Merry Christmas y'all.

We here at Beelicious want to wish you all a blessed Christmas season as you visit with family and friends. We are thankful to all our customers and retailers who support us and make what we do worthwhile.  We appreciate you all and wish you a safe and prosperous new year.

Wishing you all a joyful Christmas season and happy new year,
Keith and Melanie Dale
Beelicious Honey

The temperatures have dropped here reminding us that Fall is finally here. I know that we will still have many summer like days intermittently but that just goes with living in the South. Weather is very fickle in the South.

So, yesterday I tried something that I have meant to do for several years now. I made my first batch of a simple syrup using honey and lemongrass. The idea came to me from a sweet neighbor and master gardener, Barb. She had divided a lemongrass plant and gave me a portion to start our own. We all loved the smell and planted it in our yard. Now years later it is a monster bush. It has grown so incredibility fast and I find myself in that same position --- needing to find someone to share this wonderful plant with! So, I harvested several stalks to try in this simple syrup.

I must say the lemongrass honey simple syrup really adds such a wonder flavor to my hot tea. I just don't know why it took me so long to get that done!

Here is what I did: You use equal parts honey and water.
1 cup water
1 cup honey
Bring water to a boil and then add the honey. Take pot off the stove. Stir until combined. Add in lemongrass chopped and let steep. Remove lemongrass and pour into a container. Store in the refrigerator.

The fall season is upon us with much of the goldenrod now in bloom. Our bees are feeding on this feast of pollen and nectar. The recipe this month is a family favorite that we have often. It is a simple recipe for homemade pizza dough. The original recipe came from my mother's good friend, Mrs. Sue, and called for sugar but we substitute honey. Hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

Create Your Own Pizza
2 packages yeast
1 cup warm water
2 TBSP oil
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. Beelicious Honey
3 1/2 cups bread flour

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Stir in oil, salt, honey and bread flour slowly. Turn dough onto floured surface and knead until smooth. Place in a greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour or until doubled in bulk. Yields 2 -12" crusts.

Thai Pasta

Recently, we had several people over at our home for dinner. The theme for the evening's meal was Asian cuisine. My long time friend, Nellie, brought this amazing Thai Pasta. She is such a wonderful cook and it is always a treat whenever she makes. I only wish I had photos to share as well. This recipe was given to Nellie by a neighbor. Enjoy!

Thai Pasta
1 lb. angel hair pasta (cooked and drained)
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/4 c.oil
2 tablespoon sesame oil
6 tablespoon Beelicious honey
5 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tsp. salt
2 tablespoon peanut butter
1/2 tsp. ginger

Heat all the above ingredients in a sauce pan until warm (about 2 mins). Combine this sauce with the spaghetti.

When ready to serve add:
1/2 c. chopped green onions
3/4 c. Chopped peanuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds

Option:  you can add shrimp or chicken to this dish. If so, do 1 1/2 recipe of the sauce.

School's In. Here are some ideas for those lunches.

August is Here! Where did the summer go? Well it was fun but just way too short for us. Maybe because our summer months are so very busy carrying for the bees and extracting all that yummy honey. So, school has started here which means making all those school lunches each and every day as well as afternoon snacks for the troops and their friends. 

I am always looking for new, healthy foods for the children to eat. So, we often make the Chocolate Squares that I have listed below. It is a family favorite that can be modified any number of ways. You can add dried fruit like raisins, or cranberries. Fresh coconut would be another great addition as well. The choices are endless. So make this your own. Something that your family will enjoy.

An update to the Smoothie entry earlier this summer...We have had many many smoothie this summer and we continue to tweak it each time. Recently, I added spinach and it was great. You could not even taste the spinach. What a great way to get those veggies in! For this smoothie, we also included frozen blueberries which made it even more tasty.  This is also a great afternoon school snack that the kids will love. I have also been told that kale is another great addition to your smoothie. I plan on giving it a try. Let me know what you think.

