Harmony Hollow Apiaries

Benji’s Bees

In 1898, this house was built in McKinney, Texas.

In 1974, the movie, Benji, was released. This house was one of the homes used in the movie. You can see the exterior of the house at 3 min 58 seconds into the movie. This home is now affectionately known as “The Benji House” in McKinney.

Then, in the early 1990’s the home was purchased – with the intention of renovating it back to it’s original glory. The only thing the homeowners have to give them a guide is an old photograph. There were no plans or blueprints (that are available any more).

The next photo is how it looks today – from a similar angle.

The contractor that is performing the renovations encountered a hive of honeybees in the 3rd story roof line of the South Western corner of the home.

Here is what is seen from the outside:

And the bees are entering and exiting through a baseball-sized hole in the roof shakes – just above and to the left of the window shown.

It was unknown whether the bees had occupied the space in the 3rd floor wall – or if they were in the joist space between floors – or in the wall joist below the hole.

Initial exploration was to the 3rd floor interior wall. We eliminated that the comb was in the joist space by means of a laser thermometer. (and I was able to stick my hand into the joist space from the 3rd floor access)

Once it was determined that the bees were definitely in the joist space to the outside edge of the 2nd floor window – the removal began. Because of the age of the building materials – the contractor provided an employee on-site during the removal to assist and actually open the house up for me – and then he will replace all the removed boards. This was his first time to work with bees – and he was a trooper! I provided an extra bee veil and jacket for him to use throughout the removal.

And the first board is removed. We could see the bottom edge of comb. The next boards were removed.

(view looking up from the opened first board).

Three boards removed now…

And working our way up to the top.

Finally – all the comb with honey, brood, and eggs was removed – and the worker bees and queen were vacuumed into a collection box – to be reunited with their brood comb at the bee yard.

With the wall cleared of comb, insulation was placed to fill the space so that it cannot be occupied in the future. And the contractor will put all the wood back into place.

Withe the bees removed – my truck is loaded up, and ready to head to the bee yard.

Cinnamon Honey Glazed Sticky Buns

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons – butter or margarine, softened
1 loaf – frozen bread dough, thawed
1/3 cup – Harmony Hollow Honey
1 teaspoon – cinnamon
1 cup – finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions

Grease 12 muffin cups with butter. Roll out thawed dough on lightly floured board to 12 x 8-inch rectangle. Mix honey and cinnamon. Using back of spoon, spread in even layer over dough. Sprinkle with nuts. Roll up dough, starting from long edge and end with seam on bottom. Cut dough roll using a gentle sawing motion into 12 equal-size buns. Place buns, spiral side up, in muffin cups. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and let rise 30 to 60 minutes or until buns puff and fill cups. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and carefully turn pan upside down onto board, letting syrup drip onto buns before removing them from pan.

Yield: 12 buns

from: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/6/cinnamon-honey-glazed-sticky-buns

Overnight Rustic Cinnamon Rolls for Two

Ingredients

Cinnamon Roll Dough – .
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon – water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon almond – milk
2 teaspoons – coconut oil
1 teaspoon – active yeast
¼ teaspoon – dark brown sugar
1 – egg white
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon – Harmony Hollow Honey
½ cup plus 3 tablespoons – oat flour , packed
¼ cup – almond flour, packed
Filling – .
2 tablespoons – coconut oil
1 tablespoon – dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon – Harmony Hollow Honey
½ tablespoon – cinnamon
Frosting – .
½ cup – plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons – Harmony Hollow Honey

Directions

Cinnamon Roll Dough: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine water, almond milk and coconut oil and microwave on high until everything is melted, about 20 seconds. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes or until lukewarm. Add in yeast and brown sugar, stir for 1 minute until yeast and sugar are completely dissolved. Allow to sit for 5 minutes until foamy and bubbly. In a separate large bowl, combine egg white, honey and foamy yeast mixture. Add in oat flour and almond flour. Mix until a sticky dough has formed (you should be able to form a ball with it that holds its shape. If dough is too sticky or thin, add 1 to 3 tablespoons oat flour). Grease a separate bowl with coconut oil. Roll dough into a ball and place it into the greased bowl. Turn the ball once to coat with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour, or until dough has doubled in size.

Filling: While dough is rising, combine coconut oil, brown sugar, honey and cinnamon in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for 10 seconds, or until honey is thinned. Stir until brown sugar dissolves. Cover and place in the fridge until dough has risen.

Coat a flat surface with oat flour and dump out the risen dough. Allow the dough to rest for a minute while you remove the filling from the fridge. The filling should have hardened on the top and have a gel-like consistency on the bottom. Using a knife, cut the hardened filling into squares.

On the prepared floured surface, roll out the dough into a long rectangle. Evenly spread the filling squares around the rectangle. Sprinkle dough with an additional ½ to1 teaspoons cinnamon. Roll up dough from the long end or the short end of the rectangle. Slice off the jagged edges. Cut dough into 4 or 6 rolls. Place rolls, touching, in a parchment paper–lined baking dish. Cover and refrigerate the rolls overnight. In the morning, allow rolls to sit outside the fridge for 30 minutes before baking at 350°F for 30 minutes. Or immediately bake the cinnamon rolls at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Frosting: In a bowl, combine Greek yogurt and honey. Spread on top of warm cinnamon rolls. Serve.

Yield: 6 small rolls (2 servings)

from: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/6/overnight-rustic-cinnamon-rolls-for-two

10 K Cereal Bars

Ingredients

1/2 cup – butter or margarine, melted
2 Tablespoons – Harmony Hollow Honey
1/2 teaspoon – salt
2/3 cup – sliced or diced walnuts
2 – eggs, beaten
2 cups – granola cereal
1 teaspoon – vanilla

Directions

Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Blend well. Pat into greased 8-inch square baking dish. Bake at 350°F 18 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and cut into 16 bars.

