September Newsletter: Show Me the Honey

Gearing Up for Cut Comb Honey and Our Largest Honey Flow:

I’m sure you have heard the saying, “one man's trash is another man's treasure” such is the case with the Brazilian Pepper bush. The Brazilian Pepper bush is an invasive tree here in Florida, often considered as the “Bain of their existence” by local gardeners. However, to Alma and other beekeeper the “pepper” bush makes their heart smile. The Pepper flow is the last largest honey flow in the US for season before winter. You heard of, “Snow birds” but have you heard of “Snow Bees”? Beekeepers from all over Northern US bring their bees to Florida to “winter” because of this honey flow. It takes 3 months over the Summer to make one box of honey. During the pepper flow the same bees can make a box of honey in ten days!

To gear up, Sarasota Honey Company’s special worker bees have been bizzee making some special boxes to make cut comb honey. We have had many customers asking for honeycomb at the store. Due to Covid-19 we did not have the time, manpower, or income to make these special boxes. The blessings, prayers, and loyalty of our awesome customers made it possible for us to stay in business, keep all our team, and FINALLY be able to make the cut comb honey boxes just in time for our largest harvest. There is a YouTube video on our Sarasota Honey channel of our Liza making these frames. (please share & subscribe)

Rosha Hashanah is Almost Here:

Rosh Hashanah is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. It’s a very important holiday on the Jewish calendar. It is the first of what is called the High Holidays (or High Holy Days), a ten-day period that ends with Yom Kippur—the holiest day of the Jewish year. On Rosh Hashanah, Jews from all over the world celebrate God’s creation of the world. Food is an important part of Rosh Hashanah. Many special foods are included in a traditional Rosh Hashanah meal as blessings. The bread, traditionally baked into round challah loaves is dipped into honey, expressing the wish for a sweet year. Furthering the sweet theme, it is traditional to begin the meal on the first night with slices of apple dipped in honey. Before eating the apple, they make the ha’eitz blessing and then say, “May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year.”

Sarasota Honey Company’s Royal Harvest Honey Spread is a special honey spread with organic dates, figs, and pecans that pairs perfectly with challah bread! We are also pleased to be partnering with Temple Sinai. On Sunday, September 13, from 4-5 pm, we will be presenting a special virtual honey tasting with 4 types of honeys, cheese, and biscuits put together in a kit. To pick up a free kit please email: bleinweber@templesinaisarasota.org. Sarasota Honey Company will also be offering honey at wholesale pricing to local temples, synagogues, and Jewish Congregations for Rosh Hashanah. For more information please contact Alma: alma@sarasotahoney.com or call/text 941.726.8755.

Sarasota Bay Honey is Here:

Our bay honey is now at our store, our website: www.sarasotahoney.com and at Special Nutrition located at 1882 Stickney Point Rd, Sarasota, FL 34231. This year’s bay honey is very unique, we can honestly say that we haven’t had a honey like this in YEARS! The bay honey has a buttery sweet taste to it, that reminded Alma of an extreme local honey that was harvest many years ago in the Venice/Osprey beach area. The south Sarasota county honey of many years past was very limited as it came from only 20 beehives, it sold out very quickly due to its unique buttery taste…a favorite on any pastry! Every year since we have customers come in asking for this particular honey and taste. Unfortunately, every year the honey will taste different due to environmental changes both by nature and by man. At Sarasota Honey Company we don’t feed our bees to control taste and production levels…all of our honey is made with 100% nectar, not sugar/corn syrup water. What we have found in recent years a slight change, but this year the tastes are OMG night and day! Our theory is that due to Covid-19 many projects halted, vegetation the would be either manicured or removed before their bloom remained and thrived. The bees were able to forage on flowers that were not available in recent years creating a wonderful and unique honey this year.

Buzz at the Honey Store:

All our special worker bees have been hard at work putting those multi-tasking and teamwork skills in action due to the coming season and honey flow. They are assisting customers, making products, restocking the store, building those special boxes and frames for the hive. Like a natural reflex they ask and give help to each other to achieve the team’s goal by building on their collaborative strengths. When Alma was asked, “How would you describe your team?” She replied, “One bee alone cannot survive, not even the queen. One would barely give a thought to a single bee. However, when many bees unite to make a hive, a family…they are a force to be reckoned with and remembered. That is my hive, that is my team, that is my pride, the heart of our success.”