Chocolate Squares

½ c. butter

1 c. oats

1 egg

1 c. chopped dates

2 T. wheat germ

¾ cup Beelicious honey

1 tsp. vanilla

½ c. all purpose flour

1 c. nuts, chopped

¾  c. chocolate chips

½ c. peanut butter chips

Mix all ingredients together. Spread into a greased 9x12 dish. Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cool. Cut into squares. Makes 12-15 bars.

Quick appetizer that will sure to be a hit

Need a quick appetizer for that fourth of July gathering? This super quick appetizer will be a sure fire hit.

1 block Havarti cheese, room temperature
Beelicious Honey
Sliced green and red apples, cut thinly
Crackers

Arrange the cheese in the center with the apple slices surrounding the cheese. Pour the honey over the cheese.  So, how do you eat this? Slice of apple, cheese with honey on top of the cracker of your choice. Simply Delicious!

Summer is Here!

Summer is definitely here in the South. The temperature is now soaring in the upper 90s and there is sweetness in the air. Today the temperature was a very hot 101F. The Chinese Tallow trees were in full bloom last month giving our honeybees the much needed nectar. Just yesterday we saw Red Vine beginning to bloom at our river location.

The bee yards have been busy with activity. Last month, we held our second nuc pickup for the year with one more set for June. Many people ask, "What is a nuc?"  A Nuc is a Nucleus Hive, which is a fully functional hive with a Laying Queen, Capped Brood, Uncapped Brood, Eggs, Honey and Pollen. The difference between it and a full size hive is merely the different number of frames in the box. 
 

Nuc’s offer a distinct advantage over package bees in that the Nuc is a functional hive with all stages of Brood Development with Comb and stores already available which is also headed up by a queen who is the mother of the bees in the colony.  A package typically has a queen which was placed into the package at the time of packaging and its not the mother of the bees in the package.  She could be rejected by the bees or not have a good brood laying patter (i. e. unhealthy or poorly mated).

Will I get honey the first year? It is possible to get a small honey crop (your first year) from a Nuc hive which is picked up in early Spring.  However, it is almost never possible to get a honey crop from a package of bees for a beginning beekeeper.

So, if beekeeping is in your future, contact us and we will help you on your way.  Happy Beekeeping and Stay COOL!

Honey Sesame Pork Tenderloin

Honey Sesame Pork Tenderloin

½ c soy sauce

2 cloves garlic

1 T. fresh ginger, grated (use the powder in the can and it works fine)

1 T. sesame oil

1 to 1 ½ lb. pork tenderloin

¼ c. Beelicious honey

2 T. brown sugar

¼ c. sesame seeds (optional)

Combine soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil in large plastic bog. Add tenderloin. Marinate at least 2 hours in refrigerator. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine honey and brown sugar. Remove tenderloin from marinade. Roll tenderloin in honey mixture then roll in sesame seeds. Toast in a shallow pan 20 to 30 minutes or until meat registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer. 

OPTIONS: We often substitute boneless pork chops for the tenderloin. I don't always have the tenderloin on hand but I can usually find pork chops in the freezer.  We serve this dish with rice, a side salad and green beans. It is so easy to prepare on those busy days and nights when we find ourselves coming and going. 

Happy Mother's Day 2012

Happy Mother's Day 2012

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

 
Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

 
But only one mother the wide world over.

 
~George Cooper

Strawberry Honey Trifle

April means Louisiana Strawberry Season is Here! Boy, there is nothing better than farm fresh, red, sweet strawberries from our neighbor state. At the local farmers market, we buy them by the flat. For some that may seem like a lot of strawberries to eat. But for a family of five, it might last a week. This time of year, we eat strawberries with every meal. Sometimes just strawberries dipped in honey and nothing more. But a family favorite that is so simple and so incredibly delicious is our Strawberry Honey Trifle. It's sure to get rave reviews at your house, too!

1 angel food cake
Stawberries (rinsed, sliced)
1 container of cool whip
Beelicious Honey

Break the angel food cake into small bite sized pieces. Layer the cake, then the strawberries. Drizzle honey all over the strawberry layer. Next spread the whip cream. Repeat. End with cool whip layer and decorate with whole strawberries and mint leaves. 

