The Pink Lady and the Honey Bee

Do you have a childhood memory that just never goes away? And do you wonder, do I keep this memory because of the pure joy that lead up to the humiliation, or is it because of the cousins and sister laughing at you—as your pants fall to the ground, that this memory never dies. 

We just celebrated Labor Day, and with that came the opening of the Yates Family Orchard. This little family run orchard butts up to our backyard. I had been anticipating the “pick your own” opening for weeks, craving the delicious apples that have been ripping before my eyes. 

Actually the anticipation goes way back to spring when we left a couple colonies of honey bees in our backyard, just so the bees could pollinate the apple orchard. As soon as apple blossom was over, the hives were moved to our friend’s property. Leaving me free to romp around the backyard this summer with little worries of having to use my EpiPen. 

"I say this loosely. To me it’s all a part of God’s marvelous workings.

Yesterday as I gingerly placed several varieties of apples into my bag, Pink Ladies, the classic Macintosh and some Goldens, I felt good knowing that our (I say this loosely. To me it’s all a part of God’s marvelous workings.) honey bees had helped bring these apple into the delicious fruit that they are. 

 

Oh yes, back to my britches falling to ground when I was no more than three. The family had taken a drive to the Gravelle family farm in Jericho Vermont. Back then, kids were always told, “Go outside and play.” as the adults visited. Stevie the eldest cousin lead the way; he decided that we would pick some apples. Having only two tiny hands, I stuffed a few apples into my pants pockets. Just picture the glee on my face as I collected yet another ruby red apple, and then (If you can) imagine gravity doing its thing, and in front of three older cousins and one big sister—my pants fell to the ground. Laughter ensued and tears came streaming down my face, but in the end it was biting into that crisp delicious apple that brought a smile back to my face. 

Shameless plug for our neighbors: If you live in the Chittenden or Addison Counties of Vermont, I invite you to come pick some apples at the Yates Family Orchard on 1074 Davis Rd (Monkton). They usually are making Fresh Pressed Apple Cider, so you can take a jug of that home too. And when you bite into your fresh picked apple or sip that cool, sweet cider, think about Heavenly Honey Apiary and the work that they do; making an effort to sustain healthy bee colonies through good beekeeping practices. After all, the honey bee played a key role in pollinating that apple you’re biting into!

Barrel of apples photo courtesy of Flickr creative commons by CAPow!  

Little girl in apple orchard courtesy of Flickr creative commons by tim_and_selena

Apple tree pollination photo courtesy of Heavenly Honey Apiary™ © Copyright 2012 All rights reserved www.vtbeekeeper.com