book and left a minute later with a couple jars in hand . “ I love it ,” said Julio , who comes about once a month . “ It ’ s good honey and it ’ s good for my health .” He likes drizzling nature ’ s nectar on apples and bananas , or drinking it straight . You can buy from 2-ounce to 3-pound jars of the good stuff in three varieties : orange blossom ( most popular ), palmetto and Brazilian pepper ( Bob ’ s favorite ), named based on the plants they pollinate . Bob built the small stand by himself from scrap lumber and plywood , measuring just 8 feet tall by 4 feet wide and deep . He installed three cameras nearby for his video security system , which connects to his iPhone or laptop and notifies him of any movement at the stand . But no one ’ s ever tried to put their hand in the honey jar so to speak . “ I ’ ve never had an issue ,” Bob said . In fact , “ some people left more than that .” Bob ’ s also been delighted to discover thank-you notes in the box . The stand was Bob ’ s solution to generate sales after the Summerport farmers market where he had tabled shut down . Some of his customers come from as far as 25 miles away to patronize his stand . And besides , he doesn ’ t miss the long days waiting around for sales . “ I was looking for an alternative method of still selling to the public , but not retail ,” Bob said . After all , if he exceeds a certain production capacity , he ’ d have to become licensed , and he ’ s not ready for the expense and hassle of that process . Instead , The Winter Garden Honey Farm functions under “ cottage law ,” a classification that gives small startup agricultural businesses a chance to get established before requiring the full regulations of a state-certified facility . All that said , he ’ s not looking to table at another farmers market , either . The unmanned , free-standing honey stand does its job while Bob does his favorite job : “ Now , I spend more time managing the bees to get more honey ,” he said . Bob started this company about 10 years ago , and he ’ s been beekeeping since he was 8 . Before that , he had about three other honey companies that incorporated his namesake . But he decided to shift the spotlight to WG for marketing purposes . “ I wanted to create a local feel for the company ,” Bob said . During an average year , their 250 bee hives yield more than 10,000 pounds of honey ; that ’ s about 15 fifty-five-gallon barrels . And they sell about 150 gallons a year . But it ’ s a fickle business . Last year , they didn ’ t make a drop . “ The rain , sunlight , temperature , soil conditions - everything affects the floral response ,” Bob said . This year ’ s conditions should yield plenty of honey , he said . And besides , he learned to hold back some crops for a reserve in case another perfect storm happens .
52 | WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2017