Of Bees and Antlers

Hanging out with Gibson. His misstress wrote the fine book I'm holding.
For more on Jenna's writing, check out Cold Antler Farm!Photo by: Jenna Wogonrich

So here I was, on the road again. With over a week under my belt since I got back from my grand New Jersey excursions, I had saddled up my wayward van, and we were gulping down long stretches of black tar pavement, gallivanting three hours north of New York City.

I was there on another mission, you see. This one was to see a gal about her farm and her bees, and to impart a little third generation beekeeping for those coming to her farm, to see me. Don't be fooled though, in many ways, I was coming to see HER. Heck, many people were. See, this wasn't just any other farmer and this was no typical sojourn...nope. This was a visit to the farm of Jenna Wogonrich, of Cold Antler Farm, who possibly single-handedly made farming cool for the young (and old) folk.

Nearly a decade ago, ripe with old age in her early twenties, she graduated college with a graphic design degree and then decided to blow everyone's mind by deciding to make farming a main focus of her life. Actually, the more I learn of her, the more I realize that it is the love for the old ways and adopting those ideas and ideals as a lifestyle, that she has embraced. Nevertheless, in an era before self-sustainability became the buzzword of the day, when most young people considered farming dirty and useless work, this woman got herself some land, and then wrote about her adventures with words so fine and clever, you would mistake them for sonnets, high compositions, masterpieces.

Plus, all the information she imparted, wrapped in fine description and tooth-cut with hands-on experience, helped start a small geyser of new interest in back-to-the-land love, even if that love was in window-silled pots in urban apartments.

Natch, the girl wrote so well that she soon followed her online adventures with the real thing; she's got five books (or more? I've lost count) to her name, each imparting a different hue of life on a farm. It's a fine accomplishment. 

For all that, or perhaps because of it, she's a humble and down to earth (literally and figuratively) soul. My first encounter with the gal was when I interviewed her for my farm show a few years back: yes, that farming thing runs pretty deep 'round my neck of the woods. She was direct and no frills, and clearly passionate about what she did.

In many ways, it would be no different this time 'round, either. Her farm is found three hours outside of New York City. It was a beautiful drive--in many ways like the one I had always taken on these jaunts, but always flavored slightly differently by where I am. The Northeast holds a particularly hard grip in my heart. I suppose it's that way for many people. The rolling of the hills, the vibrant tree colors, the glimpse of farmstock all along the way...that is my heaven. Having left at an obscenely early hour, I enjoy sunrise, and the quiet of the country roads. Jenna's farm is smack atop a mountain. The farm house is utterly charming, and the outside jigs with sheep, dogs, goats, fowl, and a wiry pony and majestic black Fell pony. It seems like a typical, if staid farm scene, right? But you will be shocked, as you walk around back, to see a falcon perched outside. Yeah, Miss Jenna's a falconer. She also is an archer, fiddler, beekeeper, singer of old songs and keeper of traditions. Typical thinking, it doesn't work around here.

She walks out, all smiles and gusto. She is friendly, and direct, and without any guile. She takes me to the inside of her house, which I love: it's brim-ful of old antiques that are used in utilitarian style. An old steamer trunk is a table, vintage farm dishware is still used. I am offered cool water from a mason jar, and stare at wall hangings that are a mix of antique farm signage and Celtic paraphernalia.

I smile. I may have finally met my match, level 10, for antique love and traditions keeping.

Her house is old-time mountain décor meets 18th century farmhouse, and she moves through it in a purposeful flurry. That's farming for you--you never really do stand still. At some point, I got a sense that she was sort of apologizing for the way it looked, but I scoff at that. I consider her life an enviable one; there are at least a dozen stories I could tell her of friends who live in tiny hovels with jobs that make them cry every morning. I just left those friends three hours ago. Plus, having traveled to so many different farms and done farming has made my perspective such that you can really sense the grit of the farmer, and this farm is all heart.

By and by, our class participants arrived. There were Kathy and Mary from Albany, Darcie from Massachusetts, and Holly and Ruth a mother-daughter team. Soon enough, I was imparting the knowledge and stories about my grandfather's beekeeping, the same story I'd been teaching in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Florida. My audience was a fun group who jumped in with their own stories and questions. We spent several hours like this, even goofing off right before lunch break.

Kathy shows off an amazing archery bow...

