Okay, this may sound odd but in 1997 I had a dream that I was a beekeeper. That was it for me! After reading books and apprenticing for other beekeepers, I found the gusto to keep one honey bee hive and start on the path to one day having my own family farm. All those bees flying around me that first Spring morning – I burst into tears of happiness – my dream was coming true. Fast forward quite a few years and with pug Beasley by my side, I incorporated my business Blossom Meadow Farm in 2009. At one point, my hives swelled to 100 (upwards of eight million bees) and I managed additional hives for other folks.
Fast forward to today… While honey bees and their plight have been well publicized by the media, the role of native pollinators in our natural world is less widely recognized. Wild bees are pollinating superheroes. Because of how they fly and how they collect pollen, wild bees pollinate 2-3 times better than honey bees. Research shows that fruit pollinated by native bees is heavier and more well-rounded, resulting in higher yields per acre. Native bees should be embraced and nurtured!! This realization has shifted the focus of my farm and my entire life. In 2015, I gave a TEDx talk entitled How to Increase Food Production by Using Native Pollinators – where I make the case for why native bees should have our full attention. I no longer keep honey bees on our family farm. We are fully focused on raising mason bees and other native pollinators and enjoying the fruits of their labor – berries! All of our berries are used to make our award winning jam.
Please come visit our store in Cutchogue located at 31855 Main Road (just east of the King Kullen Shopping Center). Blossom Meadow shares the space with the winery Coffee Pot Cellars (my husband Adam). Our store is separate from the actual land we farm.