This new monthly column highlights the rich agricultural heritage of our region by featuring a local farmer or food producer, along with a submission of one of their favorite seasonal recipes.
Chet Susslin
Dr. Daniel Proper relates the story of his dog wincing at the taste of having his own teeth cleaned as he treats Montana Sheriff, 4, in the American Mobile Dental unit.
Dr. Daniel Proper relates the story of his dog wincing at the taste of having his own teeth cleaned as he treats Montana Sheriff, 4, in the American Mobile Dental unit.
Most people find bees at least a little bit scary, if not downright menacing - but not Bonnie and Bob Breed of Breed Hill Apiary, retired professionals turned beekeepers located on the east side of Owasco Lake inlet in Moravia. Bonnie exclaims, “Bees are thrilling and exciting - to open the hive, and see what's there.”
With luck, “what's there” will most likely be gobs of the luscious, sticky, sweet stuff - liquid gold if you maintain an apiary (a yard of hives) with the intent of bringing your honey to market, as this husband and wife team does.
In the honey business for eight years, the Breeds maintain between 16 and 25 hives, yielding 600 to 2,000 pounds annually. Natural fluctuations in climate, seasonal attrition and introduced pests all impact the honey crop.
For instance, last summer was very dry, and production was on the lower side of the spectrum. Fortunately, their hives have not suffered from “Colony Collapse Disorder,” a phenomenon in both the United States and Europe whereby entire colonies suddenly disappear (the cause is not yet well understood, although theories abound, blaming everything from environmental stresses, malnutrition, disease and mites to pesticides, radiation from cellular phones or other man-made devices and genetically modified crops).
With their healthy and productive honeybees, the Breeds produce an array of honey ranging in color and taste from light to dark and sweet to strong.
There are seasonal flavors based on the local plants the honeybees visit. During the winter you can buy locust and basswood honey, and during the warmer months look for a medley of honey for sale - up to 10 varieties - at the Auburn Farmers Market where Breed Hill Apiary maintains a booth. And for those who think honey only comes in just one flavor - clover - Bonnie is there to dispel that myth as she dispenses taste samples of all available varieties.
I hardly have to mention all the different culinary uses of honey. In my kitchen I use it to make salad dressing, smear it on toast, add it to plain yogurt for breakfast and use it for baking - and that's just the beginning.
But not only is honey tasty, Bonnie Breed sings its medicinal and nutritional praises, claiming antibiotic, antiseptic and antiallergenic properties.
If you have a known allergy to, say, goldenrod, Bonnie recommends taking one teaspoon of local wildflower honey (a generic mix of many flower varieties, including goldenrod) every day for a full year and, she claims, your allergies will be greatly diminished.
The rule of thumb: Your spoonful must contain local honey made from the local plant that is causing you the problem. To illustrate the point, the Breeds tell a story about one of their long-term customers, a “little old lady” who swears by its healthful properties. She buys five or six gallons of the golden substance for use during the entire year. One recent winter she fell gravely ill, but fortunately recovered completely and made a point of stopping by the honey booth at the Auburn farmers market to let Bonnie and Bob know that in her mind, it was their honey that kept her alive that winter!
Julia Reich, of Scipio Center is owner of Julia Reich Design, a graphic design studio, and self-proclaimed “foodie,” with interests in cooking (and eating)
What's a localvore?
“Localvores” are people committed to eating and learning about foods grown close to home. Localvores prefer to:
• Eat healthy, delicious food grown and farmed near where they live
• Establish relationships with like-minded food producers and consumers
• Ensure that farm animals are treated well while alive and humanely when processed for food
• Reduce their impact on the environment
Where to find:
Although bees make honey only during the warmer months, Breed Hill Apiary honey is available year-round at the Breed's home, 2405 Rockefeller Road, Moravia. For more information, call 497-1168. The honey is also available at the Auburn Farmer's Market on Genesee Street near Wegmans from July through September and at the Vernak Farms country store, 1889 East Lake Road, Borodino (7 miles south of Skaneateles).
Honey Drop Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated, discard white
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and orange rind; beat well. Stir in honey. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and mace. Gradually add to creamed mixture, blending well. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers.
