I didn’t think they were serious. The two of them had decided to try their hand at beekeeping, to master the art (and science) of honey-making — moved by the call of urban apiculture on the one hand, and by visions of humming hives in our fields on the other. But first, before spring had even sprung and there was still snow in the fields, they signed up for classes, pored over textbooks, absorbed quantities of seemingly obtuse bee lore and one day, before the first weed appeared in our fields, built a beehive and set it up by the irrigation pond, in a quiet spot in the back fields. I still had my doubts. But they diligently persevered, busy as the bees they were tending. Garbed in their beekeeping whites complete with hooded veils and elbow-high gloves, our two budding apiculturists inspected hives, lifted frames, assessed the general health of their diminutive subjects and even lost a queen in the process (fortunately the interregnum was brief). And then, the miracle happened: the bees did their work, and our two beekeepers extracted liquid gold from the hive, a perfumed and light nectar which we hope to be able to share with you in the not-too-distant future. I am a naysayer no longer.
Meanwhile, our 2014 Méchoui is scheduled for the afternoon of September 7; we’ll get back to you with more information about the event in coming weeks. And in your baskets…