Some of the most meaningful gatherings are those centered around a project. My aunt and uncle invited family and friends to their home for a honey harvest. Their home is a small farm in the country where they raise a few goats, some chickens, and, of course, bees! The honey harvest is a tradition that they host each fall, as long as the honeybees are doing well. Everyone can participate in the harvesting process, but kids especially love to help.
My kids were in heaven from start to finish. They spent most of their time outside. Right away, they were introduced to the three goats, the chickens, the rooster, and the dog. My aunt and uncle and cousins were sweet enough to wait to collect the eggs from the chicken’s nesting box until we arrived so that the kids were able to discover the eggs. They were overjoyed!
Then we took a tour of the beautiful garden. There were flowers all around the outside of the garden, as well as inside – sunflowers, asters, zinnias, dahlias, and more. Bees were happily buzzing around. The kids picked tomatoes, raspberries, beans, cucumbers, and pumpkins and dug up potatoes and onions.
We walked over to the honeybee hives, where my uncle answered our questions and talked to us about bee behavior. I learned a lot! The frames filled with honey were already inside the house, ready to be spun, but the bees were hard at work making more. It was amazing seeing them fly into the hive with bright orange pockets full of pollen on their hind legs.
Inside the house was a delicious spread of various crackers, breads, cheeses, and other snacks, but the main dish was homemade soup. There were two giant pots of steaming hot soup – a vegan butternut squash soup and another with sausage, tomato, lentils, and kale. My mom made an adorable beehive-shaped cake and cookies for dessert. The cake was a festive little centerpiece to the food table.
The tables outside on the porch were dressed in different colored pieces of fabric for tablecloths and vases with flowers from the garden. We used adorable floral cloth napkins and real plates, bowls, and silverware. Everything felt so cozy.
After everyone had arrived and eaten, the honey harvesting process could begin! My uncle showed the kids how to use an uncapping fork to uncap the honey cells, or remove the beeswax. Once the beeswax was removed, the frames were placed in the honey extractor two at a time and the kids got to take turns cranking as fast as they could. This was my five-year-old son’s favorite part. He is fascinated by any kind of machine so the centrifuge was very exciting for him. After all the honey had been extracted from the frames, we watched as the honey was poured out of the extractor and through a cheesecloth filter into a bucket. To their delight, the kids got to catch some on a finger to taste. The honey was then poured into jars so that each family could take one home.
I’ve been to several of these honey harvests before, and they have always been very special, but this year, seeing everything through my kids’ eyes was just magical. Experiences like these help children appreciate nature and connect with the things that nature provides. Besides seeing my kids’ pure joy exploring the farm, something that I personally got out of the event was inspiration to garden more. I have very little experience gardening, but I do have the gardening bug, and seeing my aunt’s gorgeous garden made me even more excited to experiment with gardening, even if it just means adding a few things each year.
Our hearts and bellies full, we headed home with our jar of honey, several eggs, potatoes, onions, a cucumber, and a pumpkin. I think there is no greater gift than sharing one’s home and the food grown and cooked at that home. I am humbled by my aunt and uncle’s generosity but I could also tell that they got great joy out of it as well. Everyone had such a lovely time. I can’t wait until next year! For now I’ll enjoy the honey and get to planting!
