I occasionally reference being raised on a "funny farm." Someplace back in the history of this blog, I have written about this before. I was raised on a honey-bee farm. There were two houses, a barn, a small warehouse, and an extracting plant on the farm. About 3% of the bees we kept were on the farm, the others were on leased locations, spread across 5 or 6 counties.
I was out running errands with my grandmother one day, she stopped to pay for a fuel delivery to the farm. She asked for the bill for the Honey Farm, and the person behind the counter, slid open the glass window into the inner office and asked for the latest invoice for the "Funny Farm." I thought it was funny, my grandmother didn't. She had a temper, she pitched a fit, threatening to change suppliers if it ever happened again. The guy who owned gas and oil delivery service was a flying buddy of my father, there was little risk that the business would be lost, but she knew how to make people cower.
I bought a one-pound queenline jar of honey recently at the farmers market on King Street, $13. My father rattled in his urn at that price. He sold hundred of those for 25-cents. He thought I was crazy when I raised the retail price in the extracting plant to $1.
Bee keeping, has become fashionable. Colin from Foxes Afloat is keeping bees in Scotland. The photo above is in Cleveland near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
I won't take it up. I enjoyed the processing and packing side of the business, I didn't like the bee keeping farm side of the business. My father sold out and retired the first time in 1982.
Colin has become somewhat of an expert in bee keeping in a very short time.
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of an Australian rhyme which probably isn't good for honey sales, Honey make you funny bunny, when sitting on the dunny.
I don't read the Comments for Colin, but I expect that he gets lots of advice.
DeleteWell here in Harrisburg or Bucks County you'll often see people selling their homemade honey offerings on the side of the road. And they are expensive honey along with maple syrup has gone way up in price. But I'll pay it. Not only does it taste good but you support local.
ReplyDeleteThe world needs more funny farms.
DeleteWell, bees are über important to our environment; they go, we go.
ReplyDeleteYour grandmother sounds like mine. She was a tiny woman, barely topped five feet, but she ruled the family. And ours was a bit of a funny farm!
Our primary pollinators, and not pests.
DeleteKeeping the bees happy is very important. My dad called our weekend place in the country the funny farm!
ReplyDeleteThe land was largely my grandfathers toy.
DeleteI've seen those beehives! I took a beekeeping class, really enjoyed all the information passed along, but that's where it stops. I'll support the local beekeepers.
ReplyDeleteI'll buy the product, and encourage, but I am not back in a bee yard.
DeleteYou can imagine what those jars of gourmet honey go for around here. My grandfather would have lifted that cashier bodily over the counter. My grandmother would have said, “Sam, stop.”
ReplyDeleteHer words could be impactful
DeleteAlas my brother's bees all died. No good that.
ReplyDeleteThat happens, buy fresh one's and never give up.
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