Helping the Honey Bees (Raspberries, Granola & Yogurt)

Have you ever been in a garden or out walking during the summer and heard a big old bumble bee "bumbler" buzz by? It always surprises me how loud they are, it's like the sonic boom of the bee world. Honey bees really seem to like sunflowers and there's always a lot of bees coming and going from the sunflower patch.

The other day I came across a tweet that the UN was issuing a save the bees message. After reading about it I remembered the Hagan Daas campaign, which was when I first heard that our bees were struggling. It appears that pollution, pesticides and a mite attacking the hives (colony collapse disorder) are part of the problem, and it does appear to be a big problem in North America and Europe. I'm not sure what farmers would do if we didn't have bees helping to pollinate our fruits and vegetables. Learning about this made me wonder what would we do? Check out The Very Japanese Art of Growing Perfect Apples where the pollen is applied by hand. Is that what we would do?

How can we help the honey bees? (Please post comments with your thoughts and ideas.)

• Bee Guardian
• Burts Bees: Colony Collapse Disorder
• Buy honey from local bee keepers
• Grow Garden Plants Honey Bees Love
• Hagan Daas - Help the Honey Bees 
• Help Save Honey Bees (ehow)
• Social Networking Save the Bees?
• The Great Sunflower Project
• USDA Insects, Bees, Entomology
• Save the Bees, Urges U.N.
• Watch Silence of the Bees (PBS)

Based on the list above, I have some reading to do. BTW, have you ever seen a raspberry blossom?

My mom sent over some beautiful raspberries a couple of weeks ago--I know, in March. They don't grow here in March. I wonder how the honey bees are doing in South America?

Raspberries, Granola & Greek Yogurt
1 container fresh raspberries
2/3 - 1 C Greek Gods Strawberry yogurt (approximately)
1/2 C Granola (approximately)

Wash the raspberries in a large bowl filled with water and a little bit of soap, swish them around then drain in a colander. Refill the bowl with water swishing the berries around and drain in colander. Repeat until the soap has been rinsed away. (The "swish" washing makes it so you don't squish the berries.) Drain the berries. Put the yogurt in a bowl, sprinkle in a layer of granola and stir together. Add a layer of raspberries and fold in gently. Top with granola and raspberries.

The granola brought hints of cinnamon like bits of oatmeal cookies. The bursts of fresh raspberries mixed with the tangy rich yogurt, the "live and active cultures" were camouflaged in deliciousness. If you're looking for a fresh take on breakfast, try this out.

P.S. Did you know there are honey bees in the White House garden?

Suzanne
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