Yesterday I got some bad news from one of my landlords. I should preface this by stating that I have one wonderful, responsible landlord and one not so nice, kind of irrational one...I've posted about friction in the house of late but now it's come to a head. Their partnership is dissolving and now I have to move the backyard farm.

At first news of this, I panicked. This has become my life and I am not certain how I will adjust to not having access to a space to grow food and raise critters to feed myself with. And then it dawned on me...I've simply outgrown being here. While I certainly don't think I deserve to be the target of anyone's anger, I do see how my lifestyle might rub people the wrong way. It marks me with a rather large bullseye. My interests are not meant to anger anyone, but I can't much help what other people think or feel about it. I thought I was doing the best I could to be considerate, tidy and self-aware but it may not have been enough. And so it is. I have to clear the farm stuff out.

I'm moving my rabbits over to Dara's place temporarily. They will live in the hollowed out carriage house in her backyard in Bed Stuy. I've got to cull Salad's offspring this weekend. I'm simultaneously filled with dread and anxious to see the job done. They've been getting free outdoor time daily and seem happy and I've been enjoying my time with them. Even so, the time as come. I may just sell off Hazel's litter because I just don't know where I'll be able to cull them once they are of age. I've had kind offers from folks upstate to host such an event but money is extremely tight right now and I can't afford the gas and tolls for such a trip.

The chickens are staying put for now. The bees will be moved to Brooklyn Navy Yard in the Spring where they will be part of Brooklyn Grange's new bee yard. It'll be a good place for them because I can pester Tim to check in on them every so often.

As far as the gardening is concerned....I'm not sure if it's worth trying to plant at all this Spring. Maybe just a ton of early crops. Radishes, greens, peas...

I'll be able to get my hands really dirty with the ladies at Domestic Construction this Spring and Summer. I've signed on to help them get Design Plot, their urban garden, up and running. They are really inspiring ladies so I'm so completely stoked that I get to work with them on this. I've got a post coming up on a truly awesome project involving me, the Grange folk and Domestic Construction...Stay tuned for that!

Anyway, I'm certainly sad that things are ending on a sour note here at Jewel Street, but I've been sensing the end drawing close for some time now. I've been planning and scheming. I've got a project on the wings for later this summer, into 2013 which would afford me space, freedom, and some quiet all within reach of the city I've grown to love. I'll be able to bring my critter kingdom back together under one canopy of trees overlooking the shore. It's going to be beautiful and inspiring and I cannot wait to share it with you all. Once I've got all of that settled and confirmed, I'll spill all of the beans about it.

With that, I hope that you all continue to follow me on my journey. I'll still be teaching classes and working with other folks on their projects. Things will be different, but not much so. This is not the end. Just a little bump in the road. I've been fortunate to be cruising for as long as I had been.

<3m

Ladies and Gents! I am now opening up sign-up for the 2012 Brooklyn Honey CSA! Last year was a success and much less stressful than anticipated, so frankly I am sold on this method of distributing excess honey from my Brooklyn hives.

This year, shares will include other bee-related treats in addition to the liquid gold we all know and love:

(Photo by Alex Brown)

"Share 1 will be available in July after Spring harvest. The honey will be light and herbal. I expect to be able to harvest enough to supply a 16 oz jar of chunk honey (comb suspended in liquid honey). Also included will be a small 4 oz jar of bee pollen.

Share 2 will be available in early October and will contain a 16 oz jar of darker, late summer honey, a jar of propolis tincture (for curing colds/flu, as an alternative to neosporin) and some homemade wax tealight candles.

All honey harvested is raw and unprocessed...exactly as nature intended it to be. It's great for natural treatment of allergies, colds, burns and wounds and tastes amazing on practically everything it touches! "

I will have full shares which include all that you see above and half shares. If you are interested, please email me and I'll send over the application which has further details listed.

Thanks!

Congratulations EVAN MARC DVORSAK and RISE AND SHINE! You each one a spot in my 3 session online intensive beekeeping 101 workshop. Please email me and I'll get you enrolled in the class!

