farm to table – Francois et Moi https://francoisetmoi.com Making a Handmade Modern Home one DIY project at a time. Wed, 23 Sep 2015 13:32:38 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://i0.wp.com/francoisetmoi.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Untitled-2-2.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 farm to table – Francois et Moi https://francoisetmoi.com 32 32 76357554 The Great Labor Day Honey Harvest https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/the-great-labor-day-honey-harvest/ https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/the-great-labor-day-honey-harvest/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2015 13:44:47 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=12161 Honey bees are quite the extraordinary creatures, and we’re reminded just how extraordinary they really are each Labor Day, as we, the Francois Family, gather down in Manchester, Iowa to harvest the pure and sweet overflow honey from my beekeeping father-in-law’s 7 hives. A weekend I look forward to all summer long! After one honey harvest under my belt, check out last year’s harvest here, I felt as if I had a solid understanding of the amazing process: the bee colony teamwork, the formation of the honeycomb, and the transformation from flower nectar to honey, but I couldn’t help but find myself a little star struck again this year by the honey bee’s handy work. It’s just so cool, you guys, the way these self-sustaining, micro bee metropolises transform wildflower nectar into a healthy overflow of decadently sweet, non-perishable, all-natural honey! In case you’re not familiar with how honey bee hives operate, here’s a little on their M.O.: Each colony, which consists of about 50K-60K bees (a queen bee, 3000 male drone bees and 50K female worker bees), work together in tandem to produce honey (their food source) by gathering nectar from flowers and mixing it with enzymes in their […]

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]]> https://francoisetmoi.com/diy/the-great-labor-day-honey-harvest/feed/ 3 12161 Photo Diary: The Honey Harvest https://francoisetmoi.com/uncategorized/photo-diary-the-honey-harvest/ Tue, 02 Sep 2014 12:54:27 +0000 http://francoisetmoi.com/?p=7311 We suited up in full beekeeper uniform, vaguely resembling those of astronauts. And as we approached the hives, the low grade hum of thousands of bees hard at work grew louder and more resonant with each step forward. Removing the first hive cover unveiled a rare glimpse into their world, instantly submersing us into an all out swarming buzzfest. I was nervous at first, but was quickly reassured we were safely protected by our suits and in good hands with my father-in-law (master beekeeper) by our sides, there to talk us through the collection process. Bee colonies are incredible operations. Upwords of 50,000 worker bees per hive hard at work collecting nectar from the surrounding wildflower fields, flying their findings back to home base, and miraculously transforming it into the most precise series of hexagonal cells, a waxy honeycomb framework for their sweet honey. And all the while, the queen bee is busy laying eggs for next season. The collection, extraction and bottling process of 5 hives or 15 gallons of honey was an all day event catalyzed by an electric honey extractor and the integral teamwork of 8 members of the Francois clan. What a wildly fun and educational day we had learning about bees, extracting honey, and indulging in […]

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