Hundred Acre Honey

Thank you The Scran Man for your lovely review 🤗🍯. We are happy to hear our honey is helping. There's so much goodness packed into each jar and the list of health benefits is just amazing 🤗🍯

After running out of Hundred Acre Honey I had to get out and buy some more from the lovely Mandy.

When I ran out I started feeling tired and burnt out, run down and generally sh*te so I was back through a couple of days ago to grab these. 3 jars of locally produced, pure, delicious honey. 🍯

One of these has a wee hint of lime, it's the one that's slightly lighter in colour and it's beautiful.

After taking it last night I slept like a baby and an ulcer I had on my tongue for a week... GONE!

Nature is magic innit?

*Proudly sponsored by:
Cowie Tavern
Westerton Arms
Slanj A Va
Quality Prizes
Blackmill Bar & Kitchen
YnoT Business Solutions
Scotland's Weight Clinic
Smokeys

Another favourite rose this year was our Honey rose.....of course it was 😝🍯🌹

Some of the cuttings we have grown of this spectacular rose are really coming on and will brighten other corners of the garden next year 🐝🍯🌹🤗

🍯 Linden Tree Honey 🍯

More honey has been jarred today and this one off small batch is a wee bit different, with a delicate citrus taste 😋

This is because our bees were foraging on beautiful fragrant Linden trees (often referred to as Lime trees) before the honey was harvested, giving it some zesty notes 😋

A few jars have gone out to people today and it will be great to hear the feedback 🤗

🥁 Drumroll for our latest investment.........a honey creamer 🍯❤️

We've had our eye on this piece of kit for a while and went to the Scottish National Honey Show yesterday to check it out. Window shopping only of course, definitely not buying it this year.......then we went magpie mode and had to have it 🙈🤣. More investment in the future of Hundred Acre Honey, to introduce a lovely "creamed" version of our honey 😋🍯

Despite the name "creamed", there's absolutely no cream or anything else added to the honey 🤗. This will simply be made using our natural set and runny honey, carefully mixed using our new Lyson International creamer machine, into velvety smooth, thick and spreadable deliciousness 😋🍯😋

The honey geeky part ~ what makes it creamy 🤔. Well I'm glad you asked, as the science with honey is just fascinating 🍯. The creamer machine (which we think needs it's own name 😝) very carefully whips a precise combination of set and runny honey until the sugar molecules form millions of microscopic crystals. This is what creates the unique velvety consistency, which won't drip or harden.

Absolutely perfect for spreading on toast, biscuits, bagels, muffins, cakes, scones......in the same way you would with butter or jam. Also flipping delicious eaten straight off the spoon, or stirred into drinks and smoothies.

And!.....for the bakers our there who prefer natural sweetners, creamed honey is easily folded into cake batters and bread mixtures 🥮🥖

Who's interested in trying our creamed honey once it's available 🤔🤗🍯

A shout out to another fab local business, Soap Geek 🤗

We came across Soap Geek last year, while looking for soap with natural ingredients that are kind on your skin (and to the planet), instead of harsh and synthetic ingredients.

Soap Geeks skin is so good, with a beautiful rich lather that leaves your skin feeling nourished.

If you haven't tried this soap, please check it out. They even do Soap for dogs and horses, which are great for animals with sensitive skin 🤗. Always great to support a local business too 🤗

We had a brilliant day at the Scottish National Honey Show in Kinross today 🤗

Although the honey judging was in full swing, we were there to see the suppliers and "window shop" for new equipment 🛍

It was great to catch up with the absolutely lovely ladies at Denrosa again 🥰 and talk about wax, bees and next year's Queens 🐝

And who knew there were so many jar and lid options 😍. We spotted some beautiful jars in a new chunky design ❤️. However, they were a bit more expensive and it would have meant putting the price of the honey up, so they were swiftly put back down 😭. Why is the one we are drawn to always the more expensive one 😫

Abelo had a fantastic stand too, with so much wonderful equipment. We spent a small fortune 💸 at this stand last year as we use their hives in our apiaries and love the Lyson International equipment they stock 🤗

The window shopping failed though 🙄 and we did leave with a significant purchase 💸 to invest further in the future of Hundred Acre Honey and bring you something new next year 🤗.

Can you guess what it was 🤔. All will be revealed soon 😝🐝🍯

🥶🐝 Winter Hive Prep 🐝🥶

Now that the honey harvest is complete, there's still no rest for the Beekeeper, as it's time to start preparing our hives for winter 🥶. This includes feeding our bees on the run up to winter, to make sure our hives are strong and resilient enough for whatever Mother Nature has in mind 🐝💪

Honey bees cluster in the hive during winter and although they have honey stored, they can go through it quickly. Therefore, it's important to make sure they have enough extra food to keep their tummies full and see them through until Spring, when they start foraging again to make Spring honey 🍯.

When flowers fade rolling into Autumn, bees have much less to forage on and this is when we start adding food. We start with liquid food that mimicks the consistency of nectar from flowers. This stimulates the queen to lay more eggs, which is needed to make sure there's plenty big winter bees to keep the hive warm and strong in the depths of winter. Progressing through Autum, we thicken the liquid, as the bees start to need this as winter food, rather than to produce more bees.

We also add "crown boards" to our hives, as this makes the feeding process safer for the bees. It acts as a lid between the brood box (where the bees are) and the roof of the hive, keeping the hive closed off while the roof is open briefly to add food. This reduces the risk of heat escaping from the hive and causing harm to our bees 🐝. The holes and slots in the crown board also make it easierier to add emergency fondant (richer food), when the bees really need it during the depths of winter.

We add their food through the hole on the crown board, which the bees can access easily. The pictures below show the bees coming up into it, in the centre part. The bees can't escape past the feeder, making winter feeding easier and safer. Feeding the bees in winter can get tricky, as you can only open the hive briefly (and not when it's blowing a hoolie!) or the bees can get cold and die. Our main aim is to feed bees as safely as possible and we manage this through being able to feed the bees without removing the crown board and risking losing valuable heat.

We also test the weight of our hives during winter, as this lets us know if the bees are running low on food. The hive should feel a similar weight to a bag of cement before winter sets in. We test the weight during winter by lifting the back of the hive. If it feels light, this is when we start adding richer food - fondant - for the bees to eat, which they access through the hole on the crown board.

There's a continual cycle of hive checks year round to make sure our bees are healthy, safe and protected 🤗 🐝🥶