Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #148342 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Synopsis
"In that glistening dollop, I could taste the sun and the water, the metallic minerals of the soil, the tang of the goldenrod and the wildflowers blooming around the meadow" Essential to the food, drink, religion, economics , medicine and arts of every civilisation since the Egyptians, honey - and the bees that make it - have been a vital part of the human record for millennia, appearing on cave paintings, wax tablets and papyrus scrolls. From the temples of the Nile to the hives behind the author's house, men and women have had a long, rapturous love affair with the beehive. ROBBING THE BEES is a biography, history, celebration and love letter to bees and their magical produce. Holley Bishop follows beekeeper Donald Smiley on his daily tasks then explores the lively science, culture and lore that surround each step of the process and each stage of lives of the bees and their honey. Throughout are the author's lyrical reflections on her own beekeeping experiences, the business and gastronomical world of honey, the myriad varieties of honey (as distinct as the provenance of wine), as well as recipes, illustrations and historical quotes.Combining passionate research, rich detail, and fascinating anecdote, ROBBING THE BEES is a sumptuous look at the oldest, most delectable food in the world.

Customer Reviews

Good enough to eat
A gorgeous book written by a woman under the spell of her bees. In order to show all sides of beekeeping Bishop writes partially from her own experience as a domestic keeper, but predominantly through a fascinating two years shadowing Donald Smiley, a commercial beekeeper in Florida.

The book is split into sections to cover every aspect of the history of honey and beekeeping, from the design of domestic hives and the mechanics of a bee's stinger, to the uses of honey in cosmetics and medicine and the importance of other bee products such as wax and royal jelly. Through each of these chapters weaves the year in the life of Donald Smiley, as he moves his bees from place to place, harvesting and marketing each type of pure honey in a neverending cycle of physical labour and sweet reward. At the end of the book Bishop also includes several honey-rich recipes, from ancient (probably unpalatable) meals to modern marinades.

Scrumptious, lyrical, and well worth a read.

Sweet Liquid Gold That Seduced The World
Lovely golden honey dripping languidly from a spoon by the hive of a friend, Holley Bishop was stung by the taste of pure sweetness and fell in love with the whole process of bringing honey from the comb. After finding her own hives she becomes even more fascinated and decided to investigate further by meeting people who had devoted their life to apery.
She goes to Wewahitcha Florida and meets "Smiley" who expended his eight bee hives to forty. When his marriage floundered and was on the rocks, divorced he found himself living alone with about two million bees for company. From now on bees become his main drive and passion as he moves towards a second marriage and now is a respected member of the local community with a expanding business on his hands as he provides pure goodness for the community to eat.
Living the pure life of goodness floats from Holley's pages as her love of her subject reflects from the pages. "Robbing the Bees" is full of funky down home country wisdom mixed with history the of beekeeping; there are even recipes from such noted historic personages as Cato and Pliny the Elder included.
"If you want to harvest honey, don't kick over the hive" Abraham Lincoln.

A History of Honey
A very well researched, quirky book dealing with the history of honey and a personal account of present day commercial beekeeping in Florida. It starts out quite chatty and I almost put it down. However the book moved into some excellent historical fact and I was hooked. This is not far off being a masterpiece on the humans relationship with honey, and as it really gets to grips with so many incredible facts. There are recipes from the Pharos to bees used in warfare, medicine and love! This book reaches deep into mankind's evolution with the insect and transcends what may have been a factual account of beekeeping practices and gives the reader so much more. I could see this as a book that could be used for education in schools as it really ties up a great deal of information in sweet little pockets! Thoroughly recommended reading for all, not just those interested in honey!