Sequim Farmers Market

July 23, July 30

Open Saturdays 9 a.m.-3 p.m. through October

Downtown Sequim at Sequim Avenue, Washington Street

Contacts: www.sequimmarket.com;  manager@sequimmarket.com; 460-2668

What’s new at the market is the abundance and variety of honey coming from the Sequim Bee Farm.

I had no idea of the scope and the fame of their product until I spent some time talking to Meg Depew and her daughter/assistant Darcy VanWinkle. The Sequim Bee Farm dreams big, works hard and succeeds!

In 1985, Meg and Buddy Depew had a swarm of bees land on their truck. They called a local beekeeper who came and took the hive. Ten years later, Meg mentioned to Buddy that ever since that moment she had a brewing interest in beekeeping — $2,000 later that very same day, they were diving in. Apparently this is a signature of Buddy’s: Start big!

They started with four or five hives in their backyard and joined the local beekeeper club. At the time the club had 20 members and now there are more than 120 members. Meg says they were part of a “rolling tide of interest.” She is now the president of the North Olympic Peninsula Beekeepers Association.

She explained to me that the rise in backyard beekeeping is in large part due to the issue of colony collapse disorder. Sadly, she adds that the USDA just released information stating that at the current rate of loss, honeybees will come to extinction in our lifetime. There are now drones being created by the government that can do pollination.

Colony collapse disorder is thought to be a combination of pesticide use, viruses and mites. We all have a lot to learn about this topic which is killing over 40 percent of our bee population each year.

As Meg says, the backyard beekeepers are very important in sustaining the species and more and more people are becoming aware of that reality. The Depews are certainly doing their part as they now have more than 45 hives. She explains that early on they would give their honey as gifts, then more people wanted to buy it and the demand created a bit of a tidal wave taking them with it.

In 2014, Meg decided to put their honey in the Clallam County Fair and she won first place. The following year she won a blue ribbon at the Clallam County Fair and at the Washington State fair as well.

From there, she entered her honey into the Good Food competition in San Francisco, Calif. Well, it won there, too … a great excuse for her and Buddy to get out of town and receive their honors.

She has entered her honey into a worldwide honey show in London, England, taking place this October.

She remarks, “It has just been fun!”

We will keep you posted on the results.

Meg also wears another hat as a nurse practitioner at Peninsula Behavioral Health, while Buddy dons a badge as a deputy sheriff for Clallam County.

They are busy bees, working full time while also caring for bees. When extracting starts Aug. 1, they will be making candles, lip balm, fire starters and jar upon jar of honey.

Do not miss a visit with Sequim Bee Farm when you come to the market. Like fine wine, you can enjoy a tasting. They have up to six different types of honey that they colorfully explain and allow you to sample while visiting their booth. You will enjoy the exploration of flavors and information they impart.

“We are first and foremost for the bees,” Meg says. She explains she has never been an activist but the issue of the bees’ devastation has moved her to take action.

Later this month Sequim Bee Farm will be featured in the Williams and Sonoma Artisan Spotlight. What a lot of fame they are garnering and we are fortunate to have them as members of our humble Sequim Farmers Market.

Come taste the honey!