HONEY HARVEST

Around the end of August, the bees will have ‘capped’ many of the ‘supers’ of honey with wax. In a good year, an established colony may provide as much as 40 jars of honey to harvest.

Once frames have been safely removed from the hive (a tricky business requiring the use of a ‘clearer board’, which traps the bees out of the ‘super’ frames), you need to prepare them for storing. Most simple is to remove sections from frames and keep as ‘cut comb’ in tubs. For jars of honey, you will need to uncap the frames with a sharp knife, then quickly transport them wet and dripping to an extractor (most clubs hire them out). It’s a messy job, so clear a big space in the kitchen and put down lots of newspaper. Once extracted, you can filter out any debris, then decant into jars.

Honey contains many natural volatile oils, which add to its taste but can also disappear quickly after harvesting. This is why it tastes at its very best straight from the hive, still in its comb and warm from the bees.