Spring honey season is a few months away, and we’re prepping our hives to get ready for the harvest! We’ve added 3 new hives this past week, which we’ve been sharing on social media. We’ll also share a full blog post in the near future describing all that goes into adding hives. If you don’t already follow us on Instagram or Facebook, check us out @littlebeeofct ! We post daily on all things related to the little honey bee, and that’s where you’ll see the current videos of Scott adding bees to our hives. As a reminder, Little Bee of CT’s hives are all located in Southbury, CT, and are NOT rented for pollination. We harvest our honey with only minimal processing to remove bits of wax, and it goes directly into our jars, ensuring that all of the natural properties of the honey remain intact. Fine filtering, which is part of the production of commercial honeys, can remove the beneficial pollen. Heat treating can impact the color, flavor, all the natural vitamins, living enzymes, and other nutritional elements present in the natural honey. We keep our bees and our honey “au natural” and will continue to do so as long as we are in the beekeeping business! Now, let’s get into some delicious honey-based recipes.   Our Spring Honey is Light in Color and Fragrant with Dandelion and Clover. It really is a sight and a smell to behold. The light amber color sometimes shows hints of grass green, and the smell reminds us of a field full of clover after a spring rain. And, it’s really yummy! :)  Just as a fine wine pairs with different foods based on body and color, our spring honey is best paired with lighter seasonal recipes. In contrast, our dark amber fall honey, which represents the flora in CT during the fall months, is a deeper-bodied blend and works well with seasonal recipes during that time of year.   Spring Quinoa Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette Super easy and super yummy. This spring salad won’t last long! Link to full recipe and video from pinchofyum.com.   Salad Ingredients: – 1 cup uncooked quinoa– 2–3 cups frozen peas– 1/2 cup feta cheese– 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled– 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil and cilantro– 1/2 cup almonds, pulsed in a food processor until crushed Dressing Ingredients: – 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (1–2 large juicy lemons)– 1/3 cup olive oil– 1/4 teaspoon salt (or to taste)– 3 tablespoons honey How to Make It: Cook the quinoa according to package directions. I make this the night before and let it chill in the fridge so it separates better for the salad. Bring a pot of water to boil and then turn off the heat. Add the peas and cover until bright green. I do this instead of regular boiling so they don’t get wrinkly! Toss the quinoa with the peas, feta, bacon, herbs, and almonds. Puree all the dressing ingredients in the food processor. Toss the dressing with the salad ingredients. Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve tossed with fresh baby spinach, on crackers, or just by itself!   Feta, Honey and Date Spread With Mediterranean influence, this yummy spread from Midwest Living can be used on a variety of foods! Spread on toast, or use as a dip for veggies or kabobs. It’s up to you! Ingredients:– 1 cup crumbled feta (4 ounces)– ½ cup toasted almonds*, coarsely chopped– ½ cup pitted dates, chopped– 2 tablespoons fresh marjoram or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped– 2 teaspoons finely shredded lemon peel– ¼ cup honey– ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper– Toasted pita bread wedges How to Make It: In a serving bowl gently stir together feta, almonds, dates, olives, and lemon peel. In a small microwave-safe bowl combine honey and cayenne. Warm in microwave for 15 seconds. Drizzle over spread; fold gently to combine. Serve with pita bread.   Whipped Honey Butter From a yummy little website called two peas and their pod Full recipe here: Honey Butter   Ingredients:– 1 cup softened salted butter 3 tablespoons of honey Additional pinch of sea salt if desired   How to Make it: In a small bowl, combine butter or margarine and lemon peel. Gradually add honey, beating with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Store, covered, in the refrigerator up to two weeks. Let butter spread stand at room temperature about 1 hour before serving.   We hope you find lots of yummy ways to enjoy your spring honey. Please share your favorites with us! We might post them on our social media channels! For more information on any of the all-natural products we create at Little Bee of CT, visit our site or email us at info@littlebeeofct.com, Don’t forget to follow @littlebeeofct on Instagram and Facebook where we post daily updates on our products and our favorite creature…the little bee! Thank you for supporting Little Bee of CT and the busy beekeepers around the world!

We’ve called this the season of giving, the season of light, the season of all things merry and bright.  But… let’s not forget… the season of the cookie! Cookie swaps, cookie trays given as gifts, cookie tins in the workplace kitchen or staffroom… they are everywhere during the holidays. Especially during the holidays! We know you all have your favorite cookie recipe, the one you bake each year for the holidays and have perfected over time and with each batch you’ve pulled from the oven. We wouldn’t dream of trying to replace that cookie on your agenda this holiday season. What we’re proposing is that you give this sweet little holiday cookie a try. We’ve heard it called the Perfect Honey Cookie. Perfect for the Christmas and holiday season, perfect for gift giving, and perfect to eat warm, right out of the oven. Shhh, we won’t tell if you won’t! Let us know what you think of this recipe, which has the seasonal scent of cinnamon combined with the sweetness of all-natural honey and the ingredient that makes everything taste good… butter.  This perfect honey cookie couldn’t be easier, or tastier. Ingredients*: 3 eggs 1 cup of sugar 1/2 cup of softened butter 1/4 cup Little Bee Honey 3 and 1/4 cups of flour 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder Directions: Combine butter and sugar until well mixed Add eggs and mix well Add honey Add remaining dry ingredients, mixing well Shape dough into half-inch balls Place onto a lined baking sheet, or baking stone, leaving 2 inches between each cookie Bake at 350 degrees, for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until cookies are very lightly browned. Will make approximately 36 cookies. *  This recipe was originally credited to the Nitra Ladies Auxiliary Whatever your holiday season looks like this year, we hope that Little Bee of Connecticut will become a part of your special traditions. We would love to hear from you, especially if you have purchased any of our products or tried the recipes we share in our blog posts. If you have any questions regarding any of our all-natural products, please email us at info@littlebeeofct.com, Don’t forget to follow @littlebeeofct on Instagram and Facebook where we post daily on our favorite subject… honeybees and candles and decorating and entertaining…you get the idea.