Jen and Doug Hornaday's garden

Smooth and succulent.  Translucent colors, amber and smoke.  Made me pause and sigh with delight. Like a wine tasting, but without the alcohol.  I’m talking honey tasting!

This is the fresh, newly extracted honey from the local hives that are part of the Healthy Bees = Healthy Gardens project.  I had never known honey could taste so rich, so distinctive and delectable!  Each tasting was different based on the flowers from where the bees collect their nectar.

Our bee keeping friends, Jen and Doug Hornaday, stopped in to have us taste the fresh honey from each hive they are tending.  This is the project that asks folks to become a Friend of Honey Bees by pledging to not spray any pesticides or toxic garden chemicals (like Weed and Feed) in their yards.  When an entire city block of people sign up, they can become eligible to host a honey bee hive, tended to by Jen and Doug.  There are Pesticide-Free hives near Washington Park, Madison Meadow and near the Fairgrounds.  There is a transitional hive in the River Road area.

You too can taste each of the four honeys at our National Honey Bee Week events – Hideaway Bakery is hosting a Pizza Night on Wednesday, August 15, and Cozmic Pizza and salsa dance band Son Mela’o are featuring pizza and salsa on Saturday, August 18.

Come join us!  Taste the local pesticide-free honey and be amazed (and order a jar for yourself)!  Become a Friend of Healthy Bees, get your face painted, listen to the music, win the photo contest with your best bee or flower picture!  There will be lots of fun!  And eat the best local pizza around.

These fundraisers help us Beyond Toxics advance the Save Oregon’s Bees project, create more honey bee hive havens and advocate for No Spray parks, highways, forests, riparian areas and lots more! I hope to celebrate National Honey Bee Week with you!

Lisa Arkin, Beyond Toxics Executive Director