This winter was particularly long for my family and I. We always love the period of time when snow blankets the landscape and the hearth begs us to stay inside and contemplate Spring. Well, I've been contemplating Spring all Winter and this particular season, I am REALLY happy to see Winter tucking itself away for a spell. 

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Every year, when we get the first real kiss of Spring sunshine, my mind begins to race with all of the projects I either committed myself to over Winter, OR projects that were left only dreams and wishes from the season prior. We lost virtually every blueberry bush in our patch. My inkling is they weren't getting enough water through the warm season so now, the patch will need a revamp. 

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I'm still waiting for the arrival of a brand new batch of baby Mason Bees from my favorite pollinator company, Crown Bees. They ship them in early Spring and into the fridge the little cardboard boxes go for a short time. Once the warm days of May arrive, the little cocoons will be placed out in their sweet little bee houses, and we will anxiously await their emergence. 

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Speaking of Mason Bees, I decided this year that since the Winter felt so long, we wanted to celebrate the arrival of the busy season by offering an early Summer gathering, the first of it's kind for us here at the orchard. As a musician, one of my favorite pieces ever played in concert band was The Flight Of The Bumblebee. This is the inspiration to our upcoming farmtable gathering, Night Of The Bumblebee. 

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If you've ever been to one of our signature Orchard Table dinners or ever seen the beautiful pictures shared after the event, you'd know that this isn't simply a dinner. It's more of an experience. An immersive, one of a kind gathering where you won't only join others in a community gathering of farm centric food, you'll learn about the native pollinators that make our preservation orchard flourish. I myself became a "bee charmer" back in 2017 when I committed myself to understanding how our natural world works to bring us the bounty we recieve every harvest season. 

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Here at our preservation orchard, we do everything we can to make our orchard environment a welcoming, and nourishing ecosystem where the various native bees come for a visit, and decide to return throughout the season due to the rich biodiverse offerings our orchard provides. Wouldn't you love to know who these tiny but mighty creatures are? Well, I invite you to join us on June 1, at 5:30. We will celebrate this evening in our Eastern orchard, surrounded by a hopeful bloom of our apple trees, fresh bouquets of locally grown flora, a farm fresh dinner, and you will be treated to an experience that is 100%, authentically our own - our Honey Fall Charcuterie Table.

 

A few years back, Chef Hill at the Coeur d' Alene Resort reached out to me, wishing for a one of a kind experience for one of their private events. He wanted our orchard honey straight off the frame so Erreck designed and built the perfect mode of not only displaying this golden delicacy, but a way for guests to enjoy the rich flavor of our North Idaho Honey straight from the frame, paired with rich fruits, cheeses, and other charcuterie fare. This will most definitely be the centerpiece of this very special evening. I sincerely hope you'll join us! Purchase your tickets here as they will go fast!