Local Honey is a Sweet Treat in Any Season

How many times each week do you reach for the honey jar?  You may stir honey into your oatmeal at breakfast or your hot cup of tea because it tastes great.  But did you know that local honey has other health benefits?  

According to the Farmers' Almanac, "eating unfiltered, unheated, raw honey produced within your area, (50-mile radius or less) is like receiving a natural anti-allergy shot! Quercetin, a component of honey, has been found in studies to reduce inflammation and pollen allergy symptoms."   The Almanac also recommends that you can make your own cough suppressant to relieve minor coughs and sore throats by just mixing apple cider vinegar and honey to taste in a small glass jar.    Take a teaspoon whenever you need it!   Another simple way to enjoy honey's benefits:  take a spoonful of raw honey at bedtime to promote restful sleep.

Shooks Apiaries: Keeping Bees in Mansfield since 2016 

If you want to source some raw honey, you don't need to travel far!  Dominic Shooks operates Shooks Apiaries on Wormwood Hill Road and markets raw honey, creamed honey, beeswax, beeswax candles and beeswax-based lip balm--all produced from his bees.  Reach out to Shooks Apiaries through their Facebook page to arrange to pick up some product this winter. In season you can find them at farmers' markets and other public events.

Eastern Connecticut Beekeepers Association Offer Winter Course 

If you are interested in learning about how to raise bees yourself, the Eastern Connecticut Beekeepers have kicked off their winter sessions of workshops.  Learn in person or via Zoom from experienced neighbors about how to get started with this fulfilling and important work of keeping bees.

Winter is a great time to learn a new skill, and how to grow your own local!

COMING SOON!  Nominations will be open soon for the 2023 Taste of Mansfield Champion Awards!

Watch for details on how to nominate your favorite producers, sellers and communicators/educators who you believe are true local champions!

Just Try It!  Demonstrating How Tasty Local Can Be

Students at Mansfield Middle School recently enjoyed "Rooting for Winter" at lunch.  Partnering with UConn Extension, Mansfield Middle School Food Services staff roasted up locally grown purple turnips and colorful radishes and served them in small tasting cups. The diced vegetables were roasted with olive oil, and simply seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Delicious!

Students were offered the opportunity to try each of the vegetables, sourced from Cobblestone Farm in Mansfield.  Students voted for their tastes by placing a sticker on the chart:  I Tried It, I Liked It, or I Loved it.    Also on their lunch tray that day?  Roasted local carrots!   

Are you "rooting for winter" at your dinner table?  These versatile, nutritious vegetables are among winter's bounty in New England.   Give a new root vegetable a try! Visit the Storrs Farmers Market, next open on Saturday, February 4 at the  Buchanan Auditorium of the Mansfield Public Library from 3 to 5 PM and ask local farmers what they harvested for you.

Remember:  We're Looking for Your Family's Favorite Recipes!

We know you are likely cooking and baking up some of your favorite foods on these raw, blustery winter days.  Please consider sending those favorite recipes along to us. (And if they include ingredients that can be sourced locally--even better!) We are eager to help our community share tips and treats from the kitchen.   Find the submission form on our website.

About the Taste of Mansfield

The Taste of Mansfield aims to strengthen our community through events and promotions highlighting locally grown and produced foods.  Supporting local farmers and food producers benefits our community in so many ways! Learn more at:   https://www.tasteofmansfieldct.org/

Taste of Mansfield is made possible by these community partners:  Mansfield Advocates for Children, Mansfield Agriculture Committee, Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Mansfield Department of Human Services, Mansfield Economic Development Commission, Mansfield Parks and Recreation, Mansfield Public Library, Mansfield Public Schools, Mansfield Senior Center, Storrs Farmers Market and UConn CAHNR Extension.