A Family of Beekeeping

·
6 min read

At Mountain Valley Honey the love of bees is a real family affair. It’s almost as if the fascination with these little creatures is in our genes – passed down through the generations. We love how our family and business lives are interwoven — it’s hard to imagine it being any other way. Our family’s love affair with bees all began when Merv, Murray’s father, discovered a swarm of bees in 1968. Back then Merv was pretty nervous about the whole thing. He dressed himself in what he now calls ‘a suit of armour’ (the feral bees were pretty vicious back then) and managed to get the swarm into an apple box.The bees really captured his heart — he got himself a gentle yellow queen from the North Island to replace the feral queen and never looked

A Touch of Honey for Wellbeing and Winter Comfort

·
3 min read

Brrr! Winter is definitely here in Nelson, bringing with it misty weather and a series of wet weekends. But even though the Nelson markets have been a bit soggier than usual, nothing seems to dampen the spirits of our lovely customers.Larry (Nicky’s dad) and Murray take turns to man our stall and they love seeing our regulars each week, as well as meeting people from all around New Zealand who are enjoying a Nelson visit.There are many reasons to love winter. It’s a time for cuddling up and staying warm and indulging in comfort food and log fires. Many more people are embracing Matariki this year, and are getting excited about the brand new holiday set up for 2022. Winter solstice celebrations are a great chance to slow down and enjoy time with family and fri

The Joy of Caring for Bees

·
3 min read

The more we work with bees, the more we appreciate these amazing little creatures. We always say that our bees are like our family.And, just like family, bees love to be nurtured. At this time of the year our main job is to make sure they are snuggled up, safe and warm. But there are many other things that we do to keep our bees healthy and happy.At the heart of keeping healthy bees is hive location. We put a huge amount of effort into finding great places for our hives, favouring hideaway places in remote areas. While the bees can regulate the temperature of their hives, fanning themselves if it gets too hot, they prefer a sunny spot that is sheltered from the wind. Our next checkpoint is pollen sources. While dense patches of Mānuka are great when they are flo

Autumn Gold: A Special Honey From a Special Place

·
3 min read

Nelson always looks so beautiful in the autumn. The leaves are really turning now, adding rich colours to the landscape. Everything seems to have a golden glow about it, especially on sunny days. This time of the year finds us harvesting the last of this season’s honey: Beech Honeydew and our Autumn Gold. While both of these are gorgeous honeys, it is Autumn Gold that has a particularly special place in our hearts. When we first started harvesting honey, we had a different batch that we were undecided about what to call it, since our bees gather this honey from a range of different sources.  Then a friend of ours, Michael Wraight, suggested, ‘why not call it Autumn Gold? It’s the time of year and look at that colour in the honey!’ We instantly loved the

The Art of Beekeeping

·
4 min read

As we finish off the harvest, removing the last of the honey boxes and getting our bees ready to winter down, we find ourselves reflecting on the season and the art of working with bees. Although beekeeping certainly has its scientific aspects, it really is as much an Art as it is a Science. Every hive is unique and every season brings a whole range of environmental factors that must be taken into account.Experience plays a huge role when it comes to caring for bees, along with the intuition that only comes from years of work and being connected to what you are doing. Perhaps that’s why beekeeping is often a family business, with knowledge being passed down through generations.This season we’ve certainly had our challenges, with less than ideal weather conditions

Pure and Simple: Honey As it Should Be

·
4 min read

These days, more and more people are questioning not only where their food comes from, but also what that food contains. That’s why we go to great lengths to ensure our honey is just like nature intended.However, there are still many things that we must keep an eye on to make sure that it stays that way…The recent news about Japan questioning glyphosates in New Zealand honey exports is just part of a wider debate about unwanted chemicals making their way into food. Glyphosate is the most widely used herbicide in the world, including in New Zealand. Around 90 herbicides contain this chemical, with the most recognised brand being Roundup.At Mountain Valley Honey we employ an accredited laboratory to check for glyphosates in our honey, as part of our honey testi

A Moment of Pure Gold: The First Honey of a New Season

·
4 min read

This is a favourite time of the year for beekeepers, because we get to open the first honey boxes of the season. Every year we find ourselves getting excited, like little kids waiting for Christmas Day. The honey boxes even look like presents, just waiting to be unwrapped.The first of the honey boxes have already made their way to the extraction shed, and the whole place is perfumed with the rich scent of Kāmahi — the first honey of our season. The aroma makes Nicky particularly happy. She says she loves the way kāmahi looks when it pours: “Kāmahi has a special golden colour and just seems to glow as it pours into the jars.” Everyone on our team has their favourite honey, and Nicky’s is definitely Kāmahi.With the harvest underway, the boys in the shed are getting i

The Christmas Giveaway Winner’s Announced

·
1 min read

Our 2020 Christmas Giveaway is over and there is one last thing to do – announce the winners.So, without further ado, the winners are…1st Prize Winner: Kate K. from Manukau2nd Prize Winner: Richard H. from Hamilton3rd Prize Winner: Moray G. from Wellington Congratulations to our winners – please get in touch to claim your prize!Thank you to all who entered. We hope you had an amazing New Years and have had a chance to enjoy your honey.We Kiwis are so lucky to be able to spend the holidays with friends and family. And there’s nothing better than old-fashioned Kiwi hospitality.If you’re looking for the perfect way to say thank you to your holiday hosts, why not surprise them with the gift of honey? Honey makes for a sweet and thoug

Free NZ shipping when you spend $100 or more*