Meet The Maker: George Jersey
A few years ago, when we first decided to bring bees to Beekman 1802 Farm, we didn’t expect that we’d be producing thousands of pounds of creamed honey for sale around the country. In fact, Brent just wanted one hive. One very specific hive. He created the design himself, (it had a copper roof,) and then started asking around for someone who could construct it.
When George Jersey stopped by the house to meet with us about that hive, he looked around and said: “you guys ever think about having an apiary here?” We hadn’t. But within a few weeks, we had over 32 hives installed. And that gardening season was, by far, the most fruitful since we purchased the farm. And it wasn’t just fruitful for us…the bees were quite happy as well, producing over 4000 lbs their first year.
We knew that there were already a lot of great artisanal beekeepers out there, so rather than simply sell plain honey, we worked with George to develop special raw creamed honeys, using only natural flavors. Despite its name, creamed honey doesn’t contain any cream. It’s simply a controlled crystallization process. A steel rod is inserted into the honey, and when small crystals begin forming, the honey is stirred until it’s entirely made up of very small crystals. This gives the honey a smooth, spreadable texture.
We started by creating a Rosemary Creamed Honey as an accompaniment to our Blaak Cheese, and since then, George has developed nine more. (Cinnamon is the all-time bestseller. People love it on buttered toast.)
Read more about George below and check out all the great Beekman 1802 Honey products.
Where do you live? Barneveld, NY
Who’s in your family? Mother Eleanor, Daughter Stephanie (who works for Wild Mountain), three awesome grandchildren, Corbin, Lily and, Violet
How long have you been practicing your craft? I have been Beekeeping commercially for 9 years.
Can you describe the moment you first discovered your passion for your craft? First sting- no not really. I first discovered my passion when I realized how important I could be to the eco-system and food network. How important my roll in this and pollination is to not only us but, our future heirs. How beekeeping affects our quality and quantity of natural food sources.
As an artisan, your hands are your most important tool. Do you have any special regime for taking care of them? Sure I take care of my hands, with Wild Mountain Beeswax skin crème.
If you could hold the hands of any person, living or dead, who would it be? Our Creator, you can’t do what I do without witnessing intelligent design.
What’s your favorite item that you make for beekman 1802, and why? Rosemary Raw Honey. Of all the items I make for Beekman 1802, I enjoy making Rosemary Raw Honey, I have found many ways to use this honey. I also keep experimenting with new uses for this honey.
What’s your favorite item on Beekman 1802 that’s not one of your own, and why? One of my favorite items Beekman 1802 carries is the ice cream. It is so rich and creamy, the vanilla orchid is my favorite. Next would be the Mortgage Lifter sauce. I really enjoy the sauce. “I’m a foodie”
What’s your advice for people who want to follow their passion like you do? Stick with it don’t let anything get in your way. Because the end result is you.