7 Grocery Store Items Americans are Blowing Money On

7 Grocery Store Items Americans are Blowing Money On

Check out this article. Thanks to our friends for sharing it with us. We hope that you will find a local beekeeper to purchase your honey. There is nothing better than pure, raw honey. Enjoy!

It's Smoothie Time!

Over the past several weeks, a thin layer of yellow pollen now covers everything. Spring is here and it is only March. Today the high was in the low 80s. Well, I think that winter is over. Time to put up the jackets and sweaters and find the shorts and flipflops. With this change in temperture, has come the much loved smoothie back to our house. It makes a great refreshing afternoon snack and has been a favorite in our home for years. I make it different each time depending on the fruit that I have available. Here is the basic reciepe but feel free to make it your own.

Fruit Smoothie

Greek yogart
Honey
1/2- 1 cup juice
Frozen fruit (pinapple, blueberrries, strawberries, kiwi, peaches-- these are our favorites)
Bee pollen (optional)

The key is having frozen fruit. This gives the smoothie a great slushy consistancy without adding ice.

Energy Bars

Recently, my son found this recipe in a new cookbook that the children received at Christmas. We modified it and it has quickly become a family favorite. The bars are great in their lunches or for an after school snack.

Energy Bars
1 egg
3/4 cup self rising flour
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup all natural applesauce (no sugar added)
3/4 cup honey
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients and bake in a greased baking dish. Press dough into dish using a fork. Bake for 20 minutes or until brown. Let cool completely before cutting into bars. Options: You can add raisins, cranberries, almonds, or anything that you would like in addition or in place I'd the chocolate chips. I make a bar just for me with cranberries and almonds.

February in South Mississippi Equals An Early Spring

All indicators point to an early spring here in the southern part of Mississippi. It is amazing to see the bees already hard at work. The maple trees are blooming. The bulbs in our gardens are already in full bloom. This is incredibly early and we hope that it is the beginning of an amazing honey season ahead. 

The nuc yard is in full swing. If you are contemplating beginning beekeeping, check out our website for details on how to order your Italian honeybees.  We are currently taking orders now.

On Saturday February 25th will be one of the many speakers at the 3rd Annual  Sustainable Living Conference: Saving Dollars, Making Sense sponsored by the Gaining Ground Sustainability Institute of Mississippi. Keith will be speaking on basic beekeeping and how to get started. This is a great conference with many interesting speakers on a variety of topics from gardening to conserving energy. This will be our second year to attend. You can visit the website to find our more. (www.ggsim.org) 

We hope to see you there.

Bread Pudding with Almond Sauce

Here is the recipe for the month.  The original recipe was given to us in 2005 and quickly became a family favorite.  This dish is a must at all holidays gatherings and is often asked for by our friends. Originally it called only for sugar, but with the addition of a little honey, it taste even better. We bet that this will be a hit where ever you take it. Enjoy!

Bread Pudding with Almond Sauce

6 large eggs
1 c honey

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 qt. cream
10-12 Hawaiian rolls
Combine eggs and honey. Add vanilla and cream. Pour into a greased 9 x 13 dish. Break rolls into bit size pieces and drop into mixture. Gently spoon mixture over rolls. Bake at 350 for 35-45 min. Remove from oven and immediately pour sauce over hot pudding.

Almond Sauce
1 c sugar
1 T. flour
combine in a small sauce pan. Add the below ingredients.
1/2 c evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 1/2 tsp almond extract.

Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in almond extract. Pour over hot baked pudding. Let soak until serving time. Refrigerate leftovers -- Rewarm in microwave.

Happy New Year

With the start of a new year, comes new resolutions. After much thought, we decided to venture into the world of blogging. What a great way for us to communicate what is going on here in the South regarding the world of beekeeping. It will also serve as a great tool to help those just beginning in beekeeping. We get many questions, from new beekeepers in our area. So our goal will be to post things of interest on a monthly basis. We will also post interesting videos of what is going on in our apiaries. We hope that you will find this both interesting and helpful.

Happy Beekeeping!