Honey Harvest
Posted by Devin Manky September 19, 2017
2017 marked our fourth year of having honey bees on Grouse Mountain. The only change this year, however, is that we did not bring our bees and hives up to the top of the mountain due to a banner snow year and a very late snow pack. We were concerned that food production in the form of flowers and nectar might be slow or delayed this year because we had snow on the ground into late June and even early July.
So our hives stayed at the base of the mountain where they have a plethora of food options ranging from wild blackberry flowers to the cultivated gardens of the inhabitants of Capilano Road and surrounding neighborhoods.
The bees did really well and we're happy to announce that we've extracted a honey surplus this year and bottled it for use in our restaurants. When harvesting honey we only take the excess that the bees store away above and beyond what they need to get through the winter. This way they are left with more than ample food reserves to carry the hive from late October until early March when the bees will not often leave the comforts and warmth of the hive.
The honey we extracted looks great and is a blend of wildflowers but tends to taste a bit on the side of the more robust honeys extracted from the nectar of blackberries.
Watch for it on the menu the next time you dine up here!
