7th Ward Block Captain Map

Wednesday, March 12, 2014

Beekeeping

A Big THANKS to McKenna Haynie and Stan & Alicia Moulton for their outstanding presentations!  Fabulous tasting, super-nutritious raw honey from your own bees is what this workshop was all about.  We learned how fun and easy it is to build your own beehives and harvest great honey with relatively little effort.

Following are a few links and notes from February's Mapleton Ready class on Bees.

Stan and Alicia Moulton are are multigenerational local beekeepers who love to share their talents & hobby with others.  See their bee art and products for sale on their website.  They will be presenting a beginning beekeeping class for Mapleton residents interested in getting started in beekeeping.  If you are interested in bees and/or equipment, you can contact them at info@thehoneycompany.com or on their website TheHoneyCompany.com

They also mentioned an excellent manual and DVD “Beekeeping in Northern Climates” from the University of Minnesota.  Here’s a link where you can buy it direct from the University: https://www.bookstores.umn.edu/viewProduct.cgi?productID=35524#.UxCWfvRdWKV.  Or you may google it and find it cheaper on eBay or elsewhere. 

McKenna Haynie (Age 8) Beekeeping Photos:  If you’d like to see Derek's daughter McKenna’s slideshow of her entire beekeeping experience from building the hives, installing the bees and harvesting almost 5 gallons of honey you can see them all on her simple website HoneyBeeOutfitters.com

Raising Chickens

A Big THANKS to Mona Ashton for her outstanding presentation on raising chickens!

Following are a few links and notes from February's Mapleton Ready class on Chickens.  Harvesting a seemingly endless supply of fresh eggs from your own backyard is what this workshop was all about.

Most of the information from Mona Ashton’s presentation on how to start and raise chickens is on her website CleanCoops.com.  The local Cal Ranch and IFA are also good sources for chicks and equipment.  You can also learn and find a lot online.  Read about how much fun the family can have raising chicks all the way to harvesting your own great eggs.  Learn about low-maintenance coops, that are attractive, too.  Learn how to maximizing egg production and keep the bugs down in your garden at the same time.

After this class two years ago, we got our first chickens and started enjoying our own fresh brown eggs with brilliant orange yolks every day.  Just a word of warning (or two).  Chickens don't respect property lines or fences.  They will follow the bugs wherever they go, including your neighbor's yard & garden.  If they don't mind their flowerbeds being scratched up by the chickens foraging for bugs & weeds, no problem.  However, they don't mind nibbling all the broccoli and strawberries as well.  So, be sure you use a coop or some enclosure to keep your neighbors happy.