GloryBee Blog

Blueberry Pie Frozen Yogurt

Longing for the summer fun during these dreary winter days? We can help! Whip up a batch of Blueberry Pie frozen yogurt. Whether served in a dish or a cone, you'll enjoy the tastes of summer, all year long.

Ingredients

3 Cups whole milk Greek yogurt

½ Cup GloryBee® Raw Honey

Zest and juice from 1 lemon

½ tsp cinnamon

1 Cup blueberries

5 Graham cracker sheets (lightly crushed)

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, honey, lemon zest/juice, and cinnamon. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer’s instructions.
When yogurt is nearly frozen, add berries and graham crackers, allowing the ice cream maker to mix them in until evenly distributed. Transfer frozen yogurt to a container and freeze until firm, at least 4 hours.

Natural Carpet Deodorizer

To create a clean, natural carpet deodorizer, combine the following:

Ingredients

1 cup of baking soda
5-6 drops of essential oil

Orange or lavender oil are good choices for this. Mix the baking soda and oil well; then add to a shaker - we recycled a GloryBee honey jar with small holes drilled in the top.

Sprinkle all over your carpets and let sit for 15 minutes. The baking soda will absorb odors and the oil will freshen and deodorize your carpets. Vacuum as usual.

Pulled Pork Nachos

If you're entertaining for game day, it's always nice to have a hearty snack to share. We like our using our Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe and then (get this) adding it to nachos!

INGREDIENTS

⅓ Cup Aunt Patty’s Coconut Sugar
2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp fine sea salt
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
1 Boneless pork shoulder roast (about 4 pounds)
1 Large onion (peeled, halved, and sliced)
½ Cup chicken broth or water

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, cumin, coriander, salt, onion, and garlic. Rub mixture all over pork.
In a slow cooker, add onions and broth, and then place pork on top. Cover and cook until very tender and easy to shred with a fork, about 6 hours on high heat or 8-10 hours on low heat.
Shred pork, removing and discarding excess fat. Mix in cooked onions and any juices from the bottom of the slow cooker, and serve with barbecue sauce to taste.

For Game Day Nachos

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy cleanup. Place a couple layers of tortilla chips. Sprinkle with cheese (we like cheddar and pepper jack).
Set the oven to broil on high and place the baking sheet with tortilla chips & cheese inside. Let cook for 3-5 minutes until cheese has melted.
Top with shredded pulled pork and any additional topping you like - guacamole, beans, corn, jalapeno peppers, salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Plug-In Air Freshener Refill

You know those glass plug-in air freshener containers? You don’t have to throw them out when they’re empty. Refill and reuse them!

Simply pry out the wick with a sharp knife. Fill the reservoir halfway with your favorite essential oil. Add filtered water to fill. Shake to mix the oil and water. Replace the wick and plug in as usual. Using essential oils as an air freshener is not only a money saver but it’s a much healthier, natural alternative to the original ingredients in a plug-in air freshener.

Here's some of our essential oil blends to try:

Forest Fresh
Tea Tree
Eucalyptus
Cedar Wood

Energy Blend
Eucalyptus
Peppermint
Rosemary

Fresh Bouquet Blend
Clary Sage
Geranium

Sweet Potato Coffee Cake

We're always looking for updated recipes of timeless brunch classics - like this Sweet Potato Coffee Cake. It only takes minutes to mix up, but will provide smiles to anyone who gets a piece. Top it off with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and you've created dessert! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Streusel topping:

⅓ Cup all-purpose flour

⅓ Cup old-fashioned rolled oats

⅓ Cup Aunt Patty’s® Maple Sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

5 Tbsp butter (softened)

Coffee cake:

2 Cups all-purpose flour

1 ¼ Cups Aunt Patty’s® Maple Sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp fine sea salt

¾ Cup sweet potato puree

¾ Cup 2% milk

½ Cup Aunt Patty’s® Virgin Coconut Oil (melted)

2 Eggs

1 ½ tsp vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly oil a 9” springform pan or square baking pan.
For streusel topping, in a medium bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Work butter into mixture with fingertips until crumbly. Set aside.
For coffee cake, in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together sweet potato, milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Batter will be stiff. Spread batter into pan and sprinkle streusel on top.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Buying packages of Bees

The rewards of beekeeping extend far beyond just honey. Bees create more bountiful gardens and orchards for you and your surrounding community. In addition, they provide excellent health supplements like royal jelly, pollen and propolis.

To get started in beekeeping, the first step is to acquire some honey bees. GloryBee accepts orders for packages of live bees and nuc colonies (small established “nucleus” colonies) starting in December. You can pick up your bees at our Bee Weekend in mid-April.

