The Front Page of Issue 3

Email Newsletter - April 2007

View the entire issue of MerriMail

MerriMail Issue Three Sneak Peek

Gifts from Nature

Your Gift - honeycomb cake from the Savannah Bee Company

Springtime - when nature comes back to life and the Earth seems to dawn a smile. For many, it's a time of renewal. It's a time to be thankful for nature's bounty and the gifts it sends forth to us each day. To celebrate this new season and nature's offerings, your gift has been created by one of the Earth's most indispensable and symbiotic insects that benefit everything they touch. As the leading pollinator of humanity's crops, spring is their busiest time of year, and they also make an extraordinary natural gift for us to enjoy. The insect: the honeybee; the gift: its golden honeycomb.

To help you fully appreciate the beauty of the bee and its honey, some of the articles in this issue include: a review of The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, metalwork by Lauren Wilcox, an original recipe from chef Jesse Williams, the medicinal uses of honey, the advantages of buying local, giving the gift of bees and more. We're also excited to announce the very first MerriMail event, a five-course tasting dinner and complementary wine flight featuring the Savannah Bee honeycomb. See the enclosed invitation for details.

Perhaps the gift and ideas shared in this issue will bring back fond memories or maybe they'll provide you with entirely new experiences. Whichever is the case, we hope you enjoy this gift from nature and while doing so, we encourage you to think about some of the elements of nature that you may take for granted. Stop, reflect and appreciate. Think of ways to give back to your surroundings so that, like the honeybee, you can benefit some of the things you encounter every day.

Be Merri,

In This Issue

A brief synopsis of this issue's articles, plus additional information that we were not able to include in the idea card.

Your Gift from the Honeybee

With the first bite, we were hooked. A piece of French baguette layered with blue cheese, a slice of apple, a couple of raspberries and - most important - a slathering of honeycomb, and you will be, too. Enjoy this healthy, pure and all-natural honeycomb cake from The Savannah Bee Company. It's simple enough to top off a breakfast bagel in the morning, and it's sophisticated enough to be served as an hors d'oeuvre at an elegant cocktail party.

The Savannah Bee Company, Savannah, Georgia

Eris interviews Ted Dennard, beekeeper and founder of the Savannah Bee Company. A memorable childhood experience turns into a lifelong passion and a successful business venture.

Beauty and the Bee

Learn more about The Savannah Bee Company's line of beauty products, which are available online and at Bath and Body Works.

Honey Bees 101

Did you know the almond crop is entirely dependent on honeybee pollination? Without honeybees, there would be no almonds. Learn more about the honeybees with these fascinating facts to ponder over the next time you are snacking on almonds.

Amuse Your Mouth with the Flight of the Wind

Meet Jesse Williams, general manager and executive chef at The Kitchen at Elkin Creek Vineyards, who creates a delicious Amuse Bouche using the Savannah Bee Honeycomb. He shares the recipe with our readers and made the delectable treat as a first course at our first MerriMail event. Visit From the Oven, Jesse's blog to learn about the events that he hosts on a regular basis at The Kitchen.

In the Kitchen with Honey

Learn quick tips for working with honey in the kitchen.

Lauren Wilcox - Objects and Ideas in Balance

Caroline interviews up and coming artist, Lauren Wilcox. Learn more about Untitled (System with Pulleys and Two Hives), the artwork featured in Issue Three of MerriMail, which was showcased as part of Metalsmith Juried Exhibition in Print 2004.

The Art of Apitherapy

You may not consider a bee sting as a good thing. But this alternative therapy may be the cure to what ails you.

Entranced by Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees

This delicously wonderful book is a must read. Be sure to add it to the top of your reading list.

Give the Gift of Honeybees

Through Heifer International, an organization dedicated to ending world hunger and protecting the earth, you can give the gift of honeybees to a family in need. For a donation of $30.00, you can help a family's livelihood by providing them a package of bees, the box and hive, and training in beekeeping. Your gift will not only help a struggling family earn income through the sale of honey, beeswax and pollen, it can also help an entire village nearly double fruit and vegetable crop yields through the increase in bee pollination. Learn more at heifer.org.

Bearing a Local Fingerprint

Discover the benefits of buying food locally. Join the groups of people who are taking the local challenge.

Worker Bee or Queen Bee?

Learn more about yourself using John Holland's Holland Codes, which groups people into six categories according to their preferences. Holland classified careers based on the various codes, allowing people to match their strengths, gifts and talents to their work.

Resources

• Bath and Body Works
• Food Routes
• Heifer International
• The Kitchen at Elkin Creek Vineyards
• Lauren Wilcox
• National Honey Board
• The Savannah Bee Company
• Sue Monk Kidd
• The Sustainable Table
• Whole Foods

Blog Updates for Issue Three

Check out the latest updates and join our online conversations related to topics covered in Issue Three.