And so it went--beekeeping basics were dispensed, and a cauldron-full of ancient bee lore, for good measure. There was one refreshingly off-script moment where Mary, who was facing the porch's windowed door, pointed out to Jenna that her sheep had actually managed to escape the fencing and were headed across the road! In true farmer form, Jenna simply got up and tended to them, while we carried on with the class. That's just farming, folks!

In bouts, Jenna also showed us her sheep, we did go look at her hive, we met her equines-- Jasper the smaller Pony Of The Americas, and the magical Merlin, the black Fell pony.

There were chicken, turkeys and geese. There was Bonita the milking goat and her daughter. There were two pigs in the barn, and greens in the garden. Italics is the name of her Red-Tailed Hawk, a well mannered juvenile. She explained her use for all of them, and it was magical.

This little ewe was a bottle lamb, and the daughter of Maude the Angry Ewe, from Jenna's original flock...

Bonita and her daughter.

Soon enough it was time to go. I would be whisked off to the neighboring farm called Common Sense to spend the night, and already it was too short a stay.

At the end, I asked Jenna to kindly take a picture with her leading man. He had salt and pepper hair, in a way, and was full of energy and a great big smile. It was her border collie and partner-in-crime, Gibson. This fellow was quite the showman and ambassador for Cold Antler, rounding our feet all the while. As you can see by the photogenic outcome in the pic at the top of this story, he might well be a model in the making, though I'm sure Jenna would scoff at her sheepherding partner's would-be career change.

In the end, I made a whole gaggle of new friends.

Rock on, beekeeping friends!

Heck, I was so enthralled I actually asked for real estate brochures. Did I mention I loved the Northeast? And farming? Ehh, maybe one of these days. At the very least, it would be cool to get some more Cold Antler in my life. You should, too!

*Jenna's Books: "Made From Scratch," "Chick Days,""Barnheart," "One Woman Farm," "Cold Antler Farm."

The Beekeeper's Heart

It's funny, how sometimes your life will turn out absolutely NOT the way you planned, and still be amazingly stellar.

See, right now, I should be winning Oscars for my acting or directing work. This, according to my childhood and teenage aspirations. I mean, for Pete's sake, I've gotten a degree in these things from a fancy college. Then again, I think of how what a practical jokester that Life is, and I wonder if, on some level, I wouldn't be one of those washed up old acting dames, drowning my frustrated sorrows in a bottle while sighing over my faded youth right about now. One never knows how these perilous little stories REALLY turn out, do they?

Nevertheless...

What really ended up happening, as I mentioned yesterday, was several generations in the making. And in this case, if you go back far enough, I was bound to be entrapped by a Queen. Like the stuff of fairy tales, I was whisked away from the path I was on by royalty--insect royalty.

The Queen Of Bees figures predominantly on my mother's side of the family. And to get to THAT story, you have to traverse an entire World War. My grandfather, known in the Hungarian tongue by as as "Big Daddy," was one of four brothers who went to war in Hungary. And, unfortunately, Hungary's president the time, sided with the Nazis. Which didn't bode well with Big Daddy at all. So he ran away from the army, and was sent to prison. And got out just long enough to be sent back in as a prisoner of war, this time by the Russians.

"Big Daddy." Ferenc Jogg was my grandfather, beekeeper, and all around spitfire.

He came back home to his little family just in time to see MY mother become seven years old. She had seen him previously only when she was 8 months old, and had no memory of him whatsoever; if you are wondering where I get this strange, sometimes sad storytelling lilt from, know that these tales have been carved into my bones before I was born.

Despite this, everything I knew about Big Daddy was that he was an unabashed prankster, card-player, and devout lover-of-Life. Which came in handy AFTER the war, when the Communists felled another blow against him and his brothers when, in taking over Eastern Europe, they decided to seize much of their farm properties and equipment.

And the bees? My grandfather actually got the smart (alec) idea to get bees after this, with the inside joke that the Russian inspectors would be too afraid of getting stung to remove any hives. And that actually turned out to be true. So each of the four brothers ended up getting forty hives apiece, and became masters at watching the behaviors of these amazing animals in order to take care of them. They became their little villages "honey-men," with people coming to them with their empty canning jars to be filled. 

