The Old Walsh Farm

Learn 52 homesteading skills in ONE year. Become more self sufficient.

  • About
  • Book
  • 52 Homestead Skills
  • Start a farm
    • How to raise sheep for milk – Dreamers to Dairy Sheep Farmers in 2 years!
    • How to start a farm – City slickers to profitable farmers
  • Animals
    • Chickens
    • Ducks
    • Bees
    • How to catch your bees – when they escape
    • How to find your Queen bee
  • Growing
    • Fruit trees
    • Raspberries
    • Microgreens
    • Grow lemons indoors
    • Seeds, secrets and eating only what you grow
  • DIY
    • Knitting
    • Deodorant
    • Candles
    • Embarrassing moments and cheap soap
    • How to Make a Healing Honey Salve
    • Homemade Lip Balm – in 3 minutes
    • Convert an existing structure into a chicken coop
  • Recipes

This summer on the homestead: One apple harvest, bee vomit & saving money on wood

By Leave a Comment

Share42
Pin
Tweet
Share
Reddit
42 Shares

I’m not sure why I haven’t been fired from homesteading. This was my ENTIRE apple harvest from our five apple trees (that actually survived the vole devastation and our sheep who occasionally nibble on their leaves). Not only did I harvest just ONE apple, but it must be the tiniest apple ever to grow. I thought I had accidentally planted a crab apple tree, but the fruit was, in fact, sugary sweet. But then again…when you’ve been waiting this long to sample an apple, it tastes reeeeaaaallly good.

Here’s hoping next year I get at least 3 more (and preferably larger ones) so maybe everyone in our family can enjoy a taste.

We’re totally normal. Everyone harvests honey on their dining room table, right?

I may not have harvested many apples, but we had our best honey harvest to date with over 25 jars of the sweet golden liquid…or should I say “bee vomit” as my 8-year-old son, who knows a little too much about bees and how honey is made, calls it. But, as I explain below, honey is definitely NOT bee barf.

Honey is NOT bee vomit.

I made a parenting faux pas. I explained to my 8-year-old son how honey is made. It ended with him solemnly declaring he would never again eat honey. He still hasn’t changed his mind. Sigh.

So, today I want to redeem myself by dispelling this myth. Here’s how honey is made: Bees collect nectar from flowers using their tongues and then they store the nectar in what is called their second “honey stomach”. This is where I went wrong in my original telling of this story. I should have stuck to the technical name of this second stomach, which is “crop”. The nectar is stored in the bees’ crop where it is mixed with special enzymes and broken down into simple sugars. Now, here is the most important point. The crop is NEVER used to digest food. Its sole purpose is simply to hold nectar. The nectar a bee collects NEVER goes into its digesting stomach. The honey stomach or crop simply carries the undigested nectar in a convenient and separate little sac.

When the forager bee returns to its hive, the nectar from its crop is passed to the other worker bees’ crops until it is finally stored in the honeycomb. The worker’s bees then use their wings to fan away any excess water until the honey is the perfect consistency for safely sealing with beeswax. This superfood lasts forever. It will never spoil or go bad because it is antibacterial, which I can assure you, vomit is not.

So, what do you think? Now that you know how honey is made, will you still eat it? Maybe I shouldn’t get into the honey-selling business.

Saving money on wood

We’ve been experiencing record-high lumber prices here in New Brunswick. Unfortunately, we had to install some flooring. But who wants to pay the exorbitantly high prices? So, we bought rough lumber and my husband spent most of the summer planing it all himself. Was it worth it? We estimate we saved about $4,000.

Eating a year old old – water glassing eggs update

The above egg is a year old and not only does it look fresh, but it tastes great as well. In fact, if I served you a fried egg using one of our fresh eggs and another fried egg using this water glassed egg, I don’t think you’d be able to tell the difference. This summer I’ve been busy preserving our eggs using the water glassing method and it’s amazing how many dozens I’ve been able to pack away for the winter. For more info, check out my water glassing eggs guide.

