I recently visited the home of my favourite Sunshine Coast honey producer, Hum Honey. Lovely Leisa Sams and her husband Tony, are based in Peachester, a very pretty part of the Sunshine Coast. High on the range, you are surrounded by many wonderful vantage points on their property, one in particular, overlooking the magical Glasshouse Mountains that nigh on took my breath away. Spectacular.
The location was no accident. Leisa and Tony making a conscious lifestyle choice and Peachester was pinpointed due to that same beauty that was affecting my respiratory system.
Initially it was a tree change, and a great place to bring up their young son, Lincoln, but then a passion for honey and bees took hold and Hum Honey was born. And while honey has been the driving passion, they also graze Santa Gertrudis cattle and have a few other plans in the pipelines… farming is like that – once you start, it is hard to stop – the passion just takes over!
Over the years I have met many beekeepers, and one thing they all have in common is that they all really love their bees. For them, the bees are more than just honey producers or a means of income; they are genuinely fond of them. And peering into the inner sanctum of a hive, it is not hard for me to understand why.
These little guys are diligent workers. They are important to our environment. Like, really important… if we don’t have bees, we don’t have pollination. If we don’t have pollination, our fruit doesn’t fruit, our grain, doesn’t seed, our vegetables don’t grow… and essentially, we as a human race are stuffed… we won’t have fruit, vegetables or grain… and the flow on effect that comes with that, is we are done… it’s over.
These little bees bear a huge responsibility, or rather, we bear a huge responsibility to make sure these little guys are looked after. Unfortunately, generally speaking, we are not very good at honouring our environment and ensuring an optimal eco-system for our pollinating/honey-producing friends. But the word is getting out, and I would like to think we are at least now paying attention.
Leisa and Tony are definitely paying attention. They have been paying attention for a long time; honouring environmentally friendly farming practices, as well as nurturing the surrounding native bushland, encouraging its regeneration and native proclivity. This is followed through to the hive.
Altogether, Leisa has over 80 hives on patches of land throughout the Sunshine Coast, taking advantage of neighbouring flowering crops and orchards, each leaving their indelible footprint on the flavour of the honey that a hive produces. The natural flavour and texture can vary considerably, depending on what flower the bee is collecting its nectar from.
Visiting Leisa, she guided me to the hives closest to her home that are nestled in a beautiful spot next to the dam. It is a pretty spot – I would like it there. There is a gentle breeze and the close proximity to the dam helps to regulate the temperature so the hives don’t overheat.
There is a hive of activity… literally… several in fact… as Leisa begins to open up a hive for me to observe.
I was feeling bold. I had my own beekeeping suit on and was gloved up, feeling well protected and brave. Leisa on the other hand didn’t need to feel brave, the bees seemed to quite like her… that and they were perhaps a little stoned from the puffs of smoke lightly wafting their way. Having said that, Leisa was quite conservative with the smoker and it was probably more for my benefit than hers. She would rather not ‘smoke’ them too much. “It isn’t good for them”, she explains. Leisa isn’t wearing gloves either and handles the hives easily without worrying about stings. She is relaxed and the bees just go about their business… there was no running to the car with a swarm in hot pursuit. *wipes brow*
Hives are quite fascinating in the way they are constructed; clusters of hexagonal wax cells securely housing their private stash of honey along with eggs, larvae and pollen. The even consistency is quite staggering considering there is not a level or tape measure in sight!
Leisa and I explore the hive frame by frame, in search of the queen bee. I was beginning to wonder if there was one at all, and then, if there was, how was I possibly going to spot her amongst all of the workers and drones. I mean they all pretty much look the same. But then, proudly, I spotted her first. Quite the beauty… she is the one with the big bum, so she is not hard to spot at all, bottom wavering above the others!
Leisa also points to a few areas on the hive where their comb is spilling over the edge of the frame and she explains that these bees are planning to swarm and possibly escape and initiate a new hive. But she foils their plan and they will have to try again another day.
Today, the hives are not ready to harvest, it is just a show and tell, but when Leisa does harvest, she will remove the full frames and replace them with new ones for them to start all over again. I wonder if the bees ever feel like it is Groundhog Day.
Initially Leisa used to remove the honey by a small stainless steel radial extractor, but these days she has teamed up with another beekeeper who is more equipped and which allows them to extract the honey from the comb much more efficiently.
However, it is what Leisa does with the honey after it is extracted from the comb that excites me. Wanting to do something a bit different, Leisa has produced a Cold Fusion range of sensational infused honey using Australian ingredients; lavender, lemon myrtle, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and even a fabulous truffle honey using Tasmania truffles. There are a few flavours yet to come; top secret, but can’t wait until they are released!
I think that is what I like about what Leisa is doing with Hum Honey the most. She is thinking out of the square and adding new dimension to honey and how it is used and appreciated. Just drizzle a bit of truffle infused honey over some Brie, or some vanilla honey over some poached fruit and you will understand what I mean. Divine.
Classically packaged, the bowerbird in me was quite entranced by the beautiful glass honey drizzlers Leisa had handcrafted by a local glass blower… I am sure it makes the honey taste even better…
Meanwhile my little love affair with bees is flourishing. Having made their acquaintance, and learnt a little more about these diligent creatures, it makes me happy that there are producers like Leisa that are nurturing their existence and the environment that is so important to them.
To find our more about Hum Honey and their Cold Fusion range, visit their website and online store:
This story was written by Petra Hughes – Pebbles + Pomegranate Seeds