There would be stories of bee swarms and bee stings---the utter irony is that, while my grandfather was impervious to those bee barbs, my mother was so sensitive that a sting on her foot would cause her head to swell up and her eyes to swell shut. There were honey harvesting techniques and the use of bee skeps. There were stories of seasonal flowers, various honey types, and old folklore.

Like old cameo lockets or pocket watches, these wild ramblings were passed down to me. They were leavened, this Summer, by my own journey back to Hungary with my mother, where my family took us to an entire beekeeping museum, and old Village museums where my eyes were lightened by amazing up-close-and-personal examples of those fine beekeeper's before me.

It is funny, to realize you are the living, walking embodiment of centuries of tradition, and I realize my journey, teaching the beekeeping he did, including all the folkloric parts, put forth those same antique footsteps he did. It is the story of The Beekeeper' Heart, this, one in which the drone of bee wings replace the thumping of that big chest muscle. In some ways, it sustains just as importantly.

Skeps in a "beehouse." these woven skeps were used into the 1960's but early Hungarian history, these bee houses were arranged on shelves in large outdoor structures or "sheds." The structure was usually made of wood or clay with small side openings large enough for bees, but which could be locked to keep thieves from stealing the hives, as honey was a huge commodity.

These skeps are also coated with mud, which adds strength and keeps the skep cooler.

A typical honey house, wood with clay added to some sides. The top is open to allow the bees access in and out, but the walls are tall enough that it would be difficult to climb.

From the beekeeping museum in Godollo. These are logs that have been cut down and used as primitive bee houses.

Grandfather's farm, long ago abandoned. The hives were held behind it....

Some of you know what I mean about this old-time love affair: the old smiths, tinners quilters, crafters, story-tellers, lovers of old things, myths, and fairy tales. Maybe we are a strange, dying breed of folk, but we are out there. And like them, I enjoy sharing these bits of knowledge because in a way, it's like I am opening the scrapbook and pointing to those old black and white pictures from another time and place--pointing to those faded faces that looked so stern and determined. I wonder sometimes, if they had an inkling that this strange, unorthodox girl would now be their torch bearer?

For me, it has been a grand pleasure and responsibility, as if dealing with those fragile people themselves, their living voiceboxes, speaking about the things they knew.  And luckily for me, I shall be sharing those stories with you. In May, I will be teaching beekeeping in three separate places in the Northeast. If you can attend these, I would love to meet you!

WALKER HOMESTEAD, 19 Martin Road, Brookfield, MA
May Day (May1) -
9:30AM - 3:30pm
Folk Beekeeping/Folk Way Herbal as part of a whole day of May Day Traditions
(Make May Wine, May Baskets, Folk May Traditions)


*May 3rd -
9:30AM - 3:30pm
LUNCH INCLUDED (dishes from our cooking class)
A Honey Cooking Class: You will learn to make sweet and spicy carrots (using Tupelo honey), Acacia Eggplant (using acacia honey), and creme and crepes (using lavender honey), with recipes you will get to take home. Samples of the honey we are using will  also be available.

Beekeeping 101 with old ways applications
For the folk lover and bee enthusiast--this is a nice, rounded class that covers the historical notions of beekeeping, with old photographs of equipment used, and how bees were kept, alongside practical beekeeping knowledge such as how to keep a hive, basic equipment, old ways techniques still used today, and much more!
 To register, or if you have questions,
please email: info@walkerhomestead.com



THE NEW ENGLAND GIRL, 445 Limrock Road, Fairfield CT

*Sat May 10th ~
10AM - 3pm (BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH)
Beekeeping 101
This class will show you the many ways to begin beekeeping using Zan's natural beekeeping techniques, including basic set up, basic bee society and behavior, pest free beekeeping, what to expect your first year in beekeeping, and so much more.
$50

PUTTING UP YOUR OWN BEEHIVES
THEN, after lunch, our very own  builder THE NEW ENGLAND girl will show you how to put together your very own unassembled hive in this useful demonstration while Zan describes the components of the hive.
$25
For questions, or to register: beyondvagabond@gmail.com


COLD ANTLER FARM, Cambridge NY
10AM - 4PMBeekeeping 101/ Folk Ways Beekeeping AND a tour of Jenna Wogonrich's working farm!

