Blog
> Bloom April 06 2016
Each spring when I rediscover our "bloom calendar," it's like walking through the blossoms of the past few years.
You see, the bloom calendar is the same paper calendar book, dated 2008, where we record each spring's bloom, with each year being a different color ink. For example, 2009 was black pen, 2012 was blue marker and this year is purple Sharpie.
It's interesting to compare when things bloomed each year, and the difference is amazing. In 2012, when we had an early spring, I recorded on March 25, "black locust still in bloom," suggesting these trees had been blooming for a week or two. Last year, black locust didn't start blooming until late April, a whole month later.
Last year, on March 29, we had temps in the 20s, while this year cherry trees were in full bloom on the same date.
Other things find their way into the calendar. In 2009 on March 18 we found five bluebird eggs in a nest, the same day we sowed crimson clover, and on March 29 the eggs hatched. The same year also was a terrible tick year, with a notation at the end of April of "ticks everywhere!"
Also in 2009, a neighbor brought us a swarm of honeybees he found hanging from a fake floral arrangement at a cemetery, and we caught another swarm on our basketball hoop.
While beekeeping isn't typically thought of as farming, I love how this trade keeps us in touch with Nature. Everything about honey is dictated by the weather. Spring, especially in Middle Tennessee, is unpredictable, so each year we look forward to tasting our spring vintage.
It's the condensed essence of a volatile and unpredictable season, always different and always perfect.
> Come see us! April 13 2015
We know it's finally spring when we start planning our weekends around local festivals and events. We're still working out the details on a few shows, but here's a quick list of where you can meet us, sample our honey and maybe take a peek at our observation hive this spring and summer.
- Green Door Gourmet Spring Festival, 11 to 6 on Sunday, April 26 at 7011 River Road Pike, Nashville, TN 37209.
- Sevier Park Festival, 10 to 6 on Saturday, May 2 in Sevier Park and along 12th South Avenue, Nashville.
- Produce Place Strawberry Festival, Saturday, May 9, 4000 Murphy Road, Nashville, TN 37209.
- International Biscuit Festival, 9 to 4 on Saturday, May 16 in Knoxville, TN (Biscuit Bazaar area).
- Tomato Arts Festival, 9 to 6 on Saturday, August 8 in East Nashville's Five Points area.
Follow us on Twitter @trubeehoney to get more details on what we're bringing to these shows and any specials we might have.