The Bee Colony
There are 3 different types of bees in every colony:

Queen: (Female) One per colony. Lays eggs (about 2000/day)
Workers: (Female)Take care of the queen and the hive. Jobs include cell cleaning, nursing, wax building, honey sealing, guarding and foraging.
Drone: (Male) Sole job is to mate with the queen. Cannot sting.

Italian and Carniolan Honey Bees

Italian Honey Bees
Brought into the US just after 1859, originally from Italy

Appearance: Races vary in color from dark to golden yellow. Their bodies tend to be smaller and their over hairs shorter than those of darker races.

Behavior & Characteristics

Pros:

They have a strong disposition for breeding. Colonies start breeding early in spring, and maintain a large population in the fall.
Golden Queens are easier to locate.
Lower swarming tendencies than other honey bee races.

Cons:

Generally less gentle.
Inclined to excessive brood rearing, resulting in large food consumption in the late winter and early spring.
They are kleptoparasites! They frequently rob the honey stores of weaker or dead neighboring colonies. This is also a factor in the susceptibility to disease.
They don’t respond to external conditions as readily as other races.

Carniolan Honey Bees

Originally from parts of the Austrian Alps and North Balkan Yugoslavia and Slovenia

Appearance: They are physically distinguished by their generally dusky, brown-grey color. Queens and Drones have nearly black abdomens.

Behavior & Characteristics

Pros:

They are considered to be quiet, gentle and non-aggressive.
Carniolans respond quickly to changes in nectar and pollen availability by adapting the rhythm of their brood.
They have no inclination of robbing.
Conservative use of honey.
They can work in cooler temperatures which makes them suitable for PNW Beekeeping and more likely to overwinter well.

Cons:

Difficult to locate queen.
The size of their colony is dependent on the availability of a pollen source.
They tend to desire more storage base and therefore can be more prone to swarming.

Ordering your Bees:

Orders can be placed over the phone or at our Factory Store in Eugene, OR.
800.456.7923
29548 B Airport Rd. Eugene, OR 97402
Bees must be picked up at our Bee Weekend in April. We do not ship packages of live Bees.
For more info, check out: GloryBee Bee Weekend

Loo Spritzer

Tired of spending the money on expensive aerosol bathroom air fresheners? Here are some fragrance blends perfect for your bathroom that can be easily blended and refilled to save money and keep your nose happy!

INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES

Blend 1: Lavender • Lemon • Cedarwood
Blend 2: Eucalyptus • Lavender • Peppermint
Blend 3: Peppermint • Lemon
Blend 4: Sweet Orange • Grapefruit
Blend 5: Lemongrass • Grapefruit

2 Tbsp rubbing alcohol, witch hazel or Vodka*
8 oz Plastic Spray Bottle
Distilled Water*

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the spray bottle, combine the rubbing alcohol and fragrance oils. Start with 50 drops of each fragrance. If you think you want a stronger fragrance add 2-3 drops at a time until you have achieved the desired fragrance. Shake to mix thoroughly.

2. Fill the bottle the rest of the way with water. Be sure to leave enough room to shake mixture.

3. Spray about 5 spritzes into the bathroom before and after to achieve optimal effect.

Become a Beekeeper- Winter Beekeeping Classes at GloryBee

Are you ready to become a beekeeper? Now is the perfect time to start learning the time-honored tradition of keeping bees. The beekeeping season kicks-off in mid-April. These winter months provide the perfect opportunity to discover all you to need to know to start your beekeeping adventure.

Beekeepng 101- GloryBee’s Crash Course in Beekeeping
(Cost: $25.00- includes book: “First Lessons in Beekeeping”.)

Learn from the experts! Join Mike France and Erica Fosnight, GloryBee’s veteran beekeepers , on a fast-paced, in-depth discussion of beekeeping basics.

Topics Include:

Types of Bees- Which type is right for me?
The Bare Minimum- what do I need to get started?
Hives- Supers, Frames, Screened Bottoms- all the parts that make up a hive.
Feeding the hive- What do bees eat and how can I help them?
Tools of the trade-how to use J-Hooks, smokers and other beekeeping essentials.
Protective Clothing- Bee Jackets, veils, and suits.
Caring for my bees-Hive location and medications
Honey!- learn extraction basics

We only have 25 spots available and they are filling up fast. Call 800.456-7923 to register.

Beekeeping 101- Crash Course in Beekeeping
Saturday January 21
10am-1pm
GloryBee Factory Store
Cost: $25.00 (Includes book: “First Lessons in Beekeeping”)

Aunt Patty’s Turkey Chili

Is there anything better than a warm bowl of chili on a cold winter day? This chili recipe is one of Aunt Patty's favorites. It uses red palm oil and apple cider vinegar for delectable and bone-warming flavors.

