Untitled

Doing a quick test run of candy in our @harvest_right freeze dryer. We’ve always run them through on a full cycle. The other day someone sharesd they only do a few hours at the end of a cycle freeze drying something else. We shall see what happens. #holidaygifts #freezedriedcandy https://www.instagram.com/p/CEk3sd1AXmG/?igshid=5b86m72h9yxv

Here it is!! Our revamped honey labels for the 2020 harvest!! I designed them and @stickermule printed them. Loving how they look on our jars! #newlabel #diecut #stickermule #beekeepersofinstagram #washingtonstatebeekeepers #beekeeping #beekeepinginthecascades #bee #honeybee #honey #beehive #apiary #apiarylife #apiculture #savethebees #beekeeperlife #naturalbeekeeping #pollinators #beeswax #chronicillness #chronicpain #rhuematoidarthritis https://www.instagram.com/p/CEXh0AWA2eX/?igshid=gd84cqk3v0k4

Do you see them? All of the? There are 5...FIVE artichokes on this plant. Yes, the plant we’ve already taken 4 from. I started it from seed last year, but I don’t recall it producing and I wasn’t confident it would overwinter, but overwinter it did. I’ve never had an artichoke plant produce so much. So... two questions: 1) does this mean we are in for a hard winter? Yes or No 2) how do you eat your artichoke? Butter or Mayo #artichoke #fromseedtotable #growyourown #pnwgarden #pnw #garden #homestead #pnwhomestead #letsgarden #howdoesyourgardengrow #pnwlife #getgrowing #growyourown #growyourownfood #gardengoals #gardening #seeds #growingfromseed #playinginthedirt #alittledirtdonthurt #shareexploreinspire #mayo #hope #faith https://www.instagram.com/p/CEVlKywAgFF/?igshid=1x2g2llpghweo

We’ve been getting a lot of request from cut comb honey. Here is our response, Chunk Comb Honey! It may be available this coming weekend at a pop-up!! #honeycomb #cutcomb #pnwbeekeeper #melifera #honey #honeybee #propolis #honeyflow beekeepersofinstagram #beeksofinstagram #washingtonbeekeeper #washingtonstatebeekeepers #beekeeping #pnwbeek #beekeepinginthecascades #bee #honeybee #honey #beehive #apiary #apiarylife #apiculture #savethebees #beelife #beekeeperlife #naturalbeekeeping #mtrainier https://www.instagram.com/p/CEU-9PgAWBY/?igshid=u6bk2uuxnurd

We spent a good portion of yesterday pulling more honey supers...with some help this time. Our awesome neighbor, @loganjenott, General Manager of @pvalleycamp, lent us his hand and back. We paid him with a taste of honey straight from the hive! I think he’ll be back. 🙂 🐝. Thanks for your help, Logan, and for your friendship and curiosity. Maybe next year your campers can experience the bees. Proverbs 16:26 #savethebees #apismellifera #honey #honeybee #propolis #honeyflow #beehive #apiary #apiarylife #apiculture #beelife #beekeeperlife #naturalbeekeeping #beekeepersofinstagram #beeksofinstagram #pnwbeekeeper #beekeepinginthecascades #washingtonbeekeeper #washingtonstatebeekeepers #beekeeping #beethechange #naturalbeekeeping #pollinators #proverbs1626 https://www.instagram.com/p/CEK15S_gr8z/?igshid=oq1327glrmjy

I have a challenge for our friends and followers. With all the turmoil in our world right now, YOU have to opportunity to be a light in the darkness, even if it it’s for one person. My challenge is to send Jimmy three cards, one on Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas. Maybe even throw in a gift card for coffee or a burger. I know he’ll appreciate your kindness and I will too...AND you will be amazed how this small act of kindness will lift your own spirit. When you send him something, leave me a message below or tag me in a post or story. I can’t wait to see all the rays of light! <<Swipe Left for more of Jimmy’s stores<< James Armfield P O Box 493 Chehalis WA 98532 #BeeTheLight #Letters4Jimmy https://www.instagram.com/p/CEKnT5QAyyz/?igshid=1udpix8pzzut2

Birth of label. Last year we designed a new logo. As crazy as it sounds, I used my iPhone to create it. Yesterday, I received an email letting me know @stickermule is having another of their amazing sales - a perfect time to revamp our honey labels for the 2020 harvest and incorporate our new logo...and the fact I had #painsomnia and couldn’t sleep, actually proved beneficial. I’m grateful to my #Facebook friends and the amazing ladies in a #WonenInBeekeeping group I belong to on Facebook. I received so much wonderful feedback on the various drafts I posted and feel this image is as “perfect” as I’m going to get it...using apps on my phone. I’m the kind of person who will keep picking at it and had to take a breath and just submit it for production. It’s the secret perfectionist in me. <<Swipe left to see the design progression. #newlabel #diecut #stickermule #beekeepersofinstagram #washingtonstatebeekeepers #beekeeping #beekeepinginthecascades #bee #honeybee #honey #beehive #apiary #apiarylife #apiculture #savethebees #beekeeperlife #naturalbeekeeping #pollinators #beeswax #chronicillness #chronicpain #rhuematoidarthritis #spinalcordinjury https://www.instagram.com/p/CD48tjOA8hZ/?igshid=1os14dynkedq2