Thanks so much to all the folks that entered and shared the class with their followers and friends! If you'd still like to participate in the class, check out my Eventbrite calendar below and sign up! It's a great way to learn beekeeping at your own convenience, as the classes will be recorded and available for playback when you are ready!

For the last few weeks I feel as though I've been walking around with a boulder on my back. Money problems, deadlines and....well it's mostly money problems and deadlines that have been bringing me down, but pepper in a little bit of stress over lack of time and insecurity about my future and you've pretty much got a case of the "free woman" blues. It's the pits, right now. Is this how career independence is supposed to feel? I can't let myself believe that this is how it will always be. I have to know that I can live the life that is right for me without having to spend 1/3 of my life as a cog in the wheel.

I'm kicking myself for possibly getting in over my head, thinking I could just cobble together a sustainable life on my own, but now I'm in the thick of it and I have no choice but to keep pushing forward. I can't imagine going back to a normal job. I'd feel like I was merely puppet-ing my way through each day for little more than some spending cash in my pocket. Frankly, I'd rather be poor.

I'm having a hard time justifying the things that I'm doing these days. Yields across the board are pretty low because I have so little to work with. I'm speaking mostly of space to farm, but I suppose you could use that as a metaphor for other parts of my life. The only thing I feel really confident about is teaching. I enjoy sharing what I know with those who want to know. It's a great exchange and I always leave classes feeling light.

I'm really fortunate that I've been able to teach workshops to make a little extra cash here and there. So, thank you to all the folks out there who have put their hard-earned cash and faith in my abilities. I won't let you down.

I'll never ask for a hand-out, but I will ask for a chance to earn my way. Please consider helping me carry on by signing up for any of the workshops or classes below or the ones I'm presently teaching at 3rd Ward or New York Botanical Gardens. You'll be helping me to not only pay the rent, but to grow as an urban farmer and teacher. And, of course, you'll learn something!

(Me and the Catskills bees)

Online Urban Beekeeping 101- 1/22:
Learn the ins-and-outs of beekeeping from a city-dweller's perspective. From honeybee anatomy and behavior to pests and diseases to honey harvesting, we'll cover a full season of beekeeping from Spring through Winter so that you can feel confident starting your first beehive this year!

Growing Edible Mushrooms at Home- 2/12:
In this workshop, you'll learn how to turn waste into delicious, meaty mushrooms. We'll make mushroom logs from tree cuttings, grow oyster mushrooms in espresso grounds and discuss stem butt cultivation with salvaged burlap sacks! Students will take home a mushroom log of their own!

Backyard Homesteading Bootcamp- 4/7 (all day):
In this day long workshop, you'll learn how to turn your small space into a functioning homestead. Learn gardening, composting, chicken and rabbit basics, beekeeping basics, diy home and body care, homebrewing and food preservation.

More workshops coming soon!

<3 Meg

Happy Tuesday, everybody!

I hope you all are as pumped about the new year as I am. One of the things I'm energized about is my new three-part online urban beekeeping seminar on January 22nd. In this class, I'll teach you the ins-and-outs of beginners beekeeping, from honey bee behavior, hive types and placement to pests, disease, honey harvesting and swarming. We'll cover it all, with great visuals to help get you cozy with the idea of bees on your rooftop of backyard. What best, is that you can watch the seminar whenever it suits you, as it will be made available for replay to any enrolled wannabees!

To kick the workshop off, I've decided to GIVEAWAY two spots in my class! To enter, just repost the details from the Eventbrite link above on your blog, Facebook or Twitter and post the link in my comments section. Deadline is 3 p.m. on Sunday January 15th. The winner will be announced the following Monday.

Learn beekeeping in 2012 and fall in love with BEES! <3

(Photo by Michael Leung)

There's nothing like a mile marker to give you the opportunity to look back and acknowledge what you lost, learned and gained during an increment of time or place. The real benefit of this moment of reflection is the chance to assess what you hope to learn and gain in the future. I've never been much for New Years and all of the sentimentality surrounding it, but I've recently come to appreciate the practicality of a clear end to one thing and a pronounced beginning to another.

