Summer Has Begun at Top of the Mountain Honey!
Here at Top of the Mountain Honey Bee Farm, we're raring to go for the 2015 summer markets after that long, cold winter! Over the winter and early-spring months, we had a table at the Winter Farmers' Market at Sparta, where we saw many of our regular customers from the Blairstown market and made many new friends as well! The market was cancelled a few times due to extreme weather, but overall, the indoor market was a good experience and offered many customers an easy way to get Top of the Mountain honey during the severe winter months. This past Saturday, 5/30/15, we were at the first of our summer markets—the Blairstown Farmers Market on Route 521. It was good to catch up with many of our friends from past markets, including Race Farm, Apple Ridge Farm & Stone Oven Bakery, Godlewsky Farms, Mo'Pweeze Bakery, and singer Maribyrd! All of the vendors are looking forward to a prosperous market season, fulfilling customer needs by offering a variety of quality products.
The weather got warm and humid quite early, so staying cool was an issue for both vendors and customers alike. That morning, Blairstown Elementary School conducted its annual Paws to the Pavement Run/Walk event, so we had many young visitors and four-legged furry friends at the honey table! In fact, our first customer of the day was a delightful young girl who visited us a few more times over the course of the day, offering us her excellent advice about using our honey: "I like to put in my tea!" It was quite a busy day for Top of the Mountain Honey Bee Farm. From even before the market's official opening time, there were people stopping at our table. We had many, many customers who were allergy sufferers, hoping to get some relief with local, raw honey and one of our newest products, bee pollen. Our larger sizes-the 5-pound and 2-pound jars-sold out rather quickly. Later in the market, we had to turn away some disappointed customers who were seeking the larger jars. But, as we always do, we took advance orders for the following week; customers were pleased to learn that we would have their orders set aside and waiting for them at the next market. Remember, you can always place advance or special orders with any of our team members, and then you can pick up your order the following week at the market location of your choice. Of course, the reason we (and other vendors) come to the market is, simply, the customers. Our customers are the best! We were visited on Saturday by several of our "regulars," and some of them were kind enough to share some comments for publication:
Valerie: "This honey is the best I've ever tasted! It's pure and I love the flavors, especially cinnamon. I use it for allergies, and I also get the extra health benefit from the cinnamon."
Scott and Gail: "Best honey we've ever had! We like the buckwheat-the darker, the better. I sent a jar of the buckwheat to my brother-in-law in Portland, Oregon, and he also says it's the best. Your honey is now 'coast to coast!'"
Debbie: "Best honey I've had in a long time-it's yummy honey! I like when it crystallizes, so I can eat it right off the spoon."
The day ended well, with us selling out not only the larger jars but all of our popular light wildflower and cinnamon-infused flavors in 1-pound sizes. Peach and dark wildflower also sold phenomenally. So we're off and running into our summer market season. We've expanded our reach this year, so you can find us in more markets. Come visit us at any of the following:
Blairstown Farmer's Market (Saturday, 10-2) - currently open
Belvidere Farmer's Market (Sunday, 9-1) - currently open
West Milford Farmer's Market (Wednesday eve, 3-7) - starts 6/3
Boonton Farmer's Market (Saturday, 8:30-2) - starts 6/6
Mt. Olive Farmer's Market (Saturday, 9-1) - starts 6/6
Westfield Farmer's Market (Saturday, 8:30-1:30) - starts 6/6
Chester Farmer's Market (Sunday, 10-3) - starts 6/28
Hawthorne Farmer's Market (Sunday, 9-2) - starts 6/28
Hopatcong Farmer's Market (Sunday, 9-2) - starts 6/28
Be sure to check in with us often, at our newly revamped Top of the Mountain Honey Bee Farm website and our Facebook page. And be sure to check back here at our blog for the latest news from Top of the Mountain Honey Bee Farm!
