Initiated into the Bee Brotherhood (or sisterhood)...

So, it finally happened.... I got stung.

I went out to "plug" my bees to move them tomorrow morning (you plug them inside their hive so they can't get out when sunrise happens, that way you don't leave any behind when you have to move them) and when I did, she got me. I had really thick jeans on which tells me this one was determined to be a suicide bomber. She went in for the attack...right above my knee on the nice fatty part of my leg!!! To bad their venom doesn't destroy fat tissue because that would be the only nice thing about getting stung by a honey bee. Yes, it hurt. But I guess I had this one coming.

Ben, my Beekeeper Sensei, has been in question of me being a real beekeeper because I have not yet been stung. He always says "You will, and its gonna hurt." I have been doing my best not to get "hurt" and tonight it was just destined to happen. I feel like we are even now (me and my bees) because I robbed them last week. Yup, a whole gallon and a half of honey. So I look at it as I deserved it. I called Ben to let him know. He chuckled and said "All right!" Now you are officially in." (In the BeeKeeper Brotherhood)

So, rest asured that I am putting this one in the books as a "red letter day". The day I got stung by a honey bee and the day I became a true beekeeper :)


PS: Chris was in the car the whole time laughing at me! So, no "honey" for him :)

Cooking with Local Honey 101

So, here I am at my first blog! I am Angela, and I am a wife, homeschooling mom, and a beekeeper! My passion for bees came about when I saw an independent film about farming and it made me want to move to the deep country roads of Alabama, be outdoors with my family all day, and have a big farm with a historic house, lots of animals, and a big ole garden! Well when I came back down to earth (but I can keep dreaming) I realized that there was something that was outdoors that helped farmers and agriculture in general, and didn't cost a lot to start, and my kids could learn with me....KEEPING BEES!! So I did.

I went hunting for a beekeeper in my little Mayberry of a town, and found what I was looking for. Ben... an ole' timin' beekeeper who was 80 years young and had over 40 hives! The best part was he was willing to teach me to be a real beekeeper! I spent many Alabama summer days scared to death of getting stung and listening to his stories about growing up in the south. As we went into his hives and extracted honey in his storage shed with a window air unit, we poured honey into bear shaped jars so he could go and sell them at local farmer markets. All this information about bees and honey that I had learned from him over a years time, sent me on a creative mind frenzy (you know what I am talking about) and I wanted to be able to share something with my family and friends like how Ben had shared with me.

Hmmm, an idea! How could I get people interested in beekeeping, supporting local beekeepers, and understanding the importance of bees?? AH! An idea! HONEY! Everyone (well almost everyone) likes honey! And, you have to eat...so eating, yeah, and cooking, hmmmm, oh okay! COOKING WITH LOCAL HONEY! Ben told me his family and other beekeepers used honey in place of sugar when cooking and baking! Breads, cookies, salad dressings, marinates...you name and you can use honey! So, in this day in age we have become concerned of the non-nutritional value of white sugar, and all of the high fructose corn syrups we are consuming...honey is one of the most natural, "green", pollinating, sweet taste to hit your tongue... and its got stuff in it that is good for you! Its the way to go! So this is my blog about being a beekeeper, goodness of honey, cooking, being a homemaker, homeschooling, and I get to share all of it with you! So, why Queen Bee? Well the hive doesn't work with out her. She is the one that gets the hive going (she lays the eggs among other qualities) and her family supports her! My favorite quote about the bee is;

"The bee is more honored than any other animal, not because she labors, but because she labors for others."

St. John Chrysostom said that and its perfect! I thought about how selfless bees are and what team players they are. They work together and they see the result! I strive for my family to honor God that way, and I think of the Queen Bee as a title like the Proverb 31 woman. It's my dream to be that!

I hope you enjoy my blog in the future and be looking for www.queenbeeinthekitchen.com coming soon!

Have a blessed day!