The buzz

The Monthly newsletter from Second Story Honey

November bee update

Winter is here! What does this weather mean for the bees?

The Second Story Honey bees are tucked up nice and cozy in their hives. In each hive is the queen, secure in the center of a cluster of 60,000 worker bees to keep her warm. The worker bees flex their wing muscles hundreds of times per minute to generate heat and keep Her Majesty a toasty 75F no matter the weather outside the hive.

To generate nice, steady heat throughout the winter, the bees will be eating the 80-100 pounds of honey I've left inside each hive. These winter stores as they're called, should be enough to keep the colony fed until flowers begin to bloom next spring. 

While the queen stays nice and toasty, the worker bees on the outside of the basketball sized cluster are quite chilly. So the bees on the outside take turns trading places with the bees in the core so they can rotate deeper inside the cluster to warm up and reconnect with their queen. When the bees in the core rotate to the edge of the cluster they can feed from the honey in their winter stores.

Over the next couple of months we'll get a sunny warm day here and there. When we do I'll be sure to check on the bees and I will keep you posted on how they are doing. 

If you have questions about the bees email me at [email protected]

Recipe of the month: Bread pudding with honey

With the nights drawing in, there is no better time to try a simple, comforting treat made with local honey.
Picture

Ingredients:

4 cups milk

2/3 cup honey

4 cups (about 10 slices) of bread cut into 1/2 inch size dry bread cubes


6 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

nutmeg to dust on top

Prepare bread cubes, removing crust. Place in two-quart buttered casserole dish. Warm milk and honey together. In a bowl, combine the salt, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix well. Slowly add the warm milk and honey to the egg mixture while whisking. Pour the mixture slowly and evenly over the bread cubes. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Heat oven to 300F. Bake 50-60 minutes or until the custard tests done near center. May be served warm or cold. Makes 8 servings. Hint: cut recipe in half and reduce baking time 15 minutes.

Adapted from "My Favorite Honey Recipes" compiled by Mrs. Walter T. (Ida) Kelley - a 1970s recipe collection I found in a used bookstore this summer.

Featured items

We've got lots of new candles of all shapes, sizes and colors available in our online shop. Come take a look!
4 blue pillar candles ranging in height from 3 to 6 inches

Pillar Candles now in blue (natural beeswax and sea glass)
3 pine cone candles in a row

Pine cone candles in brown (and natural beeswax)
Multiple evergreen tree candles in sea glass, red and purple

Evergreen tree candles in festive colors
3 purple and 1 rose Advent candle

Advent Candles (also in blue)

Where you'll find me this season

Sunday, November 24: Temple Sinai 2019 Chanukah Mart 
​3100 Military Rd NW, Washington, DC 20015

Saturday, December 7: Howard County Holiday Mart 
2400 MD-97, Cooksville, MD 21723

Everyday: online at secondstoryhoney.com
Picture

Holiday shipping dates
Picture

For your order to arrive in time for Thanksgiving please order by Friday, November 22.

For your order to arrive in time for Chanukah please order by Monday, December 16.

For your order to arrive in time for Christmas please order by Friday, December 20.

Thanks so much for your support. You can opt-out of these newsletters at any time by clicking the "unsubscribe" link below.  That said, I hope you won't :)  

   Jan Day