Lemons For Eggs

So our lemon trade has proven fruitful! Our neighbor, Enoch, gave us about 10 lemons for some eggs a few weeks ago. The first big "garden surplus" trade!

At the Claremont Farmer's Market, we tasted Lavender Cardamom Lemon Marmalade from Happy Girl Kitchen. Delicious! And worth trying to replicate. We peeled the very outer layer off of the lemons (and some key limes) and set it aside. It provides the pectin for the marmalade and will add that spreadable, gelatinous quality. We then removed all the white pith from every lemon. (Make sure you do this with company or a good NPR show on because it is long and tedious!)



We took the lemon zest and chunks of lemon fruit into an enamel pot with 6 cups of water. We also added a linen bag of lavender flowers to the mixture (no cardamom this round). We set it in the fridge for a few hours. Apparently, this step is essential. Then, we simmered the mixture for a few hours. Then we added 5 cups of sugar. After about 45 minutes, we were ready to can!

After boiling the jars and lids, we filled them with the marmalade and then boiled the filled jars for 15 minutes. Voila! Delicious (yet runny) marmalade!

The Bees Are Here!

Our friend, Bee Jeff, called us Thursday evening and told us he had captured a swarm in a nearby neighborhood. We waited until evening, donned our protective apparel, and went to get the box.



Chris looks good in ladies' coats! We had to wear light colors to minimize their fear.


We wrapped the box in a sheet. I could feel the box vibrating when I picked up. It was a small swarm - just under two pounds, Jeff thought.



We had no idea what to do once we got home. I thought the bees would just shake off and fall into the hive, but they were balled up around the queen and sticking to the box. We called Jeff and he told us to thump the box really hard. When I did, it worked. Then I had to replace the center frames I had taken out to make room for them. It was impossible to slide those back in without killing some bees. And each bee feels so precious. I was also afraid of damaging the queen.



But the next morning, all appeared well. Today (Saturday) the hive was buzzing with activity in the afternoon sun. It made me wish the supers were transparent. We have been out there to replace a few more frames in the upper super, and the bees seemed so calm. No stings yet...