Organic Ways Beekeeping 101 (Beginning Beekeeping):
Zan Asha is a third generation beekeeping who practices the same chemical free, behavior-based beekeeping as her grandfather in WWII era Hungary. The practice of watching the very specific behaviors and structures of the bees, and caring for them during the seasons will be discussed, along with the basic principles, equipment, disease prevention, and bee society will be discussed. You will leave with a working knowledge of how to set up your bees and what to expect the first year of beekeeping. Old stories on European beekeeping will be touched on.

Folk Ways Beekeeping:
 Old style beekeeping (from ancient history to WWII), equipment, and techniques will be discussed, with old pictures and books dissected. You will learn how the old masters worked their bees and how you can apply it to your beekeeping. This class is more for the antique scholar or beekeeper who is fascinated by old history and focuses more on that than a hands on beekeeping compendium.

$100 for the day!
Email Jenna at jenna@itsafarwalk.com to register, or for more info

Many thanks, my friends!

Four Women

                                  The Things That Happen When Women Get Together...
Funny, how these things happen.

You know what I mean--those moments in life that seem like some sort of crazy dare, an endless sweaty race, that never-ending climb up a gargantuan wall...

It's been that way for several weeks, a strange and sobering reality behind a very light-hearted statement: "I'm going on tour." 

Sure, that seems like gypsy ribaldry, complete with fun-time images of riding into the sunset: carefree and kicking up of heels. But in the back wings, there is always a different sort of drama that rarely comes to mind when you think of a road trip and teaching classes on the road: the organization of such a thing is a monster of a show, contacting hosts, hoping for news,  scheduling, and rescheduling, and hoping to drive neither the host--or yourself-- mad in the process.

And then just like that--*POOF*--all the puzzle pieces sort of neatly click into place.  And when the smoke clears and I really observe this specimen, I have to laugh and shake my head. There are four women who are my hosts on the leg of this trip--and in many ways, it's been women all along who have supported all my endeavors.

I don't know what it is, but women figure in so much of my good fortune, it's ridiculous. My last full time job was staffed by all women (literally TWO men worked there in the seven years I did), and my actual calling-- an ethnic dance troupe I ran for five years--was exclusively made up of women.

My LAST tour--doing those same shenanigans I'm doing NOW--was also hosted by women: beautiful, strong, courageous women in Iowa and Illinois, and this whole fine mess was actually started by one beautiful herbal gal in Iowa, and perpetuated by another in Florida.

Yeah, us gals gotta stick together and while I bare no ill-will to the gents, you gotta love the resourcefulness of the "fairer sex."

So this is a schedule update, it is also the story of four women, and the various bright hues that make up this funny little Northeast Tour of Mine....

Kris Casucci is the heart of Walker Homestead. Her place, in lovely Brookfield, Massachusetts is a beacon of old style, colonial charm. Stepping onto the property is like stepping back into the annals of simple beauty and charm. She boasts an amazing antique store and farm with Jacob sheep and a bevvy of chickens. The antiques and prims she sells are top quality, and she hosts so many lovely classes that show insight into bygone times. You will know that she is a busy soul--running shows, sales, tours, and open houses but always carries a kindness about her and a fun laugh that makes you feel welcome, no matter what she is doing. There is something about the whole kit-and-kaboodle with Kris that makes you feel like there is quality and earnestness in everything she--and Walker Homestead is about.

I'll be teaching for two days:
May 1st, as part of a May Day extravagaza: I'll be teaching folk herbalism AND folk beekeeping, but the day starts at 9:30 with the making of May Wine, May Baskets, and the telling of May Day Traditions. It's a big day you won't want to miss.

Then on May 3rd from 9:30-3:30
I will be doing a big honey cooking class (making sweet and spicy carrots in Tupelo honey, Acacia eggplant, and Crepes using Lavender honey!)
Your lunch is included in the days activities (the food we made in class!)
And then I will do a beekeeping 101 class which will include some of the old world, pesticide free keeping that my grandfather used in Europe, old traditions used today, and general basic beekeeping techniques.


From there I will be going to CT to my amazing friend Nicole Goncalves, known in those parts as The New England Girl. You'd be impressed if you knew her--owner of not only her own business, but a business that BUILDS and restores furniture...and she's maybe 25 years old. For such a young lass to take on the responsibility and hard work of such an endeavor is something I think some fellas would be envious of!

