone is in for a very special surprise this Valentine's Day...I think we maybe hearing some wedding bells soon!!!

Speaking of Valentine wedding bells...Lets talk Honey Moon!

Did you know the term “honeymoon” dates back as far as the fifth century in a number of European cultures when time was measured in moon cycles. At a couples wedding, they would be presented with a “moon” (or roughly one month’s) worth of mead, which was an alcoholic honey wine, to drink together. Mead was believed to be an aphrodisiac, so couples were expected to binge on wine for 30 days to get drunk enough to establish nerve for intimacy because in those days many of the marriages were arranged. It was then hoped that the couple would conceive their first child during this time. So many historians believe the term “honeymoon” was born from this concept: it’s a moon’s worth of honey wine. Yikes or Yum... you decide! Below is Alma's quick "honey wine" recipe for you to share a honeymoon with your sweetie:

1.5L REAL SANGRIA "Real Sangria is a light- bodied, fruity and refreshing ""Spanish Sangria"" produced from fine Spanish red wine and a blend of natural citrus fruit flavors. It is mostly made from the Tempranillo and Garnacha grape varieties...""

1 cup of honey (Alma prefers the blueberry orange blossom or the Allergy blend)

1/2 cup of Brandy (Alma prefers the Presidente Brandy)

Fresh juice fresh 2 large Oranges

2 Sliced apples or pears

Pour the wine, brandy, and juice into a large container and mix. Warm the honey to 110 Fahrenheit and mix into the wine container. Stir all ingredients for a good minute. Add the apple slices and place in the frig for at least 8 hours. Serve chilled.

Sarasota Honey Company Mini Apothecary: Organic Herbs and Recipes

When the everyone was shopping for toilet paper last spring, Alma was shopping for chickens and seeds. What many may not know is that our holistic recipes at our store are family recipes that came from the herbal knowledge of our grandmother. Our grandmother grew up in the depression and had 12 kids in her bathroom on her own. Medical care was not always available or affordable in Mexico so many turned to the passed down knowledge of natural remedies. Grandmother's medicine cabinet was her backyard. Alma's way of breaking away from the stresses of the pandemic was to immerse herself learning more about these herbs. She learned which herbs her grandmother always had her garden and which are the best to have on hand. The herbs Alma couldn't grow, she slowly acquired as they became available. Now with an abundance of organically grown dried herbs and USDA organic herbs, we have decided to have them available to the public. So if you any need herbs or beeswax for a family remedy bee sure to stop by the store. If you need a little help with a remedy or making a salve we will have a mini library available filled with information on the uses of specific herbs and all natural DYI remedies. We just ask that you use hand sanitizer before handling the books.

Spring Tours, Chicken and Beekeeping Classes

Spring tours: We will be starting spring honey bee tours on Saturdays, starting March 6 at 9:30am. For social distancing the tours will be limited to 12 people by registration only. Facemasks will be required. To register the tours are $6 per persons 13 and over and $3 for 12 and younger. One the day of your tour, you will receive store credit is only given on the day of your tour for the amount of your registration.

If you fail to come to your scheduled tour you will not receive a refund or a date transfer. Refunds/rescheduling of a tour will only be allowed for reasons such as weather or honeybee temperament. In the past we would take reservations for our free tour with no fee and people would not show up. This was not fair to our team that is coming in early to set things up for the tour or to those customers we turned away. So we did away with reservations and made it first come first serve; the result was never knowing if we were going to have 5 people show up or 40 people. To ensure the safety of our team and customers we felt a paid scheduled reservation was the best option for social distancing. You can register online, by going to our website, clicking the shop tab and then clicking the tour tab.

Friday, March 26th at 6:30pm Urban Chicken Keeping 101 Live Webinar:

Have you ever wanted to keep a few chickens in your back yard but were just too intimidated by ta

king on the responsibility? This class aims to provide interested parties with the knowledge they'll need to start their own backyard flock. Topics such as the basics about chickens, coop preparation, food, supplements/treats, choosing the right bird, health issues and more will be covered in this course led by your local farmer/beekeeper. So don't sit on the sideline any longer. Take advantage of this opportunity to learn about keeping chickens and start producing your own fresh eggs daily and prep chicken bedding to be the best potting soil for your garden. Chickens make the best pets and super easy to keep! Register online.

Beekeeping Live Webinar Saturday, April 3rd: Intro to Beekeeping starting at 9:30 and Intermediate Beekeeping starting at 3pm

We know how intimidating beekeeping can be from the beginner’s perspective. Unfortunately there is not a book on beekeeping in the South much less beekeeping in the tropical south...so we are here to help. Alma will not only teach you what she does but also what other beekeepers do any why. This way the student will have a better understanding of beekeeping and which set up is best for them. Students will also better understanding of different beekeeping perspectives when attending a beekeeping club meeting. The seminars are $60 each or book them together for $90.

Intro to Beekeeping Seminar

A Bee’s Life: Bee biology/behavior, life stages and duties, types of bees in the hive. How Agriculture has change and the effects it has on how and where we keep bees.

Plight of the honeybee, Types of Beekeepers & how they mix. State Regulations for keeping bees

How to register your bees and set up your location to meet requirements. Unique challenges in keeping bees in the Southern states and Florida.

Beekeeping Set-up 101: Options for Protection Wear, Parts of the hive: their different names and uses, Options of hive set up…pros and cons, Langstroth hive, Flow Hive, Top Bar Hive, DYI Hives…pros and cons, Tools and Equipment: option and uses, Feeder options …pro and cons

Options When Purchasing Bees: When to purchase bees.​Nuc vs Package bees Bee Breeds

How to Install your bees. Determining best location. What to do when you bring bees home

Intermediate Beekeeping Seminar:

The Making of a Queen: Swarming – What happens to the swarm and what happen to the queen that left. Types of queen cells, Science of queen bee development. Queen bee timeline, Science of queen breeding

Hive Inspection and Record Keeping: How to prep hive for inspection, properly use a smoker, what to look for, and how to document

Now What??? How to trouble shoot the unexpected...Uncommon honey bee behavior, pests, queen cells, & much more