Questions?
Country Parson Honey
You are an artisanal beekeeper? What is that?
Artisanal [ahr-tiz-uh-nl]: adjective pertaining to or noting a high quality or distinctive product made in small quantities, usually by hand or by using traditional methods.
As an artisanal producer, we harvest honey in small quantities taking care to ensure the bees have sufficient stores for winter. Because we harvest in small quantities – when we’re out, we’re out, until next season.
Do you have any specialized training as a beekeeper?
Chip holds a certification as a Master Beekeeper from the University of Montana. This certification is awarded following an intensive three year program covering honeybee anatomy, physiology, health management, husbandry, apiary management, and best practices, among others.
What is your philosophy of beekeeping?
We maintain a covenantal relationship with our bee colonies – an unspoken agreement between them and us – the bees assure the continuance of a productive local environment and provide a supply of honey. We provide a secure place to live, protection and care, supplemental feeding in times of dearth, and relief from pests and disease. Unlike the commercial beekeepers in the region with hundreds of hives, The Country Parson Honey Company maintains only 8 bee yards in southern Garrett County and parts of West Virginia with a total of 25 hives.
How long have you been a beekeeper?
We bring nearly 15 years of experience and traditional practices into every aspect of our beekeeping, paying close attention to each individual hive’s progress and state of health, keeping this covenant more closely to heart.
How do you process the honey you sell?
Our bees make honey from the nectar of flowering trees, plants, and herbs that grow on or near our apiaries. We harvest raw honey from the comb replete with all the nutrients and flavor you will find only in local, hive to bottle wildflower honey. Our product is never pasteurized or filtered; you get the full benefit of what the bees have produced naturally in the hive.
Do you have any specialized training as a beekeeper?
Chip holds a certification as a Master Beekeeper from the University of Montana. This certification is awarded following an intensive three year program covering honeybee anatomy, physiology, health management, husbandry, apiary management, and best practices, among others.
Parson’s Craftwerks & Medicinals
How did you start making candles and medicinals?
Making candles seemed a natural outgrowth of keeping bees. In the beginning, we made only “natural” (unscented) candles in many different sizes and shapes. Over time, we had so many requests for scented candles that we found a source for phthalate-free scents and have now developed a line of scented container candles, holiday molds, and tapers that has a devoted following!
Our newest endeavor, Mountain Lake Medicinals, opened after several years of research into home-made elixirs, salves, and cosmetics and was an outgrowth of the natural and organic cosmeceuticals movement. We opened in late 2023 with a beeswax hand cream and plan to expand throughout 2024.
Are all your candles made of beeswax?
Yes, they are! Years ago, we began by cutting our candles with a bit of paraffin wax to make them harder, but we soon learned about the unfortunate side-effects of burning petroleum products like paraffin. Our candles are now made from 100% beeswax sourced from beeswax aggregators.
Why don’t you use your own beeswax?
If you have ever lifted beeswax out of a hive, you will know that it is “almost” lighter than air! Even with running 25+ hives each year, it’s impossible to harvest enough beeswax to make even a small candle. Nor do we have the facilities to filter beeswax appropriately. We therefore purchase raw, filtered, beeswax for use in our candles and medicinals.
What is “cosmetic grade” beeswax?
Cosmetic grade beeswax is a highly filtered beeswax typically used in cosmetics. It produces a finer, more consistent, products than minimally processed beeswax and can enhance a products durability and shelf-life. We source this high-grade beeswax from reputable dealers across the US.
What other ingredients are in your MLM products?
We use a variety of naturally occurring oils and other ingredients to enhance the efficacy of our MLM products. Both coconut and jojoba oils bind well with beeswax and help prevent it from hardening too much while at the same time adding increased emollient, antioxidant and unit-aging properties. Borax, found in our hand cream, has anti-inflammatory properties and is used to sooth the skin and other organs in Ayurvedic medicine. Olive oil has been used since Roman times as a skin softener and purifier.