On 10.10.10 we were productive here on Aileen Street.
The goals for the day: Extract and jar honey and make fig jam.
We are alll about the YUM here in Oakland.
Here are some interesting facts to think about:
* A honeybee's wings stroke 11,400 times per minute. Bzzzzzzzzz.....
* Honeybees are the only insect that produce food for humans.
* Honeybees can travel as far as 3 miles from their hive.
* Honeybees are responsible for pollinating 80% of all fruit, vegetable, and seed crops in the U.S.
* To make a pound of honey, the bees in the colony must visit 2 million flowers, and fly over 55,000 miles.
* A single honeybee will produce 1/2 a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.
* Figs are believed to be the first agricultural plants grown by humans.
* Figs are of great nutritional value, and a great source of energy for athletes.
* If you are lactose intolerant: 1/2 a cup of figs = 1/2 a cup of milk!
We first had to pick the beauties from our abundant tree......plump & purple & sweet!
It takes time and energy to make sure all of the lids and jars are sterile.
But it is satisfying to see the line-up of multiple forms.........
Scott Ward does not usually like the taste of fig...
Things have changed.
Ok....now for the honey venture.......
You need something called an extractor that looks like R2D2.....
7 frames of capped honey...that is what we had to work with....
You also need a special knife that enables you to carefully open
up the cells to reveal the golden nectar.
Once the frames have been spun, the honey trickles into glass jars....
In the end we jarred 10 lbs. of beautiful Oakland honey.
Scott also loves the waxy yumminess that is like candy.
Thank you amazing bees!
The honey is sweet and amber colored: tastes of lavender and citrus tickle the tongue.
yum! you guys are amazing. can we taste some of that deliciousness?
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