Strawberry Yogurt Shortcakes

Did you know May is National Strawberry Month? It's the perfect time of year to enjoy fresh, local strawberries. Strawberry shortcake is a recipe for spring and summer events. The shortcakes are best fresh from the oven and the recipe overall takes about 30 minutes to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Strawberry shortcake maple sugar2 cups all-purpose flour
10 tablespoons Aunt Patty's Maple Sugar, divided
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon fine sea salt 
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes, plus 2 tablespoons melted
1 ¾ cups plain whole milk Greek yogurt, divided
½ cup whole or lowfat milk
1 pound ripe strawberries, thinly sliced

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 4 tablespoons  maple sugar, baking powder, and  salt. Add butter and knead into the flour with your hands until butter is in pea-sized pieces. Stir in ¾ cup yogurt and milk until dough just comes together.
3. Spoon biscuit dough onto the baking sheet in 8 mounds, brush with melted butter, and  sprinkle with 1 tablespoon maple sugar. Bake until gol den brown, about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine strawberries and 2 tablespoons maple sugar and allow to sit until berries release some juice.
5. Allow biscuits to cool slightly once baked, then split  in half. Combine remaining 1 cup yogurt and 3 tablespoons maple sugar. Top bottom biscuit halves with yogurt, berries, and the top of the biscuit.

 

The Top 3 reasons to bike to work

Today is national “Bike to Work Day 2017”. Established in 1956 by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike to Work Day is an opportunity to reconnect with those feelings of freedom you experienced as a kid as you sped down a hill at top speed and rediscover the many benefits that cycling offers. It’s time to leave your car at home, grab your helmet and hop on your bike—get that body moving!

“Don’t ride a bike to add days to your life. Ride a bike to add life to your days!”

GloryBee’s Top 3 reasons to bike to work

  1. Clean Air
    Breathe in that fresh air. Unlike cars, bikes don’t emit harmful greenhouse gases. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, motor vehicles account for 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions. Most cars emit more than one pound of CO2 per mile, but a cyclist only breathes out .02 ounces. Bicycles don’t use fossil fuels, use significantly less energy to make and maintain than a car, and don’t require toxic batteries or motor oil.
  2. Healthy Living
    According to the World Health Organization, people should get 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week. People who bike to work are four times more likely to get 150+ minutes of exercise per week than car commuters. Cycling burns incredible amounts of calories- as much as jogging, but without as much harmful impact on your joints. In addition to burning calories, cycling helps lower you blood pressure, build up muscle tissue, and improves your cardio-vascular system.
  1. Money
    Most Americans spend over $2,000 per year on gas and over $10,000 on fuel, insurance, parking and maintenance! Bikes cost less than $1,000 and average about $60 a year in maintenance costs—and if you’re handy with tools, you can do the bike tune-ups and repairs yourself. In addition, when you bike to work, you improve your health-resulting in less sick visits to the doctor and avoiding outrageous medical bills.

“When in doubt, pedal it out!”

GloryBee Introduces New honey – Made by Bees, for Bees

SAVE the BEE honeyHoney bees are dying off at an alarming rate. No single reason has been discovered for these tragic bee losses. There are many possible causes, like loss of habitat, toxic pesticides or deadly parasites; however, scientists are struggling to finance all the research needed to find a cure. To help protect honey bees, GloryBee has created SAVE the BEE Clover Blossom Honey, which donates 10% of all sales to fund critical bee research. This innovative product gives lovers of bees and honey an opportunity to make a difference in the life-or-death struggle honey bees are facing.

“Since our early days, we’ve been focused on bee health as core to our business and community,” says Alan Turanski, president of GloryBee and an avid beekeeper. “Our dream is to give everyone the ability to care for our planet. SAVE the BEE Honey empowers people with the ability to protect our pollinators. Even if you don’t have time to become an activist, you can still take action by purchasing this amazing honey.”

A picture is worth a thousand words—and 25¢

GloryBee invites you to join us in the battle to SAVE the BEE. From now until September 30, GloryBee will donate 25 cents when you post a photo of a bee, honey, or food pollinated by a bee and tag with #SaveTheBee on Instagram! Based on the number of pictures posted and tagged, GloryBee will donate up to $10,000. One entry per Instagram account is allowed per day. Grab your camera phone, share your pictures and start making a difference! The best photos will be featured on SaveTheBee.org.

