A few years ago, out of the blue, JJ texted me (Lyndsay) wanting to bring home some honeybees. He could have asked to take home an elephant and I would have reacted the same way, but he really wanted to give it a go. So, after some initial apprehension (well, a lot on my part) the hive made it to our place. Moving ahead into winter 2020 we had three hives and I was hooked. Like tattoos beekeeping is addictive, no joke!

 

We had more honey than expected that season and were able to sell all of it through word of mouth and a few Facebook posts. I made a go at some beeswax wraps and those sold well also. That summer we struggled to find bulk garlic. We, and our friends, eat a foolish amount and the bit that I grew wasn’t enough to get us through the year let alone leave some for planting. As well, one of our great friends, Karen, owns a general store down the road (Brook Village Grocery) and she was looking for a source of fresh garlic. On the hunt I went, messaging every “small” farm in Cape Breton, eventually working my way onto the mainland. I found a great farm that had lots to sell to us. Along with the over 250 bulbs of garlic and hundreds of dollars in fresh veggies I ordered (plus more when we got there - sorry JJ) you should have seen us trying to pack it all into the rig with the kids! The hope for the bees (and garlic) was to slowly build a business for when we wanted to retire (i.e. a 25-year growth plan).

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Up until January of this year, I had been a full-time payroll administrator for a construction company. JJ and I have four children, the youngest just starting school and the oldest on her way to college in the fall. When my position suddenly ended after almost eight years, we weren’t sure what we were going to do. My degree is in chemistry (not a lot of demand for that in Skye Glen) and I knew I didn’t want to go back into an office full-time if I could help it.

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We decided this would be the right time to fast track that bee and garlic plan and I started the process of building a full-time business. Right around that same time Karen was looking for another person at the store. It seemed to fit – she needed someone at the store and could be flexible with my hours and I needed a consistent income with a job that would still allow our business growth.

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So here we are – actively growing our apiary, collecting pollen and waiting for the honey harvest. Growing the garlic, tomatoes and peppers and creating new beds for planting veggies and flowers (for the pollinators, not just for me!). Building LOTS of boxes for the bees, waxing fabric and fire starters and creating macrame all over the place.

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I am absolutely loving the life we are creating, the successes and - eventually - funny failures (ask about my success rate for starting peppers) and the chance to spend more time outside and with our kids.

 

We hope you enjoy the shenanigans.

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