Russia
A Sweet Gift
 Video Download

                       06 Dec 2007

  Mmm … mmm … sweet Lipa Honey  … found nowhere else in the world.  The flavor of this delicious honey is so distinctive that the Bashkortostan honeybee has been awarded gold and silver medals in Russia.  The honey produced has received international gold medals.

 Beehives are everywhere from the large business to the small backyard family enterprise.  In Bashkortostan, it is the honey, beebread and beeswax that provide the economic venue, whereas in the United States the pollinating of fruit and vegetables is the primary purpose of commercial bee operations.

 The flavor of Bashkirian Honey owes its unique character to a large tree known as the Lipa or Linden Tree.  This tree blooms during June and July with small white flowers.  It is during this time that production is at its peak with often as much as 100 pounds of honey produced per hive.

 The Lipa Tree is similar to the Lime Tree in England and to the Basswood Tree in North America.  However, none of the related trees provide the profusion of flowers, as does their cousin in Bashkortostan.

 After the blooms fade, small green fruit is produced by the tree.  It is then that the bees forage on alternative plants to obtain nectar for honey and pollen for beebread.  These options include buckwheat, clover, flowers and weeds growing around homes, in the fields and even in cemeteries.

 The honey is extricated from the hives by first cutting off the caps of the cones with a knife.  The cones are then placed in a hand-cranked centrifuge to extract the honey.  The honey is then filtered and stored in large 5 to 20 liter containers for subsequent distribution.

 After extracting the honey, the beeswax is removed from the frames, then the empty frames are set outside for bees to do the final cleaning.  The frames are then stacked  -- ready for the next year’s season. 

 Commercial operations store their honey in underground bunkers to protect from freezing and from predators.  The long, cold winters of Bashkortostan require that the beehives be stored in a large building in order to improve the survival rate and have a stronger hive for the next spring.

 Honey, beebread and beeswax are sold to retail outlets in Bashkortostan as well as in the United States and Canada (www.bashkirianhoney.com ).  However, most small family producers sell their product along the roadside.   It is here that one can purchase half liter and 2-liter sizes of flavorful honey.  One of the half-liter containers of honey sells for approximately $10.  Beebread is packaged in small bags and sells for about $5 per bag.

 Honey production began in Bashkortostan some 1,000 years ago and is one of the many unique characteristics of this small republic within the Russian Federation. 

 Won’t you come for a visit and enjoy the bountiful harvest of this sweet gift from the bees of Bashkortostan?

www.hope4ufa.com

Prayer     Next     Menu

PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:

Bashkirian                  Bash-KEER-ian

Bashkortostan          Bash-KOR-toh-stahn

Lipa                             LEE-pa

 

Prayer Page:

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 

… Psalm 119:103

 

PRAY that the people of Bashkortostan will hunger for the Word of God.

Statement About Video Use

The videos and other media material produced by CRF Media are to be used as a resource material for increasing the awareness of and involvement with the specific people groups featured in the material.  The information is made available to evangelical Christian organizations and individuals who commit to sharing the information with others.

The videos produced by CRF Media are not for sale.  They are free to qualified organizations and individuals with no postage or handling charges. We mail the material only to churches or other qualified organizations.  We do not mail to individuals without independent qualifying verification.

U.S. copyright laws protect all media material produced by CRF Media. The material is not to be copied for distribution without the written consent of CRF Media.

Contact us for more information.