Tuesday 17 July 2012

Honey, Honey, Honey

Sense, a sense of beauty in what we eat, taste, savour. With what we can gather in the forests, by streams and in our own gardens, to gather with the basics, the staples, the foundations - and yet also the cream on the cake. Honey, nectar of the gods and shared by the bees, being more gentle too, ensuring healthy, carefree orchards for their flights, their devotion. A colourful playground. Blossoms, jewels to look up to, a background of stars.

The July market, Honey, honey, honey! was on Sunday the 8th July, one day after the bicycle ride through vineyards and forest above Erdőbénye, the Drőtszamár ("cable donkey" - or bike!) Festival.

Our beekepers joined us with an impressive array of hives, an antique extractor and fresh honeycomb to taste. A local oganic beekeper came to talk and answer questions about the magical vocation of the beekeeper and charges, the honey makers. And there was an interesting selection of honeys from cream honeys to acacia honey, nectars flavoured with fruits, teas and even tinctures. A wide variety to choose from indeed.

There was also a film showing of the documentary charting the plight of the bees, The Queen of the Sun. We are trying to make the market as rounded as possible, giving additional information and activities connected with the theme. Education about our products is an important part of the market and its mission.
And fun too - we always have live msuic...



The next market is in perhaps the most productive time of the season, August. A time of abundance and surplus, reaping the fruits of our labours - and wondering what to do with the kilos of, for example, courgettes that are growing so amazingly profusely. (Bread, cakes, pancakes, warm and cold cream soup, bottles and fresh ratatouille, pickles, and I'm going to try chutney too this year!)

So the next theme will be bottling and drying - with a focus on traditional fruit tree types that we hope to weave as a thread through the market and the region. More about this soon.