Preserving Herbal Traditions: A Visit With a Greek Beekeeper
This visit was part of a project that was made possible by a grant from the Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities initiative of the Society for Classical Studies, New York University.
On a warm afternoon in late May, I visited From A to Bee, an urban apiary located in the suburbs of Athens at the foot of Mount Penteli. All across Greece, organic farms and agritourism sites were open to the public for a day of hands-on activities and interaction with farmers and their land. These activities were part of Open Farm Days, a twice-per-year event that aims to build strong relationships between farmers and the general public.
From A to Bee is run by Ellie Apergi, a bee keeper and farm owner who has a special relationship with her bees that is both heartwarming and inspirational. She began her beekeeping journey in 2014 after taking several courses at the Institute of Agricultural Science in Athens. Although it started out as a hobby, Ellie soon fell in love with the work and it became her full-time job. Ellie also took courses on medicinal plants, natural organic cosmetics, phytotherapy, and essential oils. Her expansive knowledge has helped her develop and teach hands-on activities for adults and children who visit her apiary.
“It has changed my life completely.”
As a small business owner, Ellie has the opportunity to directly communicate with people who are interested in learning about beekeeping and the varieties of honey that bees can produce.
Ellie Apergi, bee keeper at From A to Bee
“Bees,” she says, “can teach things to everyone who develops a connection with them. They teach us how to be social, how to be part of a community, and what it really means to be one-for-all and all-for-one.” Among the many interesting insights she shared about the art of beekeeping, one fun fact was that each worker bee only produces 1/12 of a teaspoonful of honey in its lifetime! A good reminder, she says, that it is not important how much work you can produce in this life; however small it is, it is still an important contribution.
How do bees produce so much honey? Each hive is home to approximately 5,000 - 60,000 bees. In the winter, the population is low, with peak numbers in the summer. Ellie manages a total of 60 beehives, of which 10 are on her property for educational activities and as a nursery for new hives. The productive hives are separated and placed in different areas of Greece to make the varieties of honey we tasted. In the summer, some of the hives live in Sounion, about a 1 hour drive south of Athens. There, the bees feast on wild thyme to produce the most popular flavor of thyme honey. Other hives are placed in pine groves in Evia or in citrus groves in Argos for the delightful orange blossom honey. Wooden boxes of beehives, owned by many beekeepers, can be spotted on mountainsides all across the country at certain times of the year depending on the blossom times of the plant.
The highlight of the afternoon was indulging in these varieties of honey made by her bees in different areas of Greece. Every honey has a distinct color variation and flavor based on the flower or tree that the bee had collected nectar or sap (honeydew) from. The lighter colored honey typically has sweeter notes from the flower nectar, while the darker honey has more bitter tones. The honey we tasted included flavors of orange blossom, anise, heather, fir, oak, chestnut, and thyme, the most popular and commonly exported honey of Greece.
I asked Ellie what her favorite honey was and as a true naturalist, she smiled and said all of them. Ellie incorporates all her honey flavors in her culinary recipes. Thyme honey blends well with yogurt or can be used to make ice cream. Orange blossom honey is delicious as a topping on panacotta, while chestnut or oak honey, which are heavier, pair well with smoked cheeses. The most versatile honey are pine tree or cotton blossom, which can be mixed into salad dressing, topped on pastries, drizzled over cheese, or simply taken by the spoonful.
The different variations of honey and their flavor tones.
After the sweet indulgence of these honey varieties, we dressed in protective outerwear and visited the beehives themselves. Ellie smoked out the hives to relax the bees so they did not feel agitated when she opened the lid for us to safely peek inside. Both children and adults participated in the activity and in response to our excitement, there was definitely a friendly buzz from the bees (or at least, I would like to think so!).
Visiting a beekeeper and an active apiary is a delightful and educational way to learn about the importance of bees in the Greek landscape and the many varieties of honey that bees can produce. Honey has been a staple of Greek cuisine since antiquity when the ancient Greeks told fantastical stories about them and sweetened their drink and food with what they considered a divine treat. Honey was also commonly used in ancient medicines and it continues to provide a multitude of medicinal benefits today - from wound healing to nutrition - all from the power of community and plants.
There was something very special about visiting From A to Bee and tasting the sweetness of honey made from the bees we could hear buzzing nearby. These interactive activities are offered throughout the year at Ellie’s apiary. To learn more, visit https://fromatobee.gr/ and be sure to bee excited.
And don’t miss the next Open Farm Days on 24-25 September when farms throughout Greece will offer more memorable experiences with the land.
