Beekeeping gives me time for me to clear my mind of the day-to-day mental checklists and thoughts about projects to be completed. It is a time to commune with the bees. Yes, I speak to the bees; “How are you doing ladies?”, and “What can I help you with my dears?”. Over the past 15 years beekeeping I have had a lot of time speak with the ladies and observe their behavior. They have helped me make the connections between honey, Mushrooms, and the many plants and herbs we grow here on the farm. Through my connection to bees, I feel a stronger connection to the environment than I have before. As the Bee Shepherd at Frangiosa Farms, I look to nature for creative inspiration to help me create the next line of unique infusions of honey. Our Bee Shepherd honeys showcase the creative parings of adaptogenic mushrooms and herbal extracts that create strong synergistic powers that only raw honey and organic extractions can.
Bee Shepherd brand honeys offer adaptogen and herbal products are an expertly crafted combination of the best Rocky Mountain honeys and organic mushroom and herbal extracts. Raw, unfiltered honey blended from hive located along the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains is the base for all of our Bee Shepherd honeys. Wildflower honey is our staple and has been sold under the Frangiosa Farms name for over 15 years. Our mushroom infused honeys are a sweet balance of sweet honey and slightly bitter USDA organic mushroom extracts from Lion’s Mane and Reishi. Both mushroom extracts come from an organic extract of the fruiting bodies of Lion’s Mane (Hericium erinaceus) and Reishi (Genoderma Lucidum). Fruiting bodies means that the extract is coming from the above-ground part of the mushroom and not the mycelium and rice medium. We feel this makes a higher quality extract.
Improving mental clarity, supporting, and restoring neurological health and addressing age-related environmental stressors are all areas of clinical study happening today around Lion’s Mane Mushrooms. Reishi Mushrooms are one of the most studied mushrooms, with concentrations in the areas of immunity, stress & fatigue and inflammatory response showing the most promise. Traditional Chinese Medicine has been using mushrooms safely for over 2,000 years and Honey has been used world-wide as a universal healer and food for humans for at least that long, if not longer! In fact, early records show that our ancestors have used honey to at least the Upper Paleolithic times, some 25,000 years ago!
Accessing the knowledge of our ancestors and thousands of years of use in maintaining health bodies has never been easier. By using the Bee Shepherd brand honeys, you have an easy-to-use combination of raw honey with organic extracts of medical mushrooms; Lion’s Mane and Reishi. The infusion of raw honey and mushroom helps to balance the bitterness from mushrooms with the naturally sweet honey with a hint of lemon in the Lion’s Mane and a splash of orange with the Reishi. You can use the Bee Shepherd honeys on your morning toast, tea or coffee, drizzled on oats or in your smoothie or shake - or in any way you would normally use honey.
Nick French – Bee Shepherd and owner of Frangiosa Farms