I love the idea of family tradition, so when I learned that Tracey of Hunter’s Honey Farm is a fourth generation beekeeper, I was excited to hear more. The Hunter family has been beekeeping in central Indiana for over 100 years and it’s obvious that it’s their passion. After spending a few afternoons with Tracey, my head was exploding with knowledge about honey and bees. Did you know that the flavor of honey varies depending on the nectar source that the bee has visited? Or that chewing propolis (the chewy, waxy part of the comb) is good for your teeth? I was especially surprised to learn that bees are not native to North America, but that now our agricultural system is quite dependent on them. Shockingly, we’re losing more than 30% of our bees each year to what’s been named Colony Collapse Disorder. While few conclusions have been made about the collapse’ source, we can do some things to help. Not only is it beautiful, but cultivating native and diverse plants in your yard or on your porch encourages the growth of honeybees. And of course, purchasing honey from your local beekeeper is another great way to support our pollinators.

Farm Stories is a project developed, photographed, and written by Kelley Jordan Heneveld of Kelley Jordan Photography. After meeting at Renegade Craft Fair in Chicago this past September, Kelley and I decided to extend her project into a series for Off Switch Blog. While Kelley hails from Indiana, she is currently traveling across Europe to document the farms that produce the food we eat. This Farm Stories series on Off Switch will share the stories of farms both in the United States as well as Europe. If you would like to get in touch with Kelley, please visit her here.