Tag Archives | honey

Letter from the Editor

November 2, 2012 · Catherine Down

I have a confession to make: my interest in beekeeping borders on the unhealthy and obsessive. I once attended an international beekeeping conference in Italy.

In my defense, I was covering a story for Slow Food International on mono-varietal honey production (say that ten times fast). It wasn’t the mechanics of beekeeping itself that hooked me, or the deliciously sweet and sticky honeys I got to sample, but the fascinating eccentricities of the beekeepers themselves.

One man from Japan brought a rare honey filled with poisonous wasps that had drowned in the bottle. The adrenaline that coursed through their bodies

On Becoming a “BEEK”

November 2, 2012 · Christine Carroll

Smart Steps Before Starting Your Own Hive

Ask a “beek” (slang for a beekeeper) about honey, and many will say it is only a piece of the obsession. Indeed, beekeeping is diverse: part science, part hard physical labor, part group-think psychology, part backyard ecology and part folkloric magic. Undoubtedly, maintaining a hive of healthy honeybees is the most exhilarating micro-farming one can do within city limits.

Plus, the effort is helping to repopulate the planet with pollinators. With experts continually confounded by the causes and implications of Colony Collapse Disorder—the recent mass disappearance of worker bees—your new colony will create

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GET BUZZED

November 2, 2012 · Catherine Down

Honey-Based Cocktails from a Beekeeping Bartender

Katie Nelson, lead bartender at the Columbia Room, is taking local sourcing to a whole other level: the roof.

There, amidst pipes and planter boxes, she tends a hive of bees. Approximately 60,000 strong, the critters produce enough honey to fill a gallon sized Tupperware container in early summer and fall.

The beekeeping bartender was introduced to the idea by Jeff Miller of DC Honeybees, who aims to combat Colony Collapse Disorder by populating the city with healthy bee colonies. The local nonprofit supplied the bar with the equipment and training necessary to get

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Thinking Inside the Box

November 2, 2012 · Christine Carroll

How DC’s DDOT Caught the Beekeeping Bug

Photography by Hannah Colclazier

On a sunny March morning, Joey Perez, Supervisory Forester for District Department of Transportation, had the privilege of welcoming eight queens to the city. Instead of scepters, however, this royal family sported something a little more menacing: stingers.

The newly transplanted queen bees, and their broods of about 10,000 female workers, are part of Mayor Vincent Gray’s administration-wide request to introduce sustainabiliy initiatives earlier this year. Beekeeping is DDOT’s creative eco-friendly effort to increase the city’s sustainability efforts. “Many departments planted trees,” explained the 31-year old forester, “but we

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Wax, Two Ways

November 2, 2012 · Jonna McKone

A Painter Uses her Backyard Bees as Art

Nassikas shows off the tools of her trade: beeswax and pigments

Photography and Text by Jonna McKone

At first glance, the old house and barn on a cul-de-sac in McLean look like the quiet home of any Virginia gardener. Walk past the tangle of kumquats and asparagus, beside the deep greens of forest that creep the length of the yard, along the bright blue of a swimming pool to the muted tones of an old barn, and you’ll find a large, open studio where Georgia Nassikas produces her paintings. Her portfolio consists

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DON’T WORRY, BE HOPPY

November 2, 2012 · Rina Rapuano

Homebrewers Say Their Craft is Well-Worth the Fuss

Photo by Carole Topalian

Considering the militant emphasis on cleanliness, the mad-scientist equipment and the scarcity of places to buy hops and barley, it’s no wonder some are intimidated by the idea of brewing their own beer.

But according to those who are knee-deep in the hobby, it’s something you can ease yourself into and still find satisfaction. Joshua Hubner, president of DC Homebrewers Club and a nine-year veteran of the hobby, says more and more people are taking the plunge and brewing their own beers. “It’s definitely become more of a

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Eating Ethiopian: A Primer

November 3, 2012 · Rachel Tepper

Illustration by Torie Partridge

Any night of the week, a step inside Adams Morgan restaurant Meskerem is likely to transport you far from the cold marble buildings and buttoned-up demeanor of downtown. Here, the dim lights cast a warm, yellow light over round silver platters of soft, spongy injera bread topped with colorful dollops of spiced meats and vegetables. The air is thick with the smell of cardamom, ginger, simmered onions and garlic, and filled with the chatter of patrons, huddled over shared plates and using their hands to to dip, eat and repeat.

Meskerem, which opened roughly 30 years

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