*May 6th ~
Make Your Own Cloth Ornament
6pm - 9pm I will show you how to make your own cloth ornament! We will onstruct, and paint amazing cloth ornaments using paints, buttons, and other embellishments. You will learn various sewing and painting skills in this fun and educational experience, and take home your own ornament. $45


*May 10th ~
10AM - 3pm (BRING YOUR OWN LUNCH)
Beekeeping 101This class will show you the many ways to begin beekeeping using  natural beekeeping techniques, including basic set up, basic bee society and behavior, pest free beekeeping, what to expect your first year in beekeeping, and so much more.
$50
PUTTING UP YOUR OWN BEEHIVESTHEN, after lunch, our very own  builder THE NEW ENGLAND girl will show you how to put together your very own unassembled hive in this useful demonstration while Zan describes the components of the hive.
$25

BOTH OF THESE MAKE FOR A GREAT BEE KEEPING EDUCATION!


May 11th
11AM-1pm FOLK HERBALISMLearn about plants used in historical times, their properties, and the practical uses they still have today. We will describe how to make tinctures, decoctions, salves, and more and you will receive basic recipes for herbal items you can make at home, with a short demonstration in class.
$30
EMAIL beyondvagabond@gmail.com to register, or for info!

Holly Doyle from Jersey Made is a complete dynamo. Her store carries items made from artisans and farmers in New Jersey, and is a testament of her love and support for small businesses. She also hosts a slew of classes from her shop, and is the sort of energetic cheerleader and adviser any artist would be lucky to know. The gal just loves art!

May 16th
 Folk Herbs for Everyday Use  1pm to 3pmLearn about the old-fashioned use herbs as used in everyday household, beauty, and medicinal ways, and how these herbs still work today. You will be provided with some herb samples during class, and will go home with information on how to make your own herbal concoctions.
 $25

Living Outside the Box   7pm to 8:30pmAn outside presentation in front of a gypsy wagon! A fun, informal atmosphere, with an important message! Learn the many tips, tricks, and strategy to living the life YOU want,
Living on little or no money, outside-the-box careers, living the traveling life, unconventional house life, and other tips on attaining your dreams from Zan Asha, who has lived a traveler’s life for three years.
$15


Saturday, May 17th
 Cloth Ornament Workshop   10am to 3pmThis workshop will teach you how to make a soft cloth ornament from your own original pattern! Make an enchanted cloth ornament of your imagination! Everything from sewing, painting, accenting, and embellishing your ornament (with buttons, ribbons, etc) will be covered here! We’ll have sewing machines on hand, instructions demonstrated, and more techniques explained. Take home your own ornament! Materials provided!

*Bring a lunch and beverages with you.   Light snacks will be available.
$45
Beginner’s Bellydance 5pm - 6pmZan Asha’s roots began with theater and dance, and she spent almost a decade as troupe leader of ChoveXani (www.choveXani.com) creating ethnic dances of North Africa, India, and the Middle East. Tonight, she will be teaching beginning belly dance. This class is a fun and informative intro to beginning belly dance. Bring clothes you can stretch in. We will cover a warm up and basic movements of the arms, hips, and stomach, with a short choreography learned at the end.
$15


Sunday May 18th 
Wood burning Workshop 1-3pmLearn the beautiful and challenging art of woodburning to create wonderful works of art. We will go over various techniques to create shade, patterns, and design as it affects your wood piece.  You will go home with an original and unique wood-burned work of art.
*Note: Wood will be provided. However, you are requested to bring your own woodburning tool to this class. Reasonably priced wood burning implements can be found at local craft shops. 
$30 


REGISTRATION: Email Host Holly Doyle directly to register at
Holly@Jersey-Made.com or call
609 914 1536


My last stop is a doozy. Jenna Wogonrich, mistress of Cold Antler Farm, is a farming and writing lass of the highest order. You may have read a few of her books, including Made From Scratch or One Woman Farm. Or you may admire the fact that she rides horses while shooting bows--and she is training a falcon, too. She was kind enough to host me in my beekeeping shenanigans...

10AM - 4PM
Beekeeping 101/ Folk Ways Beekeeping AND a tour of Jenna Wogonrich's working farm!

Organic Ways Beekeeping 101 (Beginning Beekeeping):
Behavior-based beekeeping will be taught as her grandfather did in WWII era Hungary. The practice of watching the very specific behaviors and structures of the bees, and caring for them during the seasons will be discussed, along with the basic principles, equipment, disease prevention, and more will be discussed. You'll leave with a working knowledge of what to expect the first year of beekeeping.