What do homesteaders do on vacation? Visit farm animals and other homesteads, of course!

I’ll be honest. We spent a lot of time this summer simply goofing off in the sun and not getting much done at all. And since we, like everyone else on the planet, couldn’t go too far due to covid, we took a short trip to northern New Brunswick and visited the picturesque Acadian Historical Village. I think it’s ironic that when we go on vacation, my kids want to play with farm animals. As if they don’t get enough of them at home.

What I’m reading:

The Nature Fix

If you weren’t convinced that spending time in nature is healing, this book will definitely change your mind. As an introverted bookworm, I could easily spend hours every day snuggled in my favourite chair with a book and a stash of chocolate or in the kitchen baking my favourite treats. Although I’m forced outside every day to feed and care for our animals, I think I would benefit from spending even more time outside (especially after reading this book). I’m thinking about joining the 1000 hour outdoor challenge as next year’s New Year’s resolution.

Decorating with Plants

This book is filled with stunning photos showcasing a myriad of ways to literally liven up your space with plants. I love the detailed guides for each plant, which include its care level, light, water, and temperature requirements. A great read heading into winter.

Occasionally Eggs

This cookbook is organized by season so you can harvest goodies from your garden and then whip up some of these drool-worthy vegetarian dishes. For example, this season’s section includes autumn-themed recipes such as Golden Pumpkin and Chickpea Stew, Rosemary Roasted Roots, Honey Halva Latte, and Apple Cinnamon Spice Rolls.

And that’s it for this update! Thank you for following along my farming friends!

Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase after clicking through the link. Thank you for your support!  You can find the full disclosure here.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest

Related

Share42
Pin
Tweet
Share
Reddit
42 Shares

Filed Under: Homesteading

« Easy Fermented Bell Peppers & Tomato Leaf “Salsa”
Honey & Pumpkin Pie Spiced Fermented Applesauce »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Follow the Old Walsh Farm

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
logo

Food Advertisements by

Never miss a post

From "Oh No!" to "Oh Yes!"...join us as we build a farm from the ground up.

Food Advertising by logo

Popular Posts

How to catch a bee swarm for beginnersHow to catch a bee swarm for beginners7K Total Shares
How to find the Queen bee OR Where’s Waldo?How to find the Queen bee OR Where’s Waldo?5K Total Shares
How to keep eggs fresh for months: Water glassing eggsHow to keep eggs fresh for months: Water glassing eggs4K Total Shares
How to start a farm – City slickers to profitable farmersHow to start a farm – City slickers to profitable farmers2K Total Shares
How to raise sheep for milk – Dreamers to Dairy Sheep Farmers in 2 years!How to raise sheep for milk – Dreamers to Dairy Sheep Farmers in 2 years!1K Total Shares
Raising Babydoll Sheep: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard WayRaising Babydoll Sheep: 5 Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way1K Total Shares
Top 10 Tips For Raising ChicksTop 10 Tips For Raising Chicks1K Total Shares
How to raise ducks for eggsHow to raise ducks for eggs891 Total Shares
Six secrets to choosing the best beehive for beginnersSix secrets to choosing the best beehive for beginners696 Total Shares
How to make crunchy lacto-fermented picklesHow to make crunchy lacto-fermented pickles661 Total Shares
Food Advertising by logo

Categories

  • 52 Homesteading Skills in One Year
  • Babydoll Sheep
  • Beekeeping
  • Beverages
  • Bread
  • Chickens
  • Dairy
  • Farm Animals
  • Fermentation
  • Growing Raspberries
  • Homesteading
  • Learning the art of preserving
  • Learning to grow
  • Microgreens
  • Preserves
  • Soups and Stews
  • Sweet Treats

Copyright © 2023  

Privacy Policy / Amazon Affiliates Disclosure
 

Loading Comments...