The Harvest Bee Blog

Good Evening, Friends This week's email is going to be very short because a bizzy bee of ours at The Hive decided he was a little uncomfortable with me weeding too close to their house and nailed a a nice honey bee Cupid's arrow stinger right below my right eye, thus making the sight rather distorted on one side of my face. Those of you have known about our bees for awhile also know that this is not the first time the bees have been upset with us, but we still love them nonetheless. It really is amazing to see how peaceful and comfortable the bees are scattered throughout the field, resting on the flowers of various plants, but one step too close to home base and WHAM!!! Down goes the farmer. But oh how we need these little workers and the symbiosis between the benefits the bees provide and the functioning and fertility of the land cannot be understated. On account of it being Valentine's Day and all it would seem appropriate to draw the comparison between the sometimes painful territorial reactions from our bees and how our own lovers and loved ones react toward us when we get a little too close or too annoying and he or she may not necessarily be in the mood for company. That's why we love each other, though, right? It's now about how hard we sting, but how strong that love prevails even after the sting....er something like that. ANYWAYS.... Please take time at your convenience to read this short article regarding CSAs and how much they really help us small farmers. It perfectly conveys the camaraderie between farmer and consumer created by CSA programs and really expresses why we love you all so much. As I have said before, sometimes other people just explain things much better than I could ever hope to so, I hope you find this article educational. In this week's shares you will find the following: •Mandarin Oranges •Sapodilla Fruit •Bunching Greens (Kale, Chard, Collards, or Mustards) •Salad Mix •Edible Flowers or Oregano Here is a description of the Sapodilla, it is somewhat similar in texture and ripeness to the Black Sapote, but totally different flavor and color. Very good sources of Vitamin A and C, as well a good source of tannins. They grow great in our region and these are some of our first harvests from the new fruit grove we have added to The Hive recently. Sapodilla Description: http://www.tfgsf.com/?page_id=560 Sapodilla Recipes: http://www.virtualherbarium.org/tropicalfruit/sapodilla-recipes.html Have a great rest of the week and Rosie weekend and we will see you all at pick-ups! "Onen," The Bees