GloryBee’s mission to save honey bees began in 2012 when they introduced their SAVE the BEE social initiative. By donating proceeds from sales of their honey and beekeeping products, GloryBee is able to directly impact organizations dedicated to saving honey bees. Find out more ways to take action at SaveTheBee.org.

Beeswax Citronella Candle

Summer barbecues are the perfect spot for those pesky mosquitoes to show up. To keep them at bay, try using a citronella candle outside. It will look great in your entertaining space, but also make a comfortable atmosphere for all. You can change the container as well – use canning jars, small galvanized pails, or create the candles into tea lights.

Supplies

Wax melting pot or double boiler
Small candle containers (Votives, canning jars, small galvanized pails, etc).
1 lb of beeswax – pastilles work great
1 cup of coconut oil
Wicks
Citronella essential oil

Instructions

1. Using a double boiler or a melting pot and a double boiler ring, melt wax on low heat.

2. Dip one end of the wick into the melted wax, this will help you thread it through the wick tab. After threading the wick tab, slightly crimp with wick tab to clasp the wick.

3. Use hot wax to attach the wick to the bottom center of your desired container. Attach the top of the uncut wick to a wick bar or pencil to center and make the wick tight in the container.

4. When the wax has reached pouring temperature (130 degrees), remove from heat and add coconut oil. You may need to bring this back up to temperature to blend and melt thoroughly.

5. Remove wax/oil mix from heat and add citronella essential oil. You will need 1fl oz of citronella essential oil per pound of wax.

6. Pour wax into prepped containers. Be sure to keep a small amount of melted wax as a reserve. Due to air pockets around the wick that can cause your candle to snuff out as it begins to cool in the container, it will shrink slightly and you will need to top off the candle with reserved wax.

7. Allow candle to cool – trim wick to ¼ inch and allow candle to cure for 24 hours.

Boxes and Blossoms – Packages of Bees inspire backyard creativity

reBees make more than honey—they help plants develop seeds. Fruits and vegetables need pollination--honey bees are the perfect workers for the job! If you recently picked up your packages of live bees and installed them in hives—you may be wondering the best place to put them.

Bees need four basic things:

  1. A sunny, dry hive
  2. Flowers
  3. Protection from toxics
  4. Protection from parasites

The GloryBee Factory Store has a set up a Bee Garden to give local beekeepers innovative ideas on setting up some bee friendly habitats. We planted strawberries, rosemary, legumes as well as some sunflowers and clover- which are all pollinator attractors.

We made sure all the planter beds:

  • Have organic soil
  • Are free from pesticides
  • Include pollinator friendly plants

HIVE NOTES: Our Bee Garden hive is facing Southeast-- so its back is to the wind and its entrance faces the early sun. We also built a fence around the Bee Garden-- so young kids or unaware adults won’t wander in front of the hive and startle the bees.

DON’T THROW AWAY THAT BEE BOX!
If your bees came in a caged box, there are many creative ways you can re-use the box after your bees are installed.  Here are two Upcycled Bee Box Projects from two super-creative GloryBee Employees.

Marcia’s Succulent Bee Box
Succlent Bee Box
Upcycling and succulents are hot topics and these beauties are everywhere. You can see they’re especially dramatic in a miniature scape. Marcia’s inspiration for upcycling a bee box was nature and form. She wanted to salvage a bee box and incorporate it with the shape, color and form of a succulent.
Marcia believes that upcycling encourages us to shift our thinking from consuming and disposing to wondering what new life lies beneath old objects.  Marcia’s project took about 1 hour including purchasing the sphagnum moss, soil for the succulent and the succulents themselves.

 

Julia’s Bright Idea Bee Box
Light Bee BoxVintage floating shelves and Edison light bulbs are not something you see everyday. Julia was inspired by these classics and created an artistic floating shelf that really lights up a room- with a real working retro lightbulb. She ordered the bulb and plug online and it took her about an hour to build.
Recycling and reusing is important to Julia because she believes our culture is one of consumption. People buy things, use them, then throw them away. Valuable resources are wasted on waste. She loves to tell people that everyone wins when we recycle/upcycle/reuse!

Coconut Quinoa Pancakes

Now you have an excuse to stay in your pj’s with this decadent breakfast that you can serve up in the comfort of your own kitchen. Top each stack with fresh fruit, toasted coconut, and a drizzle of pure maple syrup for a morning to be remembered.