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp Aunt Patty’s Red Palm Oil (more if needed)
1 lb ground turkey
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 Tbsp Aunt Patty’s Apple Cider Vinegar
2 12 oz. cans tomato paste
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 16 oz. cans red kidney bean, drained and rinsed
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp chili powder
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp smoked salt
½ tsp black pepper
1/3 Cup maple syrup

DIRECTIONS

1. Melt red palm oil over medium heat. Add meat, onion and bell pepper and cook until meat is browned.
2. Add apple cider vinegar, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, dry seasonings and maple syrup and blend well.
3. Taste for flavor and if you feel you need more salt or pepper, add to taste.
4. Simmer for 20-30 minutes over medium heat.
5. Serve topped with sour cream, grated cheese and parsley.

Serving Suggestions

· Serve atop a bowl of quinoa to soak up all the flavors
· Serve with a side of corn bread drizzled with GloryBee Habanero Honey

Shedding some light on the future of Organics

Why do people choose organic foods? They definitely are not the cheapest foods on the shelves, so why do people choose organic products over non-organic products? Most people know that organic foods are better for our bodies, but when informed that they are also significantly better for our planet they begin to understand the importance organics play on a global scale.
Defining Organic
In order to receive a the USDA Organic certification, foods must be grown and processed according to strict federal guidelines which regulate things like soil quality, animal raising practices, pesticides and herbicides and use of additives. Organic foods can not contain any traces of GMOs.
As technologies advance and our understanding of the connection between human activities and the effects they play on our environment are verified, organic standards and the certification requirements are evolving.
Areas of Organic to explore and define as food production systems develop:

1. Hydroponics- Organic has specific soil requirements; however, hydroponic growing systems don’t use soil. Can hydroponic systems be deemed “organic” since they don’t fulfill the soil requirements? Positive qualities and processes for hydroponics need to be studied and defined that may allow hydroponic growers to substitute the soil requirements with similar and beneficial requirements that would be just as good for the environment as the soil requirements in place today.

1. Animal Welfare Standards- If an animal gets sick, organic farmers typically start trying to nurse the animal back to health by natural or homeopathic medicines in order to maintain the animals “organic” status; however, if that doesn’t work, according to the organic certification guidelines, the farmer must use whatever forms of medicine are available to save the animal’s life, even if that means administering antibiotics and the animal will no longer be considered “certified organic”. This humane requirement is enforced because it is understood that the well-being of animals is more important than any certification credential.
  Advocates for humane treatment of animals don’t think the Organic requirements for animal welfare are clearly defined or strict enough. For instance, one area of organics being discussed today is—“Are the “Natural behavior” requirements too vague?” Currently the requirements just state that animals must be raised in living conditions accommodating their natural behavior, and they have access to the outdoors to graze on pasture. However, it is not clear what that means specifically. Also, there are unclear exceptions to this requirement, like weather conditions--but animal rights champions argue that what some reasonable person may call “uncomfortable but acceptable” weather conditions, others may use as an excuse to pen up their animals inhumanely for extended periods of time. Moving forward, organic activists believe it would be beneficial for the USDA to more clearly define the requirements for organic meats certification, ensuring that all animals are treated humanely and equally.

1. Aquaculture- Currently fish cannot be officially certified organic. There are too many variables with ocean and freshwater environments to monitor. The USDA is considering a set of rules for organic farmed fish. Opponents say the recommended rules don’t go far enough to meet the strict standards of other organic foods and will cause great harm to natural aquatic ecosystems.

Natural Flavors- Controversy swirls around Natural Flavors, since the FDA has not developed a definition of the word “natural” or its derivatives. Some “natural flavors” come from human hair or duck feathers. Other “natural flavors” contain non-GMO ingredients. Should “natural flavors list exactly what ingredients are in them? Organic advocates believe more transparency is required with flavorings and stricter standards are needed for products that use flavorings and want to be listed as USDA Certified Organic.

It is clear that organics are best for the future of our planet. What is unclear is the future of organics. We encourage everyone to buy organic and become more active in voicing your concerns and ideas about improving the requirements for USDA certified organic foods. Your voice can make a difference. Stand up and be heard.

Top 3 indicators of a quality beekeeping class

A new bee season is about to begin and GloryBee is accepting orders for packages of live bees to be picked up in April at our 43^rd annual Bee Weekend. For many, this will be the beginning of your beekeeping journey. Congratulations! Beekeeping is an amazing hobby that has the potential to turn into a lucrative side-job, or even a full-time profession.

