Sunday, July 27, 2014

Something old... Something new...

-posted by Jayne

Wedding bells must be ringing somewhere off in the distance, as I've sold quite a few of these little 2 oz honey jars as wedding favors lately.  I got to thinking about some of our products here and how the phrase, "Something old, something new..." definitely applies to us.  Not sure about the borrowed and blue part... but I'll take you through the old and new:

Something old... we've had these little two ounce honey jars for a while now...

But the honey will never spoil, so why not keep a few wedding favors
back for enjoying on your 40th wedding anniversary?

Something new:  Lots of new soap scents!

This scent was a completely new creation and we love it!  The rose clay
is a type of kaolin clay that is great for purifying the skin.  Find it for sale
here in our Etsy store.

Why not have a beer in the shower?
 We sell honey to Seventh Son Brewing Company, so I thought to myself... if they are making beer with our honey, why not make some soap using their beer?  The beer increases the lather of the soap, while also giving it that earthy robust brewed scent.  You can find it for sale here in our Etsy shop.


Five Clay soap - a thick blend of five different clays swirled together
to make a thick creamy lather, great for the face or an all over body soap.

Other new scents not pictured here are Activated Charcoal (with Eucalyptus and Rosemary essential oil), Lilac Blossom, Bergamot Grapefruit, and Coconut Lime.

Something old: Castile Soap.  I finally managed to get it photographed to list in our Etsy shop, although I have been making it and selling it for over a year now.  The base is 100% olive oil, which makes it great for sensitive skin and babies.  I use it in our youngest daughter's hair as a shampoo and it works great since it leaves no residue and has a very simple lather, with small bubbles and a fresh, natural scent.


Something new:  A honeystick variety package.  This has been a hit at the farmer's market.  We count out 8 each of the Fall, Lavender, and Summer honeysticks and package them up so you can try each flavor.  I've been selling out of these at the Worthington market every week.  


Something new:  Letter-block candles.  I created my own molds using a silicone mold making compound.  I bought the silicone materials last July.  I finally got around to making the molds this January.  I still haven't gotten these listed in my Etsy shop.  But I did get them photographed!  

Why not spell out your true feelings in candlelight?

Or top a cake with your son's name?
Something new:  Salves!  We now have Baby Balm, Herbal Healing Salve, and Farmer's Friend salve.  They each have a unique purpose, whether it is healing a cut or scrape, soothing dry skin, or calming the itch from an insect bite.  I will be listing them in our Etsy shop soon, but for now you can find them at our farmer's market locations.



Something old...  I was sorting through some old papers and came across this letter from Mrs. Helen Ingram of Washington Courthouse.  Together with her late husband Beecher Ingram she ran "Ingram's House of Honey."  When Isaac and I first got into beekeeping we purchased some old beekeeping equipment from her and her son.  We would sit and chat with her about Beecher and their business, and she always commented how they were unable to sell the Fall honey that they harvested.  She said the taste was too strong for their customers, and she wouldn't even bake with it because the flavor was just too intense.  What she was referring to was the same taste that many of our customers have come to know and enjoy - Fall goldenrod honey.  As you can see in the letter below, they did enjoy eating it fresh on pancakes, waffles, and toast.  
   Helen was 84 when she wrote us this letter and I regret to say we haven't kept in touch with her in recent years.  But it is a good feeling to know that we are still using much of the equipment we purchased from her in our early years of beekeeping.  I believe she would be proud to see something old being used to produce "something new" again, by our little beekeeping family here at Honeyrun Farm.


No comments:

Post a Comment