About
Your local Beekeeper
Welcome to Mustard & Miel, your local Catskill Beekeeper's tiny shop selling handcrafted apiary products from our small operation in the Catskill Mountains.
During the late fall and winter months, when the bees are tucked away and clustering to stay warm, beekeepers have time to put to use some of the excess products harvested from our colonies. This year, I've put together a short list of items I've hand crafted on the shorter days of late fall. Early mornings with coffee and the dogs, pouring pure beeswax candles and jarring honey to bring to you, it really doesn't get any more lovely.
Beeswax
This year I was finally able to harvest enough to make a series of candles. Beeswax is magical for so many reasons, especially in candle making. Did you know that beeswax candles are smokeless? Hence they will not bother folks with allergies or sensitivities. They also do not drip making them the best material for tapers on your holiday table. They burn slowly and brightly, casting a natural honey scent that is subtle and warm.
Bayberry Wax
In addition to beeswax, I was also able to procure some natural bayberry wax. Its place in holiday history is often overlooked, but has a lovely story for the curious.
Folklore says that if you light a brand new bayberry candle on Christmas Eve you will have wealth and prosperity for the new year. The candle should be lit in the evening, when you see the first star appear in the sky. You should not extinguish the candle yourself (bad luck); it should burn until after midnight down to the nub and go out on its own.
The legend of the bayberry candle says that
A bayberry candle burnt to the socket brings food to the larder and gold to the pocket.
These candles make an excellent gift for friends and family.