FARMER’S MARKET - STRAW HORSES, MUMS, HONEY AND THINGS

It’s Veteran’s Day today and I want to thank all of you who have served and are still serving. Mere words don’t seem enough to express the gratitude I feel. I also want to thank the families of those Veterans who make their own sacrifices while keeping things going at home.

Last time I posted photos from here, I shared the goats and a potbellied pig. You can see those at this link. We had a very nice look around and I will enjoy going again sometime. 

It was a beautiful bright, sunny day and these very interesting horses made of straw greeted us. These are the autumn harvest celebrations and modern versions of traditional scarecrows. They serve as seasonal decorations that celebrate local agriculture, the end of the growing season and the Thanksgiving holiday.

  A very pretty display…

trays of pansies...

and dozens of planters filled with mums...

and all kinds of interesting looking pumpkins.

of types I haven't seen before.

These were small enough to almost fit in the palms of my hand.

I saw a few of these scarecrows...

and then there was this old barn where you could buy all kinds of things.

We went inside and there were a few Halloween decorations already on sale.

I was looking for one thing in particular.

Local raw honey…

Some time ago I bought a local honey from another apiarist (bee keeper). It was the best tasting honey I have ever had and it feels good giving business to local farmers, or a local apiarist. 

I was curious about the words at the top of the label, “processed and prepared without state inspection”, so I looked it up.  It means that the honey was produced on a small-scale by a local beekeeper - typically in a private home or non-commercial facility - rather than a state-inspected or commercial food-processing plant. Under state agricultural and cottage food laws (such as in Virginia), small scale beekeepers who produce and sell a limited amount of honey (usually under 250 gallons per year) from their own hives, are legally exempt from commercial kitchen or facility inspections. 

Beekeepers operating under this exemption are required by law to place this exact wording on their labels so consumers know the product comes from an uninspected home or apiary setting. However, it does not mean that the honey is spoiled or unsafe. It simply indicates it is local, artisanal or farm-gate honey rather than mass produced.

There is a warning at the bottom of the label which, warns us not to feed honey to infants under one-year old, due to the natural risk of infant botulism. You can consult your own department of agriculture and consumer services if you need more information. For us we can also consult with the Northern Virginia Beekeepers Association. The best person to ask about these things is of course our own doctors and, where small children are involved, pediatricians.

Raw honey is considered superior to regular, pasteurized honey because it is minimally processed, and retains the natural nutrients, enzymes and antioxidants that standard heat-treating and filtering remove. I read lots of other information but will leave it for now. If you want more, it’s easy enough to find on line.  

As I usually do, I got all this information from Google, but I have read similar articles elsewhere too. It is another refresher (for me) as many know this information already. I just like easy access to read up on things, and if you find it interesting what I have shared, I am happy for that too.

It was a very enjoyable trip to the farmer's market. 

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope your day is a great one.