Are you ready for this? It’s going to send shivers down every gardeners spine. We’ve had our first frost. I know, it’s only August. I know. The other morning we noticed it was 36° at 7am. I had the briefest of “OH NO FROST!” thoughts, but reasoned with myself that it’s not even the middle of August, so for sure it hadn’t dipped down much lower. Boy, was I wrong! We went out to water and notice our squash plants have been damaged by frost. Even some of our bean plants have been touched. We’re not even to the middle of August yet!!! Oh, and by Sunday, our daytime temps are supposed to be nearing 100°. I give up! Darn microclimates! #squash #frostonthepumpkin #from30to100 #fromseedtotable #microclimate #growyourown #martitimegarden #pnwgardener #pnwhomestead #letsgarden #pnwlife #growyourownfood #igiveup #growingfromseed #shareexploreinspire https://www.instagram.com/p/CD4x_iegn0J/?igshid=1rrrt43p5n93g

Day two of pulling honey supers. 7 supers pulled and extracted... so far... Bee watching for a chance to win a bottle of our delicious, pnw honey!! #pnwbeekeeper #apiarylife #melifera #honey #honeybee #pollinators #propolis #honeyflow https://www.instagram.com/p/CD4wcTkA_ky/?igshid=1x1hgznw5nuz1

What do hula hoops and brassicas have to do with one another? We buy $1 hula hoops from the @dollartree, cut them, insert dowels into each end and place them in the garden to create small caterpillar tunnels to protect our brassicas from cabbage moths and later frosts. The cover we use is a spun fabric that allows for watering and air flow but provides protection from insects and frost. #catepilartunnel #hoophouse #protection #reemay #fallgarden #brassica #cabbage #colecrop #fromseedtotable #growyourown #martitimegarden #pnwgardener #pnwhomestead #letsgarden #pnwlife #growyourownfood #gardengoals #growingfromseed #shareexploreinspire #ruinedmanicure https://www.instagram.com/p/CD4wLmLAoA8/?igshid=1389l7i2e43wm

Did you know Sunflowers display a behavior called “heliotropism”. The young flowers face east in the morning and follow the sun as it moves to the west. The flower will generally remain facing east as the flower gets heavy with seeds and the stem stiffen: “Ah, Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; Seeking after that sweet golden clime, Where the traveller's journal done; Where the youth pined away with desire, And the pale virgin shrouded in snow, Arise from their graves, and aspire Where my Sunflower wishes to go!” ~William Blake #sunflower #heliotropism #summertime #pnw #ingrandpasmemory #williamblake #gardenpoetry https://www.instagram.com/p/CDu6qsHAnbG/?igshid=1y1lce1z0tc4u

Busy bee... https://www.instagram.com/p/CDuy2U_AMRB/?igshid=1ibgznp45phru

Have you ever seen one of these? It’s a US Geological Survey Marker I found up at Mt. Rainier during our much needed day off, yesterday. I don’t recall ever seeing one of these before. @usgs #mtrainier #mtrainiernationalpark #usgsmarker #elevation #pnwlife https://www.instagram.com/p/CDnhjixAq8A/?igshid=sdd50lu2ye6f

More from the first day of our 2020 Honey Harvest. 7 honey supers pulled so far. We will be extracting the honey and placing the supers back on the hives as there is still a good honey flow happening. To celebrate this year’s honey harvest - bee watching for a chance to win a bottle of our delicious, pnw honey! #apismellifera #honey #honeybee #propolis #honeyflow #beehive #apiary #apiarylife #apiculture #savethebees #beelife #beekeeperlife #naturalbeekeeping #beekeepersofinstagram #beeksofinstagram #pnwbeekeeper #beekeepinginthecascades #washingtonbeekeeper #washingtonstatebeekeepers #beekeeping #bee #naturalbeekeeping #pollinators https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjrbz2AwXO/?igshid=18hhfseazuvin

Don’t mind how very short this plant is. This is one the corn plants that were taller than knee-high BEFORE the 4th of July... and then the Elk decided to munch on them. In an exercise of faith, we continued to water the plants in hopes they would recover. It looks like they have. They just aren’t very tall 🤣. #faith #hope #togardenistohope #elk #cornfield #corn #sweetcorn #pnwgardening #fromseedtoelkfeed https://www.instagram.com/p/CDh1bk5A1GU/?igshid=7jro04239ly1

First day of the 2020 Honey Harvest. Let me just say, the girls were not pleased with our decision to “share” in their endeavors. No one got stung, however, there were a lot of hot buzz-byes and head butting to show their displeasure. Help us celebrate this year’s honey harvest - bee watching for a chance to win a bottle of our delicious, pnw honey! #pnwbeekeeper #melifera #honey #honeybee #propolis #honeyflow beekeepersofinstagram #beeksofinstagram #washingtonbeekeeper #washingtonstatebeekeepers #beekeeping #pnwbeek #beekeepinginthecascades #bee #honeybee #honey #beehive #apiary #apiarylife #apiculture #savethebees #beelife #beekeeperlife #naturalbeekeeping https://www.instagram.com/p/CDhvivYAsES/?igshid=4mjodpxt9bwf

Let me introduce you to my new garden friends, Squish & Squash. They were in town visiting my Kale. They are obviously not peaceful, they tore the place up - which is how they got their names. One got squished and the other squashed. #gardenfoe #kale #brassica #squish #squash #notinmygarden #gardenlife #pnwgarden https://www.instagram.com/p/CDhdZM-g_e7/?igshid=1wmf0qa0k5wdc