2011 was a big year for me. I feel like I've just begun to come into my own as a backyard homesteader and perhaps even as a teacher and a writer. It's been really difficult to scrape by doing this, but I've managed, which is an accomplishment in itself. I've honed some of my weaker skills and have developed new, valuable ones. I've been given opportunities to share and have met people who seem genuinely interested in supporting and helping me. One of the most unexpected discoveries I've made during my time here is that New Yorkers care about more than just themselves. They care more about just getting ahead. I've never seen a group of people (my friends, specifically) more willing to jump to the chance to bolster their neighbor. Perhaps we are truly starting to understand that we need each other. I consider it an honor and a gift to be amongst so many inspiring, hearty folks. I hope to give to them even a fraction of what I gain from their presence in my life. I'd be nothing if it weren't for them.

There's been much good in this past year. I've only had what I consider to be one major failure this season; I took on more than I could handle and allowed myself to feel overwhelmed and unhappy about it. The excitement of actually being able to do what I love kind of got away from me, but I noticed quickly enough and plan to change. The beginning of this year will be about cutting the fat, so to speak. I plan to eliminate anything from my life that feels like dead weight or a distraction to more pressing matters and possibly hand it off to people better suited to the task if they want it. This year, I aspire to be better at letting go.

It's important to feel like I can depend on people for help more often. I am terrible at asking. I often just end up doing things myself because it seems like less work than explaining to someone how to do it. Perhaps that is true, but taking the time to get someone else on board to lighten the workload means that I'll spend less time crying and pulling my hair out when I feel like there aren't enough hours in the day for all I need to accomplish. People want to be counted on to some degree, I think. But they also want to be treated as though they can handle the job without having someone peering over their shoulder counseling them the whole time. It's a bad habit of mine and it needs to stop.

I don't have particularly lofty goals for the next year. I want to streamline my day-to-day so that it's not so oppressive. I want to perfect my curriculum so that my classes are second-to-none. I want a reputation for being dedicated and pleasant to work with among my clients and students. I want produce an amazing book that people are happy to spend their hard-earned money on. I want to keep challenging myself. I want to plan for the future. I can have these things and I will. I'm willing to put the work in.

I dream for a family and a home of my own one day. I feel myself slinking ever closer to making it real. I am on the right track. I can feel it. Each day I wake knowing I'll be doing something that matters. As a life long fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal, the feeling of purposeful living is a new and welcome change. Let's see if it sticks!

To all of my readers, I wish you a purposeful New Year. May 2012 be the year that matters!

-Meg

As a beekeeper and instructor, it is my long term goal to get as many people into urban beekeeping as each city can support. I've developed a hard sell that I have taken to pitching at anyone who seems even remotely interested in hearing it. While having your own brand of honey is going to be a top reason for most, there are plenty of other selling points. Beekeeping has, for me, been one of the most fun and engaging things I've ever gotten tangled up in. To that, here are my top 10 reasons to become a beekeeper.

10. You can threaten people you don't like with a handful of bees in the face and they won't think you are joking.

9. You'll have even more friends to say hello to on the street...about 40,000+ more!

8. You get to be known as the "crazy beekeeper friend" by your peers, which gives you carte blanche to act like a nut.

7. You'll end up with superior upper body strength from lifting honey supers and carrying them up and down rickety ladders.

6. People will think you're a total badass when you say "Getting stung doesn't even hurt anymore" in response to the question "Do you get stung a lot?"

5. Beeswax! Smear this stuff all over your body and you might just live forever!

4. Propolis and bee pollen! Consume this stuff daily and you might just live forever! (both 4 and 5 are strictly anecdotal coming from me, though apitherapist actually use these substances to heal people and animals!)

3. Beekeepers have the lowest cancer rate of any occupation! Cancer sucks. Bees are awesome. Nuff said.

2. Drinking a beer in a lawn chair watching the bees come in at night is pretty much the most relaxing thing ever.

1. As a treatment-free beekeeper, you'll be helping honeybees adapt to the multitude of new disease and environmental pressures out there! You CAN save the bees, even as a hobbyist!

