Located in Marlboro, New Jersey our family farm is dedicated to sustaining honeybees and the world around them. Over the past several years, we have created a habitat teeming with fruit trees, sunflowers and clover. We work carefully to create a symbiotic relationship by nourishing our honeybees through the land they live on and pollinate. To sustain this environment we use organic, biodynamic and regenerative methods of farming that work with nature not against it.
Everything we grow is organic and non-gmo.
Composted wood chips and mechanical cultivation are our methods of weed control. We use companion planting and trap crops to either repel or attract insects. We never use herbicides, pesticides or fungicides on anything we grow. Not only are these chemicals harmful humans and pollute ground water they are toxic to bees.
Biodynamic farming is working with nature, not against it. Growing in living soil provides a quality of health and nutrition not possible with chemical agriculture. Planting according to a biodynamic calendar avoids pests at certain times of the year and grows in harmony with earths natural growth cycles. We use companion planting and trap crops to either repel or attract insects. When this isn’t viable we use biodynamic preparations in place of chemical pesticides and fungicides. Biodynamic preparations foster the growth of beneficial bacteria and fungi. This creates a powerful concentrated substance to remedy the problem and guide the development of a strong microbiome. We make and use our biodynamic preparations by fermenting herbs, fruits, and vegetables. These are effective replacements for chemicals and they also act to restore nutrients and balance where needed.
Regenerative Agriculture is described as farming practices which rebuild organic soil matter and restore degraded soil biodiversity. We build soil quality by adding composted wood chips. As soil organisms break down the chips, they convert nutrients into forms plants can absorb and create humus that sustains soil quality. We generate our own fertility through composting, cover cropping, and crop rotation. Crop rotation is one method of pest management we use that replaces nitrogen back into soil after harvest. Our biodynamic preparations also strengthen the quality of the soil by stabilizing nitrogen and other nutrients, multiplying microbial diversity, and bringing more sensitivity to the composting process.
To avoid using herbicides we use several methods of mechanical cultivation for weed and pest control.
We harvest rot resistant black locust poles from our farm for trellis’ and fencing. We do not use pressure treated wood that leaches toxic chemical into the ground near the food we grow. Instead we use Shou Sugi Ban practice. This is a Japanese method of waterproofing wood that uses no chemicals! The wood is burned until the surface is charred, and then coated with natural oil. The result is a scorched finish with a magnificent charcoal black color thats weatherproof!
Our commitment to sustainability and ethical beekeeping practices ensures responsible harvesting without harming the bees or the environment.
Our raw honey is extracted from the
beehive and only strained, never filtered. This keeps the natural pollen, propolis and nutritious enzymes intact. It is unprocessed and never damaged by heat or pasteurization. Raw honey contains a wide variety of nutrients. One teaspoon of raw honey contains up to 48,000 grains of pollen. It has approximately 22 amino acids, 31 different minerals and a wide range of vitamins and enzymes. It also contains nearly 30 types of bioactive plant compounds. These are called polyphenols, and they act as antioxidants!
Raw honey has an extraordinary effect on human metabolism. Unlike processed sweeteners that spike blood sugar levels, raw honey regulates and stabilizes it. This is because honey is made up of both fructose and glucose in a near equal ratio. This balanced delivery is directly absorbed by our bodies and is easier to digest. In addition, raw honey has highly concentrated prebiotics, which feed beneficial gut bacteria and enables them to thrive which has an alkalizing effect that can promote balance and healing to the digestive tract.
Sign up for tips, tricks and fun facts from Bee Free Farm!
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.