Taste of
Honey
BY NATALIE GOULD TOMKO
Marshall
Township’s
favorite beekeeper
sells his “liquid
gold” to locals.
O
n a quiet tree-lined road in Marshall Township,
there’s an unassuming sign attached to a tree.
Drive too fast and you’ll miss it. But if you spot
it, turn down the driveway and look for the
little bench on the front porch. Open it up and you’ll find
a treasure trove of various jars of local honey. How local?
About 100 feet from where you stand, local.
When you first meet Jim Hoffman, 83, you can’t help but
smile. His warm demeanor and obvious passion for his bees
cannot be ignored.
Hoffman’s honey business started with a few beehives
shortly after he built his home on Golden Grove Road in
1964. “I needed something to do. I was a farmboy! I couldn’t
just quit,” he says. Now, more than 50 years later, he has
20-30 hives at any given time. Each hive holds eight to 10
frames, and a frame can contain up to 2.5 pounds of honey.
“I sell everything I produce,” he says. That’s a lot of honey.
It’s a picturesque setting in Hoffman’s backyard: rows and
rows of manicured crops like tomatoes, cucumbers, squash,
berries, and melons that would spur envy in any gardener.
Behind this oasis lies the liquid gold—the honeybee hives.
Watching them is almost hypnotic. They fly in and out of
the hives and back and forth from the garden. The constant
humming is a sure indicator that they’re hard at work
tending to the queen.
Hoffman, donned in his beekeeper’s jacket and helmet,
carries a smoker over to the hives to demonstrate how to
calm the bees in hopes of pulling out a frame. He’s successful
in his endeavor until we’re walking back to the garage when
he stops to pinch his leg. A bee got up his pant leg and stung
him, but it’s just business as usual for him.
Hoffman’s bees produce two different types of honey. The
first, a light-colored variety, is unofficially named “summer
honey,” as it is produced during the first part of the year up
until Aug. 1.
The second variety is ready around Aug. 15. This honey
derives from the nectar of Japanese Knotweed blooms. It
is commonly called “Bamboo Red” thanks to its deep red
coloring, a stark contrast to its golden counterpart. The
flavor is much richer and complex than the light summer
honey.
Hoffman has been selling his honey since the 1980s. At
first, he set out the jars in a cardboard box, but his daughters
encouraged him to build a sturdier display. So he built a
bench on his front porch with a seat that lifts up. Inside is a
price list, varying sizes of the two types of honey, and a jar
for payment. He put a “Local Honey for Sale” sign out in
front of his house, and this is how he’s sold it ever since.
Get on the app Nextdoor and search “local honey,” and
you’ll find dozens of comments in Marshall Township and
surrounding areas singing praises of Hoffman’s honey. Once
you taste it, you’ll understand why it’s so beloved around
here. And if you have the chance, take a few extra minutes to
chat with the beekeeper himself. Who knows, you may even
be inspired to start a hive of your own.
You can buy Jim Hoffman’s “famous” honey every day
year-round at 424 Golden Grove Road, Baden, PA 15005.
Prices range from $4.50 to $15. ■
Natalie Gould Tomko is a Marshall Township-based writer. She and her
husband enjoy spending time in their garden watching the bees buzz around
from blossom to blossom.
PINE-RICHLAND
❘
FALL 2019
15