Y’all know how I love the bees……guess what this newsletter is going to be about?! LOL – Yep Bees and Honey!
Mom and I love to do farm tours on vacation. We find it so interesting how things grow, are harvested and how things work on a farm. When Mom and I were on the Big Island in June, we went to the Kona side of the Island to check out Big Island Bees. If you are ever on the Big Island be sure to check them out and bring some of the fab honey home! No need to worry about putting it in your suitcase and dealing with overage or TSA; if you purchase over a certain amount, they will ship for free!
They have all sorts of cool info and recipes on their site so check it out. Also, be sure to read their article about fake honey! Support your local bee keepers whenever possible or from very reputable sources.
Did you know you can take a FREE Honey Bee course through Ohio State? Me either but Joe from Big Island Bees told us about it. So if you are interested, check out the link. There is tons of information on the OSU site about bee keeping.
And check out the Pickens World Honeybee Day Festival on August 17th!
Love,
Nicole
Product of the Month – Big Island Bees Honey!
Big Island Bees offers 3 different types of honey and since they care for and harvest their own hives they have a lot of control over where their bees go. Their bees pollinate 3 main crops/flowers in Hawaii. Of course you can never say exactly where the bees go but mostly they harvest honey at three very specific times.
We did a taste testing of their honeys as well. They were delicious.
Mom was like, I don’t really use honey that much… Then she bought several jars to bring home! And guess what? I have a limited amount of these honeys available for sale in 9 oz jars.
Lehua Honey
One of the world’s rarest honeys, organic Ohi’a Lehua honey (also known as Lehua honey) is found only in Hawaii, and is produced in late spring and early summer from Lehua blossoms in the Ohi’a forests of Mauna Loa. It is a white, crystallized honey, with a naturally thick, spreadable texture, and a delicate, understated floral flavor. Ideal for tea drinkers, since it doesn’t mask the taste of the tea, it is also excellent for spreading on toast, mixing with nut butters, and scooping directly from the jar! You can also get this infused with cinnamon, vanilla or with chili peppers (limited amount and only at their brick and mortar)! The cinnamon actually comes from a farm on the Big Island. They are not open for tours or we would have gone there. This honey with either cinnamon or the chili peppers was my favorite.
I love this honey! Not only does it taste amazing but I love the story behind the tree.
Macadamia Nut Blossom Honey
Macadamia Nut honey is a premium, dark honey produced in the winter and early spring from the MacNut orchards on the Southeast part of the island. With hints of chocolate, a deep complex aroma, and a soft, velvety texture, it is the one to reach for when you want something sweet on fruit or fruit salad, or on pancakes and waffles.
Wilelaiki Honey
Their most versatile honey, organic Wilelaiki Blossom, is collected in the late summer and autumn from Christmasberry trees on the lower elevations of the leeward side of the island. The tree, originally introduced to Hawaii from Brazil, produces honey with a brilliant amber sparkle and a peppery finish. Wilelaiki combines wonderfully with cheeses, vegetables, and meats. This is a gift for a gourmet.
Most of their honey is certified organic and bears the USDA organic logo on the label.
9 oz honey jars are $12 each
Except Ohi’a Lehua Vanilla is $14
Facial of the Month – Eucalyptus Honey Facial
I just had this facial done! My skin feels awesome and the products felt and smelled yummy.
The eucalyptus oil in this enzyme has a clean fresh scent and relaxes away tension from the day, but the real benefits come from Gatuline® Renew, Telangyn™, PhytoCellTec™ Symphytum and X-pressin™. The enzyme is jam packed with ingredients that increase cell renewal, barrier function, and reduce redness leaving the skin exfoliated and soft.
Next, treat the skin with the humectant-rich Golden Honey Nourishing Mask with honey which is anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial. Sunflower Oil and Royal Epigen P5 increase regeneration of skin for soft, smooth, hydrated skin. Allantoin and panthenol improve the skin’s natural protective barrier and provide significant hydration to boost the skin’s moisture, leaving a hydrated smooth surface.
This facial treats the senses yet leaves the skin feeling refreshed and hydrated. This pro-aging skin treatment is perfect for Dry Skin and Sensitive Skin.
1 Hour Treatment – $70
Big Island Bee Facts and How to Help the Bees Locally
Some interesting things I learned on our honey tour:
- Honey Bees were introduced to Hawaii in 1857
- The Big Island Bee Farm was started by a Bee Keeper from Georgia in the 70s and passed down to his stepson, who is now a 4th generation Bee Keeper.