Beekeeping today is not as easy as it was a quarter century ago. It requires a bit more scientific know-how to keep your bees thriving. Some may say that experience is the best teacher, but we believe that the life of each of your bees is important, and rather than have you do it on your own and discover through trial-and-error the best management practices for your hives, we strongly recommend you get some formal bee training.

The internet is filled with some amazing resources to begin learning about the art and science of beekeeping. A good place to start would be the GloryBee Beekeeping 101 online series of lessons. But there is no better resource to learn beekeeping from than other beekeepers—live and in person.

When looking to find a beekeeping class, we suggest you begin by attending your local beekeeper association meetings. Here you will find experienced beekeepers who will be more than willing to share their love of beekeeping with you. As you begin to get familiar with beekeeping equipment and terminology, it’s time to get serious and begin your formal training. Be sure that the class you sign up for has these three things:

1. Experienced Teacher from your Region: It takes at least three years to truly learn the intricacies of the different seasons of the year and how they affect your bees. Managing the health of your hives requires a keen understanding of the needs of your honey bees. A teacher with less than three years of experience may be nice to learn from, since their perspective is still new and easier for you to relate to, but it will be beneficial if the class also has a teacher that has many years of experience, since each year provides a new set of challenges for beekeepers to overcome. A seasoned veteran beekeeper will probably have failed a lot over the years, and be able to tell you how to avoid making the same mistakes. A beekeeper that is not from your region is not as helpful as one from your area, since each geographic location has area-specific nuances that local beekeepers will know and be able to pass on to you.

1. Visual Aids: We learn by seeing, hearing and doing. When you hear of an opportunity to go to a bee class, be sure the presenters have slides or pictures and actual bee wooden ware and equipment to go with their talks. You can hear about varroa mites or smokers, but unless you see what they look like you won’t know what the teacher is talking about. Being able to touch and examine some of the equipment or other things like propolis or swarm lures that the teacher might be explaining to you will really help in giving you the confidence you will need when working with your own bees.

Field Experiences: The best bee classes are those that provide a mentor, who is a very experienced beekeeper and talented teacher. These mentors are your personal bee expert who is willing to answer all your beekeeping questions, even out of the classroom. They teach you not just by telling you the things you want to know—they show you too. Field experiences with an experienced beekeeper is the very best way to learn. You are able to not just see and hear about beekeeping, but are actually able to learn how to do real beekeeping activities with real bee hives. Field experiences allow new beekeepers to have an expert show them the proper ways to do things, from lighting and using a smoker to checking mite counts on sticky boards. If possible, we recommend finding a beekeeping program that offers field experiences with an experienced beekeeper.

And if there’s one thing you learn in a beekeeping class, we hope it’s this—treat for mites!

Upcoming 2017 Beekeeping Classes at GloryBee Factory Store:
January 21 & March 11: Beekeeping 101 (Note: both sessions will review same material)

Februrary 18, 2017: Ask a Beekeeper: Q&A with Dick Turanski
Call 1-800-456-7923 to register. For more info go to: GloryBee 2017 Beekeeping Classes

Three Things Every Beekeeper Should be Doing Mid-Winter

Winter is creeping by and right now your bees are mostly clustering to stay warm throughout the day and night. If the temperature gets above 50 degrees they might take advantage of the warm break to take a cleansing flight. Now that the winter solstice is over your Queen will begin slowly laying a few more eggs each day and increasing daily as spring draws near. Here are three things every beekeeper should be doing to help their bees survive these chilly months.

Clean the Hive Entrance

The sad truth is, many bees die in the winter. Some beekeepers notice a large build-up of dead bees that block the entrances to their hives. We use mouse guards in the winter and these holes can quickly get plugged by the debris of bees dying off during the cold weather months. Make sure you take your hive tool and clean out the entrance so that on warmer days your bees can get out for a cleansing flight.

Feed Your Bees

This is also a good time to heft your hives to check for honey stores. If they seem light, you should feed your bees. There are several options for feeding during the winter. The first option is pure cane sugar poured onto the inner cover. Another option is fondant which can be placed directly on the frames of the brood box. You can also make use of the remaining Christmas candy canes and lay those on top of the brood frames. The bees love the sugar and peppermint combination. For more information on winter feeding, see our previous blog Winterize your Hives (part 2)

Treat for Mites

From Late November until early January the hive is mostly broodless and this is an ideal time to treat for varroa mites with an oxalic acid dribble. There are many resources to learn more about Oxalic Acid but one of the best is Randy Oliver’s article in Scientific Beekeeping: Oxalic dribble tips.

We hope your bees are clustering happily and make it through the winter!