- Source: Bonnie and Bob Breed submit this yummy recipe, which uses honey as a featured ingredient.
If you go
What: Beekeeping class with Bonnie Breed
When: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12
Where: Cornell Cooperative Extension, 248 Grant Ave., Auburn
Cost: Free
For details: Call 255-1183
With luck, “what's there” will most likely be gobs of the luscious, sticky, sweet stuff - liquid gold if you maintain an apiary (a yard of hives) with the intent of bringing your honey to market, as this husband and wife team does.
In the honey business for eight years, the Breeds maintain between 16 and 25 hives, yielding 600 to 2,000 pounds annually. Natural fluctuations in climate, seasonal attrition and introduced pests all impact the honey crop.
For instance, last summer was very dry, and production was on the lower side of the spectrum. Fortunately, their hives have not suffered from “Colony Collapse Disorder,” a phenomenon in both the United States and Europe whereby entire colonies suddenly disappear (the cause is not yet well understood, although theories abound, blaming everything from environmental stresses, malnutrition, disease and mites to pesticides, radiation from cellular phones or other man-made devices and genetically modified crops).
With their healthy and productive honeybees, the Breeds produce an array of honey ranging in color and taste from light to dark and sweet to strong.
There are seasonal flavors based on the local plants the honeybees visit. During the winter you can buy locust and basswood honey, and during the warmer months look for a medley of honey for sale - up to 10 varieties - at the Auburn Farmers Market where Breed Hill Apiary maintains a booth. And for those who think honey only comes in just one flavor - clover - Bonnie is there to dispel that myth as she dispenses taste samples of all available varieties.
I hardly have to mention all the different culinary uses of honey. In my kitchen I use it to make salad dressing, smear it on toast, add it to plain yogurt for breakfast and use it for baking - and that's just the beginning.
But not only is honey tasty, Bonnie Breed sings its medicinal and nutritional praises, claiming antibiotic, antiseptic and antiallergenic properties.
If you have a known allergy to, say, goldenrod, Bonnie recommends taking one teaspoon of local wildflower honey (a generic mix of many flower varieties, including goldenrod) every day for a full year and, she claims, your allergies will be greatly diminished.
The rule of thumb: Your spoonful must contain local honey made from the local plant that is causing you the problem. To illustrate the point, the Breeds tell a story about one of their long-term customers, a “little old lady” who swears by its healthful properties. She buys five or six gallons of the golden substance for use during the entire year. One recent winter she fell gravely ill, but fortunately recovered completely and made a point of stopping by the honey booth at the Auburn farmers market to let Bonnie and Bob know that in her mind, it was their honey that kept her alive that winter!
Julia Reich, of Scipio Center is owner of Julia Reich Design, a graphic design studio, and self-proclaimed “foodie,” with interests in cooking (and eating)
What's a localvore?
“Localvores” are people committed to eating and learning about foods grown close to home. Localvores prefer to:
• Eat healthy, delicious food grown and farmed near where they live
• Establish relationships with like-minded food producers and consumers
• Ensure that farm animals are treated well while alive and humanely when processed for food
• Reduce their impact on the environment
Where to find:
Although bees make honey only during the warmer months, Breed Hill Apiary honey is available year-round at the Breed's home, 2405 Rockefeller Road, Moravia. For more information, call 497-1168. The honey is also available at the Auburn Farmer's Market on Genesee Street near Wegmans from July through September and at the Vernak Farms country store, 1889 East Lake Road, Borodino (7 miles south of Skaneateles).
Honey Drop Cookies
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated, discard white
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup honey
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mace or nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and orange rind; beat well. Stir in honey. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and mace. Gradually add to creamed mixture, blending well. Drop by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 14 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in airtight containers.
- Source: Bonnie and Bob Breed submit this yummy recipe, which uses honey as a featured ingredient.
If you go
What: Beekeeping class with Bonnie Breed
When: 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 12
Where: Cornell Cooperative Extension, 248 Grant Ave., Auburn
Cost: Free
For details: Call 255-1183
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