Folk Ways Beekeeping:
 Old style beekeeping (from ancient history to WWII), equipment, and techniques will be discussed, with old pictures and books dissected. You will learn how the old masters worked their bees and how you can apply it to your beekeeping. This class is more for the antique scholar or beekeeper who is fascinated by old history and focuses more on that than a hands on beekeeping compendium.

$100 for the day!

Email Jenna at jenna@itsafarwalk.com to register, or for info

The Beekeeper's Lament....

                                       
There is an old--perhaps ancient?--tradition amongst beekeepers. How this curious custom began, I've little to go on, but it recognizes the importance, and perhaps the super-perception of these creatures..and it goes something like this:

Should something happen in the beekeeper's family, it must be told to the bees. The bees were considered part of the family, and would only thrive in families that upheld them with regard.  Usually, the bees are told is when the beekeeper himself, dies but,  if there are weddings, births, or deaths, the bees should know. There are some that say you should knock once on the hive, and then whisper it from the side of the hive, into the entrance, but all manner of the telling was done: beehives were shrouded in black cloth when someone died, or a piece of funerary cake and wine was left at the entrance of each hive. In some cases, the hives were even repositioned to face the grave of the beloved deceased.

Hives were beribboned for weddings and births, and sometimes the simplest thing to do is to lean over and tell the bees, hive by hive, of the news, and then walk away....

I've nary an idea as to why there is this tradition of Telling The Bees, but there are records of this in old Ireland, England, Olde Europe, as  far back as the Middle Ages.


So then, I ask you, what happens when the great news to tell the bees is actually about the bees themselves? How does one tell them?

What if the bad news involves not being able to deal with those little winged families, and that the "death" is within a business that you have grown to love?

To backtrack: I promised you the truth of this little journey, and as far as I find this road inspiring (and it IS inspiring), I also promised to tell you as much of reality as I could muster...

You may know I am a beekeeper---as was my mother, and grandfather. In fact, some of this old-time beekeeping mayhem has gotten me to Iowa and Illinois, has fueled part of the mini-Beyond Vagabond journey, led me to new friends, and has become part of my life.

The truth is a bit more complicated. The bees which I had worked with, which had made my name and purpose, were not mine, but my ladlord's and landlady's, owned outright by them but worked by me, as part of an urban revitalization project. After almost five years of work, there were differences in vision, and then, this past weekend, I would bid farewell to those animals, as I was suddenly no longer part of the project.

Whether this is temporary, I do not know. To be fair, there are many things afoot, and on shaky ground right now,  but I will say, it's rather like getting part of one's personality chewed off.

There is part of me that knows that I will regroup. It is easy enough, with so much Lifeblood full of beekeeping knowledge, to continue with that journey. There is money enough and time and resources to build. I have met loyal friends and customers, and I would hope they would continue the journey with me. I believe it will happen.

But another part of me laments for those creatures I've lost. Sure, you may laugh--shake your head, even, at the small grief over smaller bugs, all of which look alike. Perhaps it is no consequence for you. But each of those bugs--Apis Mellifera--was a teacher. Each showed me the need for calmness, and the way in which to truly think as they did. I have become a master problem solver, and have bridged a gap from old stories of my grandfather, to a living method of teaching. I was led into awe with each new discovery, and developed a profound respect for the powerful might of these small families.

And mostly, I have grown closer to my mother, who had shared never-before heard stories, some which she had nearly forgotten, because of this little project.

For this, I am forever grateful.....


                                  

The Bee Queen....

Artist Rendering by Lori Crace

I wanted to preface this post by sending out a huge THANK YOU to all of the kind words, emails, and other expressions of love that have surprised and overwhelmed my family and I. I am simply overwhelmed by the magnitude of this large display of love! Truly, there are no words for everyday kindness, even from people we did not know, what a sweet display of humanity...I am honored.

With that said, I am continuing on with the original journey--I had been scheduled to go to the Midwest starting THIS SATURDAY, to teach various workshops there. My father would expect nothing less in behavior than to keep one's word, and I cannot disappoint my friends from the Midwest, who have worked and organized so much to have me come and teach at their farms, and in their communities.