Obviously, the honey and pollination aspect of being a beekeeper go without saying. They are the most important, but if you were unaware of the other perks, now you know! YOU'RE WELCOME!

If you want to learn to be an urban beekeeper, sign up for my online class (if you can't make the date, I'll send a replay link for you to watch at your leisure) or check out the classes offered by 3rd Ward and the New York Botanical Gardens! I teach the beekeeping courses at both fine establishments.

I've been getting some requests to do online workshops for some of my fine readers that live outside of NYC so I've finally taken a hint!

My first web class will be on Sunday, January the 22nd as part of a three-session, 9 hour beekeeping intensive. It's going to be as robust and informative as the classes I teach in person here in the city, only with this class you can show up in your pajamas. Hell! Take the class naked for all I care!

In all seriousness though, we'll cover all the basics of beekeeping: honeybee anatomy and behavior, types of hives, urban forage, acquiring bees, hive management, honey harvesting, pests and diseases and winter management. It's going to be a lot of information, but the goal is to adequately visually demonstrate everything you need to know to get started with bees this spring.

My focus will be on treatment-free and passive pest and disease management but we will discuss other forms of treatment and discuss the pros and cons of utilizing them.

Check out the Eventbrite page for the class HERE!

There's a great to place for Brooklynites far and wide to support the thriving and vibrant community of entrepreneurs we've got running things around this bustling borough. Dara Furlow, a chef, mother and all-around ballsy risk-taker created With Love, From Brooklyn, an e-commerce site dedicated to all things Brooklyn. Much like a mother hen and her chicks, Dara strives to help our local businesses thrive by bundling them in a way that gives the shoppers a sense of context but also creates well thought out gift options for those who want to keep it strictly Brooklyn-based.

Of course, I had to be involved! I contributed a curated selection of some of my favorite local goods. From rooftop grown honey and hot sauce to jams made from bootstrappin' badasses here in my neighborhood of Greenpoint, this selection celebrates seasonality, camaraderie and the urge to step to the beat of your own drum. To me that's what living here is all about!

When you browse around the website. It's helpful to keep in mind that most of the goods you are seeing are made by people that mostly know one another, sometimes collaborate and have even lent a helping hand in growing each others businesses at one point or another...so you're not just seeing Brooklyn pitched as a buzz word to get your dollars. It's a real thing. Community, connection. Brooklyn is more than just a place. It's a state of mind! Those of you who live here can attest. It's one of many reasons I think Brooklyn might just be the best place on Earth!

So yeah, go shop at Dara's site and support small business and community growth!

<3M

Reposting this from an email I sent out to all my apis-loving friends!

"Hello Beekeepers, Wanna-bees and Honey Lovers!

This months meeting of the Backwards Beekeepers of NYC will take place at 61 Local in Brooklyn. Only this time, we'll be letting our veils down and having a good old time celebrating the past season of beekeeping! Beekeepers, bring some honey to share as we will have some wonderful locally made cheeses to pair with your liquid gold as well as some suggested brews to wash it all down. Non-beekeeping folk, bring all of your questions and interest as well as an apetite for some sweet stuff! We'll have honey from all over the city and some from other parts of the world!

Come on by, taste some honey, chat with some beekeepers and maybe make some new friends. Beekeepers, unlike their insect counterparts, do not sting!

61 Local is located at 61 Bergen St in lovely Cobble Hill, off of the Bergen F/G trains

The event starts at 7 pm and will continue until the beer runs dry! All are welcome so spread the word...you can RSVP on our Facebook invite and follow what we're up to on our fan page and blog!

ZZZB!

The NYC Backwards Beekeeping Gang!

P.S. Check out BBNYC member Kelly York's husband Zane's exhibit Stewards at Causey Contemporary in Brooklyn from December 16th-Jan 24th. He'll be showing an amazing painting of Kelly with her bees!"