Recent Posts

1

Preserving Food / Re: My New Pet

« Last post by Zweefer on Yesterday at 10:41:38 pm »

I guess I am just used to terms like fermenting and using yeast for all my carbonation needs… I’ll have to look into this a bit as it sounds pretty cool


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2

General Beekeeping / Re: Bees Hanging Out On Front Of Beehive During The Day

« Last post by Bakersdozen on Yesterday at 08:16:58 pm »

I am going to lift the tomorrow.  One of my colonies has an inner cover that doesn't have a notch in it.  i thought this might be the colony.  I don't think it makes a difference, but this is a split from another colony. This picture is tonight right before it started raining.

They were actually washboarding a little bit tonight.

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General Beekeeping / Re: Bees Hanging Out On Front Of Beehive During The Day

« Last post by Jen on Yesterday at 04:48:40 pm »

Baker, I have no idea either. I checked two weeks ago, same as you, nice queen, every thing seems fine... I'm checking again this weekend.

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General Beekeeping / Re: Bees Hanging Out On Front Of Beehive During The Day

« Last post by Bakersdozen on Yesterday at 02:17:27 pm »

Jen, I have a hive doing the exact same thing.  I noticed a large number of bees hanging out on the sides and landing board all times of the day, even when temperatures were not that hot.  I checked today for signs of a queen and there she was, a real beauty with a big red dot.  Lots of brood and eggs.  They were filling the 2 honey supers but I put another super on with drawn comb.  These pictures are after I put the 3rd super on.  It seemed to reduce the number of bees hanging out on the front and sides.




I'm not sure what they are doing out there. 

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Preserving Food / Re: Fermenting

« Last post by The15thMember on Yesterday at 12:46:00 pm »

I figured I'd get this thread going again, since I've been doing a lot of fermenting lately.  We got a set of mason tops, so no more messing around with bags of marbles and such.  I've done several rounds of kraut and it's becoming a staple in the fridge.  Just yesterday I made up a beautiful batch of kraut from a beautiful deep purple cabbage. 

I also fermented some onions and they are great on sandwiches, salads, or burgers.  I've also had good reviews on fermented carrots.  I've done some plain, and the last batch I did with garlic and some herbs, and both the carrots and the garlic are great to snack on.  I'm planning on doing more onions and carrots sometime this week, so I'll post some pictures when I do.

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Preserving Food / Re: My New Pet

« Last post by Jen on Yesterday at 11:53:33 am »

Very cool 15th. My daughter is an alchemist/herbalist/master-gardener sorta gal. She loves making kombucha's and all things pickled and fermented. She no doubt has the healthiest gut on the planet.

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Preserving Food / Re: My New Pet

« Last post by The15thMember on June 05, 2023, 07:57:23 pm »

By this afternoon Kim's solution was even lighter than yesterday and no longer tasted just like molasses water, but a little bit ferment-y and not very sweet, so we moved into the next phase of the process.  I strained Kim out of their liquid and put them in a bowl of clear water for 20 minutes.  While they were in their bath, I put an inch of their liquid back into their jar, filled it up the rest of the way with water, and dissolved into that a 1/4 cup of demerara sugar for their next feeding.  We decided to flavor our first batch of kefir water with blueberries and freeze-dried lemons, since that's what we had around.  So I put a cup of crushed blueberries and a couple slices of lemon in their old liquid, and that will now sit for another day or two with a lid on to ferment again and get fizzy.  After Kim's bath, I replaced them into their jar to start the process over again.  So in a day or two when I need to do this whole process again, we'll have our first batch of kefir water soda to drink. 

8

General Beekeeping / The value of nucs

« Last post by Bakersdozen on June 05, 2023, 11:10:03 am »

I heard Jamie Ellis speak on nucs and how valuable they can be in beekeeping.  He gave everyone this link.  https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN869  Dr. Ellis wrote this publication and it explains what a valuable asset they are and how to manage them.  I know several beekeepers, myself included, that have successfully over wintered bees in nucs.  I really like nucs when going into fall.  If you find a weak or queenless colony they can be combined.

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Honey, Bee Forage; Nectar & Pollen Sources / Re: What blooms where and when

« Last post by Bakersdozen on June 05, 2023, 10:31:46 am »

66061: Elderberries, Oakleaf Hydrangea, and St. John's Wort.

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Preserving Food / Re: My New Pet

« Last post by Bakersdozen on June 05, 2023, 10:07:21 am »

Keep us updated on Kim's progress.