This is One of the Top Five Markets in the State

Sandy Martin, Shoreview Mayor, writes a nice column for the Shoreview Press. In the May 26th issue she commented "This is a great place to buy Minnesota-grown fruits and vegetables, baked goods, meats and flowers. The market is considered one of the top five in that state for homegrown products. Special events will be held on June 2, July 7, August 4, September 8, and October 13."

The better half of this market duo was a charter member of the Shoreview Market over ten years ago selling the lesser half's honey. The limited source liquid and spun (creamy) honey remains very popular with our local customers. Our product lines continue to expand and now include locally grown vegetables, fruits, baked goods and something new and different every week. We're not just about green beans and tomatoes.

Memorial Day Weekend

Rain is the only missing component right now for a great market year. This past weekend marks the completion of planting for sweet corn, potatoes, onions, 'greens', and a wide range of summer and winter squash. We're about half done with the heirloom tomatoes and sweet and hot peppers.

The bee colonies are building up nicely with the queens (one per hive) laying about 1500 eggs per day. This should give us strong colonies for the major nectar flow which starts mid-June and runs into July. To date the worker bees (about 20,000 per hive right now) have been working the dandelions and apple trees. The June nectar flow that is for the beekeeper and for our customers. The rest of the summer is for the bees.

So far this year we've been challenged with equipment repairs (tiller & mower), water issues (no rain and problematic pump), many ticks, and a few early mosquitoes.

We look forward to the start of the Shoreview Market in June and seeing our old customers after a winter's rest and sharing our bounty with new customers and friends.

Bees & Honey

After a long, long winter we have forage opportunities for the honeybees with a good crop of dandelions. This nectar flow along with the early flowering trees will carry them into mid to late June for the major nectar flow. Queens are laying heavily now (1500 eggs per day) and if nature works this correctly we'll have plenty of bees at the peak of the nectar flow. The workers are collecting many types of pollen which is the primary food and protein source for the larvae.

It's been a good spring for the bees but the beekeeper got stung on the eyebrow quite a way from the hive while repairing a fence. The key in honeybee stings is the remove the stinger by scraping it off with a fingernail. Benedryl can help reduce swelling. If you are allergic to bee stings, don't become a beekeeper and be prepared for the worst by having a readily available dose of epinephrine.