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Author Archives: jim
2015 honey production stats
Honey extraction is done. Whew! That’s a lot of work. I guess I shouldn’t complain, though- it’s the beez that are doing most of the hard part. This year was very productive, by coastal standards, and I averaged 31.1 pounds of … Continue reading
Wildlife abounds
From time to time I like to post collected pictures of the various beasties that can be found lurking in the woods surrounding our cottage. The first picture is a little blurry, because it was taken in a great hurry … Continue reading
Things viticultural
When one thinks of wine being produced, usually France and California spring to mind. Maybe with a little Argentina, New Zealand, or Spain thrown in for additional flavor. Oregon and Washington, however, have been developing their wine industries for several decades … Continue reading
Honey harvest- GO!
… and the other reason I’ve not been chatty lately is that the honey harvest is on. It takes more and more time each year, for a few reasons: I have more and more hives each year. Right now, I have … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping
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Such lovely apples
Goodness, how time flies in the summer. Two months since a post? Argh. Rather than engage in the daunting task of recapping all of the homesteading activities of the busy season, I’ll just launch right into recent events… and make a … Continue reading
Clutches, concrete, and a little time off
It’s been a busy week. On Monday, I finally replaced the bearing in the transmission of the walking tractor. It’s been waiting since a few weeks ago when Emily was using it to help a friend grind up cover crop … Continue reading
Bees are busy, and so am I
It’s mid june, and the blackberries are in full bloom weeks ahead of schedule- as might be expected with the way this strange, early year is turning out. I had 7 or 8 swarm calls before May even started (!) … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping
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Deer Abby
I was sitting at the computer working this morning, and Emily was in the kitchen fixing breakfast. Suddenly, she cried “Aye aye Aieeeee” and started flailing her arms wildly. I thought she might have been stung by a straggling bee; we’ve … Continue reading
Now I can Bee Certain?
One of the critical elements of the Cozy Bee Project’s research is the ability to track temperature and humidity within my hives. When I’d originally envisioned the project, I was imagining using small data loggers, like are used in warehouses and … Continue reading
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Mobile Shed
As most of our friends already know, we’ve decided to take the year off from the farmers’ market this season, to focus on getting our growing operations moved over from the old farm property we were renting on Foley Creek … Continue reading