 

coconut pancakes on tableIngredients

1 cup whole wheat or gluten-free all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Aunt Patty’s Organic Coconut Sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 ½ cups milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 
3 tablespoons Aunt Patty’s Extra Virgin Coconut Oil, melted and divided
1 cup cooked whole grain quinoa
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

 

Directions

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and baking powder.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour into the flour mixture and stir just until combined (careful not to over mix, some small lumps are fine). Gently stir in 2 tablespoons melted oil, then fold in quinoa and coconut.

3. In a large, nonstick skillet, warm 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Pour ¼ cup of batter per pancake into the pan. Cook until bubbles begin to form on the top of the pancake and bottom is golden brown. Flip pancakes, and cook until done, about 1 more minute. Repeat the process with remaining batter, adding another teaspoon of oil to coat the skillet with each new batch.

Relaxing Eucalyptus Foot Soak

You’ve had a hard week on those feet! Ran a big race, worked in the yard, wore the wrong shoes? Sit back and enjoy a nice foot soak. We like using Eucalyptus essential oil because of the cool and refreshing scent, but you cane make it your own by choosing a scent that you prefer (lavender, lemongrass, peppermint to name a few).

Ingredients

1 cup Epsom salt
½ cup baking soda
½ cup sea salt
5 to 10 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Store in a clean glass jar. Use ¼ cup to ½ cup of mixture per warm foot bath.

The 10 Most Amazing Honey Bee Facts Ever

You don’t have to be a beekeeper to appreciate the honey bee! This fascinating insect is one of Nature’s most social creatures, and also one of the most unique living organisms on our planet. In the past three decades, honey bees have been dying off. No one is sure of the exact cause for their disappearance. Pesticides, genetically modified crops, parasites and changing climate patterns are all being considered as contributing factors, but more scientific research is needed.

Knowledge is power. The more people learn about the honey bee, the more they will be motivated to take action and protect our pollinators. Here are ten amazing honey bee facts to share with your family and friends to help them truly appreciate the hard-working honey bee. Discover more ways to help honey bees at SAVEtheBEE.org.

Honey Bee Trivia

  1. Honey Bees have 5 eyes- 2 large compound eyes and 3 small simple eyes.
  2. Honey Bee queens lay 1,500 eggs A DAY.
  3. A single bee makes 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime. A typical little 12-ounce honey bear squeeze bottle takes 864 bees to make all the honey that goes inside it.
  4. Bees flap their wings 190 times a second. (That’s over double the 70 times a second the hummingbird flaps its wings)
  5. A honey bee flies 15 miles per hour.
  6. Honey bees keep the inside of their hives at 93 degrees Fahrenheit. (If it’s cold outside, all the bees vibrate their bodies and create body heat to warm up their hive to 93°, and when it’s hot outside, they flap their wings like fans to create a breeze and cool it off.)
  7. Honey bees never sleep!
  8. It takes approximately 1,100 bee stings to be fatal to a healthy adult human.
  9. Honey bees are the ONLY insect that produces food for humans to eat.
  10. Honey bees pollinate approximately 80% of all vegetables, fruit and seed crops in the USA.

Save the Bee French Toast

If you've got an extra few minutes in your schedule this weekend - take the time to make your family wholesome Save the Bee French Toast. Using Franz Save the Bee Honey Wheat bread makes this dish just a bit heartier than using standard white bread that many recipes call for. You know you'll be feeding your family a meal they love as well a meal with quality ingredients you can be proud of.

Ingredients

4 eggs
¾ cup milk
1 tablespoon Aunt Patty's vanilla
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons GloryBee honey
Slices of Franz Save the Bee Honey Wheat Bread

Toppings

Unsalted butter
Aunt Patty’s Maple Sugar or maple syrup
Confectioners Sugar

Directions

  1. Beat eggs, milk, vanilla, honey and cinnamon together in a shallow baking dish. Whisk to combine thoroughly.
  2. Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. While heating, soak each piece of bread in egg mixture, flipping to coat both sides.
  3. Add bread to buttered skillet cooking for about 2-3 minutes each side until the toast is golden brown. Enjoy!

