Bees & Owls & Worms
I'm still debating whether to get chickens or ducks--which would need tending when I travel--so in the meantime I'm venturing into another, fairly low-maintenance agricultural project. Beekeeping. I didn't buy a standard hive, but a more user-friendly style developed in Australia. It's called a Flow Hive. It's based on vertical frames, partially made of an eco-friendly plastic. The bees build the other side of the hexagons, fill each cell with honey, and cap them with wax. When you're ready to harvest the honey, instead of opening and intruding into the hive, you insert and turn a handle, the cells crack, and the honey flows down into a trough and directly into your jar. Without the mixing that happens with standard harvesting equipment, honey straight from the frames often has more distinct color and flavor variations. I'm very excited about this new hobby--but I have a lot to learn!