November 2013

One of the benefits of harvesting single combs at different times throughout the season is that you get to
sample honey from multiple flora sources because the bees are collecting from different nectar flows at
different times during the season. I have been amazed at the wide variety of honey flavors, even between
honey comb that I harvested just two weeks apart. The single comb harvesting method also benefits the bees.
To harvest a single comb the hive only needs to be opened very briefly, usually only for a minute or so, and
the bees hardly get disturbed at all. This is really a good method for a beginner, because it is
not as involved or intimidating as harvesting a bunch of combs at once.

Alyson McClelland’s mom cans everything from barbecue sauce to fig jam.

Once the delicious condiments are consumed, McClelland gives new life to all those empty Mason jars by filling them with quick and easy meals.

“There are so many jars left over, it’s nice to be able to use them for something,” she says.

McClelland, who blogs at EatMeLancaster.com with her husband Brian, uses canning castoffs for sandwiches, salads and desserts. She got the idea from a local restaurant, which serves peanut butter mousse in a tiny jar.

McClelland and many others are sold on packing make-ahead meals in Mason jars instead of baggies or plastic wrap – an earth- friendly, cost-effective alternative that’s just plain fun.