We’ve always kept our honey for family and close friends. I wasn’t able to pull honey until my third year of keeping bees. Until then, we’d sampled some tempting tastes. Last year we tried our hand at the traditional honey spinning. I hated it. By the time we were done and ready to jar it all up, I was done. I realized then what I knew when I started. I am not really in this for the honey. I am in it for the bees. This year, I was able to pull my first super of natural frames (all drawn by the bees with no foundation) and work the honey “top bar style”. This meant slicing the combs into jars. It was a pleasure. Although I won’t be able to give most of the comb back to the bees, the jars look like mini shrines to the bee. Between this and the other supers, I’ll have enough to share with a broader audience. I finally felt ready for a label.