Molly Bee Good: Tracktown to Ashland and Beyond

Apitherapy. A word full of possibilities. Who knew that so many things that we deal with could be taken care of just by looking to the honeybees? We had all this information that we wanted to share and so we went to a few places where we knew we would find some receptive ears, breweries. Fortunately, Eugene has a couple of the finest you will find in the state of Oregon. Ninkasi and Oakshire breweries are like twins who decided at a very young age that they would follow their unique paths. Ninkasi, clearly the city boy of the two, decided that it wanted to conquer the world. It has set forth an ambitious plan to spread their love all over the United States. They have made all the moves you would expect out of small company trying to make it big. Facilities with the ability to grow and grow and grow.
Oakshire, on the other hand, decided they wanted to live the simpler life of country living. Financed by friends and family and set to grow into a space that will force them to keep their focus inward and to keep their beliefs at the forefront of their operation. Small batches of amazing beer come out of this brewery and will soon find its way into the discerning brew pubs of the west coast. They also found themselves raising chickens as pets and will soon also count honeybees as members of their family. Don't get me wrong, the reception at both was as down home as you could get. Open arms greeted us at both places, and the people we talked to were so enthusiastic and receptive we wished we had more time to visit on this trip.
Molly Bee Good mingled with people and told them some interesting facts about honeybees and their products. How they could use honey to dress cuts and scrapes. How royal jelly could keep them young from the inside. How this wonderful substance called propolis, that is designed to protect the bees, can also protect our bodies from viruses and fungi. Honeybees are some of the most hygienic insects on the planet. As we had been telling all the kids we met, they don't even use the bathroom in their hives. They go on cleansing flights. All winter they hold it until the temperature gets warm enough for them to fly, then they take care of business. We met all kinds of people with unique cases that had found ways to use hive products to improve their health. We had a great dinner and then hit our bed early because we had to move on down to Ashland where Southern Oregon University was hosting their Earth Day. ECOS, a student organization, had coordinated a wonderful celebration for Earth Day. How lucky we all are to find ourselves on our paths doing what we love to do.