Yield: 16 servings

from: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/19/10-k-cereal-bars

Avocado-lime Honey Smoothie

Ingredients

1 tablespoon – Harmony Hollow Honey
1/2 small – avocado, ripe
1 handful – parsley
1 teaspoon – lime juice
1/2 cup – water

Directions

Wash and cut the avocado in half. Remove the seed and roughly chop the pulp. Set aside ½ the pulp. Wash the parsley and chop finely. Place 1 tablespoon of honey, lime juice, ½ the avocado pulp, parsley and water in a blender and blend on high for 20 seconds, or until thoroughly combined. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Yield: 1 cup

from: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/8/avocado-lime-honey-smoothie

Ambrosia with Honey Lime Cream Dressing

Ingredients

1/4 cup – Harmony Hollow Honey
2 Tablespoons – lime juice
3 – oranges, peeled and sliced
2 – bananas, peeled and sliced
1 – red apple, cored and cubed
1 – green apple, cored and cubed
1 cup – shredded coconut
Honey Lime Cream Dressing

Directions

Combine honey and lime juice, toss with fruit. Layer fruit alternately with coconut in serving bowl. Top with Honey Lime Cream Dressing.

Yield: 4 servings

from: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/14/ambrosia-with-honey-lime-cream-dressing

Fruit & Honey Smoothie

Ingredients

1 can (16 oz.) – pear halves or slices, drained
2 Tablespoons – Harmony Hollow Honey
1-1/2 cups – milk
1 cup (8 oz.) – strawberry or other fruit-flavored yogurt

Directions

In blender or food processor container, combine pears and honey; process until smooth. Add milk and yogurt; process until blended.

Tip

Fruit & Honey Pops – Prepare Smoothie recipe as directed, reducing milk to 3/4 cup. Pour into eight 3-ounce popsicle molds or paper drinking cups. (If using cups, insert craft stick in center of each pop.) For fun pops, experiment with alternating layers of smoothie mixture and sprinkles or chocolate chips. Freeze until firm, approximately 3-4 hours.

From: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/8/fruit-honey-smoothie

Spiced Honey Echinacea Cooler

Ingredients

4 – Echinacea tea bags*
4 – cinnamon sticks
20 – whole cloves
1/2 cup – Harmony Hollow Honey
1/4 cup – fresh lemon juice

Directions

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add tea bags, cinnamon, and cloves ; let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove cinnamon and cloves and stir in honey and lemon juice. Place in refrigerator until chilled (approx. 1 hour). Pour over ice and garnish with fresh lemon slices. *May substitute chamomile tea for the Echinacea tea.
Yield – (4) Servings

Tip

Variations: Add 1 Tablespoon orange juice to each glass. Add 2 Tablespoons rum or whisky to each glass for a “spiked” version.

From: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/8/spiced-honey-echinacea-cooler

Pumpkin Honey Bread

Ingredients

1 cup – Harmony Hollow Honey
1/2 cup – butter or margarine, softened
1 can (16 oz.) – solid-pack pumpkin
4 – eggs
4 cups – flour
4 teaspoons – baking powder
2 teaspoons – ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons – ground ginger
1 teaspoon – baking soda
1 teaspoon – salt
1 teaspoon – ground nutmeg

Directions

In large bowl, cream honey with butter until light and fluffy. Stir in pumpkin. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Sift together remaining ingredients. Stir into pumpkin mixture. Divide batter equally between two well-greased 9 x5 x 3-inch loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let loaves cool in pans for 10 minutes; invert pans to remove loaves and allow to finish cooling on racks.
Makes (2) Loaves.

From: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/6/pumpkin-honey-bread

Honey Cough Syrup

Ingredients

1½ tablespoons – Zest of 2 lemons
¼ cup – peeled, sliced ginger , or ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
1 cup – water
1 cup – Harmony Hollow Honey
½ cup – lemon juice

Directions

In a small saucepan, combine lemon zest, sliced ginger and 1 cup of water. Bring mixture to a boil, simmer for 5 minutes, then strain through into a heat-proof measuring cup. Rinse the saucepan out and pour in 1 cup of honey. On low heat, warm the honey, but do not allow it to boil. Add the strained lemon ginger water and the lemon juice. Stir the mixture until it combines to form a thick syrup. Pour into a clean jar with a lid. Note: This can be refrigerated for up to 2 months.

For children ages 1 to 5, use ½ to 1 teaspoon every 2 hours. For children ages 5 to 12, use 1 to 2 teaspoon every 2 hours. For children 12 and older and adults, use 1 to 2 tablespoons every 4 hours.*

* Remember, honey is recommended for children after the age of one.

Recipe courtesy of Nurse Practitioner Barbara Dehn, RN, MS, NP.

From: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/38/honey-cough-syrup

Categories

Archives

Cinnamon Honey Glazed Sticky Buns

Ingredients

Directions

Yield: 12 buns

Overnight Rustic Cinnamon Rolls for Two

Ingredients

Directions

Yield: 6 small rolls (2 servings)

10 K Cereal Bars

Ingredients

Directions

Yield: 16 servings

Avocado-lime Honey Smoothie

Ingredients

Directions

Yield: 1 cup

Ambrosia with Honey Lime Cream Dressing

Ingredients

Directions

Yield: 4 servings

Fruit & Honey Smoothie

Ingredients

Directions

Tip

Spiced Honey Echinacea Cooler

Ingredients

Directions

Tip

Pumpkin Honey Bread

Ingredients

Directions

Honey Cough Syrup

Ingredients

Directions

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