You’ve heard of pick your own strawberries and maybe even dig your own potatoes but how about bottle your own honey? At Ontario Honey Creations, they’re really showing visitors what the buzz is all about.
Discover the Ins and Outs of Bee-Keeping with the Whole Family
What if we told you that you could experience the magic of bees, the deliciousness of honey and walk away with a jar of artisan honey you bottled yourself? Read on for the details and to learn about Ontario Honey Creations.
The Folks at Ontario Honey Creations
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Ontario Honey Creations is home to 600 hives across the G.T.A., Headwaters Region and Rouge Valley. They use these hives to craft small-batch, terroir-driven, seasonal honey that allows their consumers to try the wide variety of flavours that honey can possess.
“Each year, we have a bee yard near a pumpkin patch in Rouge Valley and it has the nicest, warm flavour to it that’s unlike any of our other honey…I love seeing the excitement in people’s faces when they realize that honey can taste different,” says Sarah Allinson-Chorabik, co-owner of Ontario Honey Creations and Toronto Bee Rescue.
It was that excitement that inspired Sarah and Peter to start Ontario Honey Creations. After several years running Toronto Bee Rescue which specializes in humane bee removal, they wanted to showcase the magic of honeybees.
Whether it’s a honey with a minty undertone from a natural forest in Headwaters or dark, plummy honey from downtown Toronto, it’s incredible to taste the differences in the batches. Moreover, they aren’t just making honey (as if we wouldn’t be satisfied with “just honey”)!
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In addition to their many wonderful honeys, Ontario Honey Creations also makes honey vinegars and their own meads! That way you can spice up your salads and your next drink (and that’s just the start of it).
In short, everything they sell is produced on-site by them. Could they bee any cooler?
The Bee Keeping Experience
Now let’s talk about what is possibly the coolest part of this business and that’s the beekeeping experience you can have onsite at their farm in Mulmur!
Join the beekeepers to bottle your own honey. We’re talking the whole nine yards too. That means dawning your own bee suit (they even have them for toddlers so you can bring the whole fam!) and head out to the hives.
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You’ll extract the frame (don’t bee scared) and bring it into the honey house where you’ll get the chance to extract the honey and spin it out in a big centrifuge.
From there, the honey goes right into a jar and you’ll get to bring that jar home with you. The supply chain doesn’t get much shorter than that!
Before you leave, be sure to check out their shop full of deliciousness and say hello to their piglets from New Zealand that are sure to put a smile on even the grumpiest of grumps.
How You Can Help Protect the Bees
After all that buzz, you might be wondering how you can help our sweet friends, the bees!
According to Sarah, the first step is not to be fearful. If you have a swarm of bees at your place, call a local beekeeper. Humane removal is usually free (or very affordable) and extermination is not necessary.
Additionally, planting a variety of wildflowers early in the season and at the end of the season as the weather begins to cool and food becomes more scarce goes a long way.
Get Out There, Honey!
Ontario is a big, beautiful province and exploring this corner of it is a great idea. Why not bottle your own honey and then continue exploring Headwaters Region? The world is your honey jar.
