The Bountiful Table a series of stories about our local fare

Michael Bruen, beekeeper "Bee hum ... It was the oldest sound there was. Souls flying away."

What defines Putnam County the most is our agricultural history, and today all you need to do is look around and do a little research and you will find fresh produce and local fare at affordable prices. You can have fresh fruits and vegetables, jams and honey, bread and cheese stocked in your kitchen at any time and all of these products will have been grown right here in our very own Putnam County. By shopping local you will be helping our local farmers survive and you will be enjoying your county's healthy and nutritious bounty.

Recently, I stopped by a local farmer's roadside stand on the side of Rt. 312 in Southeast on a Saturday afternoon. The sign read "Local Honey" and the young man tending the stand is a local beekeeper named Michael Bruen. His farm is named "White Oak Apiaries" and he sells different varieties of honey, bee pollen, beeswax products, as well as several other very unique products all relating to beekeeping.

Michael Bruen is a sixth generation farmer and a fourth generation beekeeper, and many of you will recognize the family name. He is a 2003 graduate of Brewster High School and a veteran of the U.S. Navy. His time spent with the Navy took him around the world to Africa and the Mediterranean and back home at the end of 2005, where he continues the family tradition.

I took a tour of Michael's operations at the "White Oak Apiaries," and I was taken with the simplicity and peacefulness of beekeeping. His beehives are surrounded by hundreds of acres of fields and woods. It is in those fields and woods that the bees gather the different types of pollen from buttercup to wildflower, with some ragweed and poison ivy included.

I spoke with Michael about the different variety of bees he has from Italy, Russia, and Australia. He told me about the amazing health benefits of honey, bee pollen, and royal jelly. Michael's regular customers will swear to the properties in those products, which offer relief to many who suffer with allergies. Some who are performance athletes will also tell you of the enhanced physical stamina they possess from daily doses of several of the bee's products, particularly bee pollen.

We also discussed the severity and impact of Colony Collapse Disorder, which has made its way to the United States from Europe, and how he believes that the use of man-made chemicals has weakened bee colony's natural resistance to disease. Michael says that commercial beekeepers are focusing on volume and the bottom line instead of managing the long-term productivity of their hives. In the short run, it is more cost-effective for the commercial beekeeper to replace the diseased bees as they succumb to pesticides.

White Oak Apiaries believes that a hands-on approach is a more efficient beekeeping practice. This makes for a better survival rate and keeps the honey production sustainable.

What impressed me the most during my visit was the serenity and the calmness of the bees while we invaded their world. I left remembering a story once told to me by a man of many years who lived a life he loved to tell you about. While sitting in his favorite spot overlooking Lake Gleneida, he told me about a young, Depression-era boy learning to find honey, the most secret sweet in nature, from a gentleman of Swiss descent. The bees are keeping the secret and it is trickery that the old Swiss man will use to find the golden treasure.

They start out with the help of a tall wooden pole that has a flat square of wood secured on top. They add some sugar water to the small platform, place the pole into the ground, and wait for the first of the honey bees to arrive to gather the sugar water to bring to their colony hidden somewhere in the wooded acre.

Then, the Swiss gentleman cleverly marks each bee at his arrival with a dab of water and flour mixture. This tag will let them know when the bee returns that he is in fact collecting the sugar water to add to his nectar and build his honeycomb. The honey bee returns to the pole followed by more of his colony, and the place to which they return is where you will eventually locate the hive, likely hidden in the hollow of a hickory tree or some other fallen timber.

There, the old man and the boy would discover the rewards of their day spent on that meadow. They would steal away from the bees' hive the raw and delicious Goldenrod honeycombs which would be jarred and enjoyed by the gentleman. The rest would be brought to market and sold for a profit. Certainly, the boy would receive his share for a day's work.

My friend, Bill Shilling Sr., is gone now, but I think of him often. I want to believe that he has found his way back to that sunny meadow to continue his search for that delicious Goldenrod honey. He so loved to feel the sun on his face.

You can visit the White Oak Apiaries stand at the Cold Spring Farmer's Market on Saturdays from 8:30am to 1:30 pm, and the Brewster Farmer's Market on Saturdays from 9:30am until 2:30 pm. Also, Michael will be selling and displaying his wares on the roadside of Rt. 312, usually on a Wednesday or Thursday, weather permitting. I encourage you to visit one of the locations and let Michael share with you the many tasty, healthy, and homeopathic uses of honey, as well as his other products. When you are there, you can hear what Michael has to say about how huge marketing campaigns and fancy packaging have driven the pricing of products sky high. Sometimes, the packaging itself costs more to make than the product, and this has the consumer paying much more than necessary. Michael states, "A 3-acre farm can make as much profit as a 100-acre farm if the farmer controls his product well and does everything right. That's why I make my own labels, jar my own honey, market my own products, and sell directly to the consumer and stores."

Honey Recipes

If you are looking for easy ways to enhance and prepare healthy and affordable meals, try adding a little bit of honey here and there. Honey gives a little lift to the standby barbeque sauce recipe that you have counted on for years, and I always add a tablespoon or so of honey to whatever vinaigrette I am making for a tossed salad. Also, when slow roasting year-end summer tomatoes for canning, I begin by tossing some honey along with fresh herbs and olive oil before baking. The natural caramelization adds that extra depth to the summer tomatoes which plays well when enjoyed as a sauce or as a bruschetta topping. I also suggest making your summertime iced tea with honey instead of white sugar.

Here are two recipes for summer fare that include honey. I hope you enjoy.
Bruen's Barbeque Sauce
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 cloves of minced garlic
1 medium onion diced
1 cup ketchup (or tomato paste)
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup bourbon whiskey
24 ounces dark honey (wildflower,
blueberry, or even buckwheat)
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. chili powder

In a saucepan sauté garlic and onions with olive oil until soft.

Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer at low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Store in your refrigerator until ready to use.
Summer Sweet Tea
4 cups water
7 tea bags (green tea or white tea)
½ cup of honey (wildflower, blueberry
or apple blossom)
4 cups cold water
1 navel orange, cut into wedges
1 lime, cut into wedges

Bring 4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; add tea bags. Boil 1 minute; remove from heat. Cover and let steep 10 minutes. Remove and discard tea bags.

Stir in honey. Pour into a 2-quart pitcher; stir in 4 cups of cold water and orange and lime wedges. Serve over ice.

MaryEllen Odell is a Putnam County legislator representing district five.