Beekeeping Basics: Most Effective Ways to Use a Bee Hive Smoker

Whether you're a beginner beekeeper or a veteran in the field, bee hive smokers are important tools to have, and it's equally as important to know how to properly use these beekeeping tools.

Just as beekeeping gloves and a beekeeper hat are essential, so is the bee hive smoker. Here are some tips and best practices to keep in mind when you're making use of this important beekeeping tool.

What does a smoker do?

Young Beekeeper with SmokerThe smoker is an essential tool to have in your beekeeping equipment set. Essentially it helps calm the bees down to make honeycomb collection much easier for you, the beekeeper. The effect of the smoke on the bees depends on several different factors, so there may be a learning curve when it comes to using this tool regularly.

Why is a smoker important?

The purpose of a smoker, as previously stated, is to make it easier for you to work the hive. The smoke prevents bees from communicating and will calm them a bit. Honey bees can fly up to 15 MPH, so the smoke ensures more safety. But the hive should only be open for 10 to 15 minutes to ensure the bees are safe and that the hive stays within a certain temperature range.

What kind of fuel should be used in a smoker?

Lighting the smoker can be tricky because your fuel should produce smoke, it shouldn't just burn up and then cease working. The smoke needs to be cool in order to calm the bees down and maintain the delicate balance within the hive.

To get the best smoke, you'll need to start with some form of tinder that will burn easily. Dried pine needles, hay, and even newspaper are all popular options. Once the tinder has been lit, place something like a pine cone or wood chips in to act as coal and then give the bellows a few puffs to ensure oxygen flow.

After that, the smoker should be packed tight with more pine needles or hay. Letting the smoker sit for 10 minutes or so any puffing it occasionally will help the smoke generate. Once the smoke is nice and cool, you're ready to smoke out the hive.

Bee hive smokers are important tools, which means it's important to know how to use them. Once you have that figured out, you should be well on your way to becoming an expert beekeeper.

Honey Production in Mexico is supporting the Bees and protecting small family coffee farms

In the 1990’s a co-op of coffee-farming families was formed in Chiapas, Mexico as a means to protest the unjust atrocities oppressing the people.  With the help of local churches, several coffee farming communities banded together and began selling high-quality coffee. In 2011, GloryBee’s owners, Alan and Dick Turanski, traveled to Mexico to meet with Fair Trade suppliers, and met some of the Chiapas co-op farmers. When they heard the farmers’ story, they knew they had to help. GloryBee worked with other cause forward organizations to teach the coffee farmers beekeeping as a way to supplement their income and increase the yield of their crops with honey bee pollination.

Dick Turanski Coffee BlossomIn several years the farmers were ready to sell honey internationally, and began sending GloryBee one container of Fair Trade honey every year. Today the Chiapas coffee farmers practice sustainable coffee production and have mastered beekeeping.

Farming Coffee and Keeping Bees
Coffee farmers rely on their coffee crops as their main source of income, but often face ‘thin months’ between harvests, or years in poverty if a coffee crop fails.  Beekeeping for honey production and pollination solve social and environmental challenges:

  • Coffee production has been found to double when purposely pollinated by honey bees
  • Honey harvest provides an off-season income for coffee farmers
  • Honey sales provide an alternative source of income to deforestation should the coffee farms fail
  • Honey production does not require ownership of land, making it an option for young people or disengaged members of the community

Serving communities and protecting our environment
GloryBee has been working with Coffee Farmers in Mexico for over 6 years. We are proud to announce we are partnering with Food4Farmers to seek coffee farmers with export-quality honey. Food4Farmer’s mission is to facilitate the implementation of sustainable food security programs in coffee-growing communities in Latin America.

We encourage everyone to reduce their impact on the earth by using earth-friendly practices whenever possible and practical.  This planet and the people on it matter. Together we can eliminate poverty and enjoy all the goodness the earth has to offer.

Honey Glazed Ham Sandwich

If you're getting ready for family gatherings like many of us over Easter, you'll need to feed a crowd. Hams work not only for formal dinners, but also as a great leftover to use in sandwiches. Our honey brown sugar glaze only takes a few minutes to make, so the chef can join in on the family fun!

Pictured - ham with glaze on Franz Save the Bee Honey Wheat bread - perfect for leftover ham sandwiches!

Ingredients

1 cup of honey
½ cup organic brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground mustard
½ tsp cinnamon