Busy Bee Farm is located in the Pine Barrens in Tabernacle, N.J. Pesticide free lavender, herbs, and native plants are the focal crops, and the farm is also home to 25 beehives. As the Price's home since 1996, the farm was created in 2006 with the addition of a greenhouse in 2007. Busy Bee Farm has recently been certified for Jersey Fresh, which means that all of the high standards of the program have been met by the farm's products. The farm has also been awarded several grants from NRCS towards reinforcing environmentally sound practices that include the creation of a Pollinator Habitat, Forest Stewardship, and Organic Certification. We are committed to these practices and are available for educational programs related to these topics. Updates From the Farm March 18, 2012 - Spring Season The mild winter season has enabled us to get a lot done on the farm. With grateful assistance from an NRCS grant, Steve has put up a 2 1/2 acre deer fence. This will enable us to grow another crop here, and our explorations in this area are pointing towards a wonderful, healthful niche product. We hope to organically enrich the soil in this new field, so it won't be ready for planting until next Spring. Steve has also been researching distillation equipment so that we can provide organic lavender essential oils and hydrosols, and has partnered with Rutgers University for use of their equipment. So stay tuned-we may be offering on-site distillation days for the public to watch right here at Busy Bee Farm. Toward this end and to enrich some of our culinary lavender products, Toni is currently transplanting about about 600 new lavender plants in the greenhouse to be put outside in May. The varieties include Royal Purple, Betty's Blue, Purple Bouquet, and Imperial Gem and we are excited about adding them to our Grosso, Provence, and Hidcote varieties. With the wonderful success of our lavender based herbal loose leaf teas last season, Toni has tripled the number of herb plants in the field that are also being started in the greenhouse now. The off season has also been used to make lots of lavender honey soap and many dried lavender products, and we have some delicious lavender cookies and pound cakes in the freezer. Toni has also been able to get outdoors to plant several outstanding additions to our pollinator habitat area, so the bees should have more forage here this year. At this point we have only lost one hive. All of the others seem to be doing very well, and we'll have 10 new ones arriving in April or so. Much time was spent trying to arrange a better Cut Your Own Lavender schedule this year. As you can see from our Events Schedule below, we've decided to invite the public here between Wednesday, June 27 and Sunday, July 15 (except for Sunday, July 1).
We look forward to seeing
everyone again at our farmer's markets and here at Busy Bee Farm! January 1, 2012 - Thank you for making 2011 another wonderful season for Busy Bee Farm. We sincerely appreciate all of your continued interest and support, and we truly value the opportunities we've been given to educate about environmental topics dear to our hearts and to make wonderful friendships in the process. For 2012 we are already moving forward. We've ordered 10 additional beehives as well as about 600 new lavender plants. We are trying some new varieties in our fields to meet the demand for our culinary products as well as possible distillation for lavender essential oil. Thanks to the popularity of our lavender based loose leaf herbal teas, we'll be planting more this year. And of course I'll be crafting more lavender honey soaps all winter. This year we are also working towards scheduling more cut your own lavender dates with the hope that the weather will cooperate. Dates will be posted here, on Facebook, and Twitter. During that period, roughly between mid-June and most of July, we'll also be open for group visits. In addition to Cut Your Own, we can provide educational talks and walks here at the farm on Honeybees, Plants for Pollinators, Lavender, etc. Plan your group visits early, though - the group visits are already being scheduled. E-mail lavender (dot) toni (at) gmail (dot) com for details. Thanks again for a great 2011 season, and best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy 2012! 2012 Farmer's Markets BCCAC Farmer's Market Saturdays 8:30am - 1pm 500 Centerton Road May 19 - October 6 Moorestown, NJ Head House Market Sundays 10am - 2pm 2nd and Lombard Streets May 6, 13, and 27 Philadelphia, PA June 3, 10, and 17 August 5, 12, 19, and 26 September 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30 October 14 and 28 Bordentown Farmer's Market Wednesdays 4pm-dusk Carslakes Community Center June 6, 13 207 Crosswicks Street August 1, 15, and 29 Bordentown, NJ September 5, 12, 19, and 26 Gardening Expo, BCCAC Saturday, May 12 10am - 3 pm 500 Centerton Rd. Moorestown, NJ (rain or shine) Cut Your Own Lavender Wednesday June 27 - Sunday July 15Bordentown Street Fair Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 Farnsworth Ave. 10am - 4pm both days Bordentown, NJ Jersey Made Thursday, June 21 33 White Street 7 - 8 pm Mount Holly, NJ Products for sale, lecture about pollinator plants, and honeybee observation hive (weather permitting) Earth Fair Sunday, June 24 Historic Smithville Park noon - 4pm Eastampton, NJ at Busy Bee Farm 9am - 11am OR 6pm - 8pm The Farm Will Be Closed on Sunday July 1 Please email us if you will be bringing a group of more than 10 Check this website, our Facebook or Twitter sites for updates Bordentown Cranberry Festival Saturday, October 6 AND Sunday, October 7 Farnsworth Ave. 11am - 5pm both days Bordentown, NJ Batsto Country Living Fair Sunday, October 21 Batsto Park 10am - 4pm Batsto,NJ |