The lank of milk and Honey

Good week friends,
As always we'll begin with messages (more interesting things to continue):
1. Because this month ends on Tuesday, which is a packing day, I will be charging the credit cards before this weeks delivery. Accordingly, the charge will not include this fifth, and last, delivery of the month of January. The charge for this delivery will be combined with the month of February.
2. This week, again, we will add to the boxes an information sheet about the many more products that we have available, especially for the bi-weekly receivers. When you get this, let us know if you have any questions. We are always glad to help.
3. I'm still looking for help with the work, and will appreciate if you spread the word to anyone who might be interested in a good job workig with us.
4. Thanks to Dafna for the photo of the Cucumbird (cucumber-bird)

Have a good week, warm and wet.

Maggie and the team

This week I'm transferring the stage to Ido, our beekeeper from Moshav Klachim, who also has beehives in Nataf. His dear bees visit our garden. I see and hear them doing their crucial pollination work, especially around the gourd plants, which have beautiful and attractive flowers. So here he is:

Nice to meet you!
My name is Ido, a beekeeper from Moshav Klachim in the northern Negev. In our family beehive business we produce pure honey of various kinds, pollen, honeycombs, propolis and olive oil as well.
The extraction house in Klachim is the end of the long process that begins when the bees visit Maggie's garden and other natural growing areas and fill their combs with honey. The full honeycombs arrive and the honey extraction happens. The honey gathering process begins in the beehives that are placed in different areas around the country: the Negev region (from which we produce Tamarisk honey, eucalyptus honey, avocado honey and wildflower honey), the
Jerusalem mountains (thyme honey and wildflower honey) and south of the Kinneret (citrus and avocado honey).
Each region produces honey that is different in taste, color and texture.
As part of being a small honey producer, we favor manual work methods without machinery, while maintaining the values of environmental protection and the welfare of our bees.

Occasionally, we are happy to share stories and updates from the bee world, including telling about the honey producing process and our products. We also like to educate people about honey, so we have a small question for you - Does the fact that honey hardens over time indicate its quality?
The answer is yes. In honey extracted from a honeycomb there is always a certain concentration of flower pollen. During the winter, when temperatures decrease, this pollen becomes a center for crystallization - the honey components gather around the pollen granule and begin to crystallize.
To avoid this crystallization process, many honey producers heat the honey, because heating keeps it liquid. However, heating may harm the nutritional value of the Honey, because many of the protein and vitamins found in honey are destroyed in high temperatures.

Hence, honey that crystallizes over time indicates that it is indeed really real, of good quality and was not heated...
Have a good week,
Ido

and i couldn't help it, here is my Ari (thanks to Eyal for the pix)

And this week we can expect in our baskets:

Green onion

Lettuce

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Potatoes

Sweet potato

Ramiro peppers

And radishes

Larger ones also

Squash

Celery

Cabbage

And curly lettuce

Fruit baskets

Apples

Bananas

And citrus fruits