And, to be fair, I LOVE these people. Truly, I consider them extensions of my family, they have been generous and truthful with me, I owe them much, and miss them often. So I am STILL looking forward to my Iowa and Illinois adventures, teaching beekeeping, cooking, crafts, and much more. If you'd like to see how this mayhem started, you can read the story of my first bee teaching adventures to Iowa HERE.

And if you are in Iowa or Illinois, we'd love to see you!

So below, you may find a description of each class, event, and perhaps a bit about each host on my adventures to Iowa. I will be going there with the spirit of happiness, and am ready to teach, and learn, as always...

I should probably mention, as far as beekeeping is concerned, that these Organic Beekeeping classes are  based on my grandfather's WWII era European beekeeping teachings, and have previously been taught throughout the Midwest! I have also been featured in the bee movie Queen Of The Sun for my beekeeping, and in the New York Daily News and Bronx Free Press. You Learn the true way to work with bees based on their behavior, WITHOUT the use of pesticides or chemicals!

April 21st
South Pork Ranch Farm Day and Beekeeping Class with Zan Asha
South Pork Ranch LLC
32796 E 750 North Rd
Chatsworth, IL 60921

FREE ADMISSION--OPEN FARM DAY! You do NOT need to sign up for beekeeping to come for farm day! A great day of beekeeping, farm tours, and farm store offerings of South Pork's renown soaps, pasture raised pork and beef, and raw milk!
For directions please see the map on the farms website www.south-pork-ranch.com or call 815-635-3414

My friend Donna OShaughnessy is also a wonderful writer and a contributor to my other farming website. She has an amazing sense of humor and good-will (find her humorous and educational farm tales HERE). She and her husband have dedicated themselves to their farm, which offers organic raw milk and grass fed beef and pork, and is a place that feels like old-time farming. They respect their animals and operate in an amazingly ethical way. They will be offering their raw milk, soap bars (these are amazing!), and other wonderful farm products as well as doing farm tours throughout the day!

I will also be offering my bee classes in the middle of all of this but again, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE REGISTERED for beekeeping classes to come and have fun! I look forward to seeing you!


Organic Beekeeping 101 (Beginner's): 10:30a - 1:30pm

Organic Beekeeping 102 (Advanced): 2-5pm

MORE INFORMATION and early registration is HERE

April 22nd
Organic Beekeeping Classes with Zan Asha at Antiquity Oaks
Cornell, IL
For directions please email deborah@antiquityoaks.com or call 815-358-2450

Antiquity Oaks is home to self-sustainability expert, speaker, and author Deborah Niemann. Her latest book Homegrown and Handmade is HERE and you can find more on Antiquity Oaks HERE and HERE. We will be teaching organic beekeeping at Antiquity Oaks AND rendering wax into ornaments, expect a lot of learning and fun!

Organic Beekeeping 101 11a-2pm

Organic Beekeeping 102 2-5pm

MORE INFO and early registration is HERE:

April 28th 
Blueberry Barnyard Farm Day and Beekeeping with Zan Asha
9659 Us hwy 6 Geneseo IL 61254


FREE ADMISSION for Open farm day! YOU DO NOT NEED to sign up for a beekeeping class to come see us!  Open Farm Day featuring Zan's beekeeping plus tons of animal fun, and wonderful farm items for sale and a meet and greet!!. Join us on this open farm day!

My friend Tamara is passionate about farming, Blueberry Barnyard is a venture between her and her daughter in u pick blueberries, along with keeping goats, chickens. Their historic farm is beautiful, and they will be hosting an open farm day all day, and I will be teaching beekeeping in the middle of fun and festivities.

Again, YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE REGISTERED for my classes to meet us! We hope to see you soon!


Organic Beekeeping 101 10-1pm

Meet and  Greet/Festivities  1 - 2pm

Organic Beekeeping 102 2-5pm

For more details, or to register, CLICK HERE

MAY 13th
Organic Beekeeping and Meet and Greet with Zan Asha
Host Dawn Suarez
2211 North 8th Avenue
Winterset, IA, 50273

Good friend Dawn is an amazing holistic practitioner: a massage therapist, henna artist, dance enthusiast--she has agreed to host our beekeeping  classes on her 10 acre farm. Join us FOR A FREE MEET AND GREET mid-day, or take on of my organic beekeeping classes!


Organic Beekeeping 101  10a-1pm

Meet and Greet Luncheon  1-2pm

Organic Beekeeping 102  2-5pm

For more information or to register, CLICK HERE