- On average it takes 2 MILLION flowers to help produce about 1lb of honey
- On average 1 hive = 150lbs of honey (This may be wrong but what I wrote down from our guide)
- In a bees life span of 4 – 6 weeks, it will only make about 1/4tsp of honey!
- The purpose of the stinger is to lay eggs. So only females have stingers.
- When a bee stings you it leaves a smell of bananas behind so other bees can find you.
- After the male bees mate with the Queen, they go out with a bang – literally they explode afterwards!
- Honey never spoils.
- Everyone talks about the honey bee but people forget we have local bees we need to help too! Find out what bees in general are local to your area and help support them. Here are insects and bees generally found in South Carolina.
How can we help local bees as well as honey bees?
Plant lots of native flowers, trees and shrubs, not just ornamental plants. This helps the land in several ways.
- It gives local pollinators nectar as well as food for local birds and other local critters.
- It also provides shelter.
- Native plants tend to do well with our soil and level of rainfall.
If you have a bird bath or a water source for bees, use a wine cork so they can easily land and take a drink before flying off again.
I am designing my new landscaping based on these things. I am doing things in stages. I do have one small area that will have cacti and succulents and some tropical plants but everything will be drought tolerant, mostly native species, and provide food and shelter to animals, birds, bees and other insects.
The 411 on what pesticides you can use
Check out the links below before you spray!
http://www.kellysolutions.com/clemson/pesticides/pesticideindex.asp
https://www2.ipm.ucanr.edu/beeprecaution/
Some local sources for bee info:
SC State Beekeeper’s Association – https://scstatebeekeepers.com/
Kids can get involved in bee keeping at Clemson – https://www.clemson.edu/extension/4hbee.html
Salsa at Sunset is Saturday, August 17th From 6 PM – 10 PM
Raspberry Moon is proud to be a sponsor again this year of Salsa at Sunset. Come out for a free group salsa lesson and a live Latin band. Feel free to bring chairs and sit back and enjoy the fun!
Salsa Dance lessons are from 6-7pm and followed up with the live music of a latin band. More info and directions available on Facebook.
The last Salsa at Sunset for the season will take place in Clemson on Friday, September 20th from 6 to 10 pm. Hope to see you at one or both of them!
PK Night is back September 6th
We are so excited to team up with some awesome people and bring PK Nights back to Greenville!
What is PechaKucha you say? Well, PechaKucha Nights are informal and fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts, holiday snaps — just about anything, really, in a PechaKucha 20×20 format (20 slides, 20 seconds per slide).
Mark your calenders for September 6, 2019, come enjoy First Friday in the Village and then head over to Brains on Fire – see their new digs; meet some cool people; learn something fab and then head out for some fun or home for your comfy pjs!
Presenters are like a “Box of Chocolates” so you never know what you might be inspired by or learn.
Check out our event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/2280664445540539/
You can sign up for our newsletters/blog posts to stay in the know at: https://www.pechakucha.com/cities/greenville
Interested in presenting? Just send me an email and we can go from there.
All of our events will coordinate with First Friday Art Crawl. Can’t make June? Sad as that may be, we have 2 more nights scheduled and you are welcome to any and all of them!
- Friday, December 6, 2019
- Friday, March 6, 2020
Doors will open at 7:30 pm with presentations starting at 8:20pm (yep 2020 on the 24 hour clock, hence the 20 slides, 20 seconds!)
Appointments and Online Booking
Did you know that we now have an online booking system? Check it out at www.RaspberryMoonST.com (click the Book Your Appointment button on the right). This system enables us to send appointment confirmations, reminders, and allows you to change your appointment.
I do my best to get everyone in at their preferred times. If for any reason you are unable to make your appointment please let me know a minimum of 2 days beforehand. You will receive an email when you book your appointment and should also receive your appointment reminders via email 2 days beforehand. Please be sure to check your spam folder and add us to your safe list! Remember this is a courtesy reminder, not reading your emails is not a good reason for missing your appointments. If you do not show up for your appointment or cancel with less than 24 hour notice you will be charged the full service. I understand emergencies happen but we all need to respect each other’s time.
Out of the office:
- Aug 17-20 – PA for Nana’s Birthday
- Sept 15-16 – in Atlanta for Viktoria De’Ann Training
Sundays I will be working thru the end of 2019:
- Aug 25
- Sep 29
- Oct 27
- Nov 24
- Dec 22
