I always keep a careful eye out the first few days of February looking for blossoms on the local fruit trees, but usually it’s a whole tree in bloom by the time I discover it.
Growing up in Placer County back in the day when there were hundreds of fruit orchards, I always look forward to this time of year. Most of the plum trees in the old orchards were grafted onto almond rootstock which made for stronger, healthier trees. The first blossoms of spring with their pale pink blush are almond blossoms on growth from the remnants of rootstock from those old plum trees. Around our farm there are lots of these.
By March the landscape is filled with blooming trees of many kinds and local honey bees venturing out to take advantage of this fresh source of nectar to replenish and strengthen their hives for the coming honey season.
In addition to blossoms and bees, with spring comes allergy season and we see lots of people shopping at NP for local honey. Many people believe that eating local honey helps them ward off the worst of their allergy symptoms. The idea is that since honey contains many of the same pollen spores that cause you to suffer from allergies when flowers and grasses are in bloom, eating it works like a vaccination, helping your body produce antibodies to fight off allergens.
At Newcastle Produce we have honey from Colwell’s Thundering Herd Ranch in Penryn, and from Newcastle’s Miller Honey Farms.
In addition to honey, we also have a new source of local bee pollen from
Miller Honey Farms. Theirs is a colorful blend of 100% pure bee pollen collected from wildflowers in the Newcastle and Auburn region of Placer County.
The beekeeper says to start with a pinch of pollen the first day and then gradually increase the amount until you reach 2 teaspoons a day. You can eat it plain, drizzle it with honey, eat it with peanut butter, or add it to yogurt, smoothies, cold cereal or ice cream. Refrigerated it keeps well for up to a year.
If you suffer from allergies, why not try this all-natural solution. We’d love to hear if it helps!.