Honey-Vanilla Granola is a healthy and delicious snack that highlights the beautiful flavor of honey. (And bee-robbing photos to boot!)

Woot, woot! We completed our first bee robbing of the season this past weekend! And I immediately came home and whipped up a big ol' batch of this Honey-Vanilla Granola. It's such a wonderful way to enjoy the beautiful flavor of honey.
I always enjoy taking pictures during our bee robbing. This time around, I took over 300 photos! I enjoy sharing them with you, too ... but don't worry, I won't share all 300. I've picked out just a few of my favorites. If you'd like to see more photos and process information from previous robbings, click one of these links:
Who Stole the Honey?
2nd Bee Robbing of the Season!
Mark loves it when I share bee robbing photos, too, 'cause it makes him feel like a bee stud. So without further ado, here is the bee stud and his bees!
(Notice that he's being all super-studly and not wearing his beekeeper suit. Our bees are sooooo gentle, that one can get away with this. Seriously though, people - I DO NOT recommend this. If you work with bees, wear a beekeeper suit!)
First up is Mark getting the smoker ready. Our smoker is so super old, and I love it. I've taken about a million photos of this old smoker. I just think it has so much character. (I'm exaggerating, of course, on the million photos ... but I do find myself taking the smoker's picture a lot.)
The smoker |
Mark loves this photo of sending smoke into the hive. It is pretty cool.
Smoke in action! |
After he smokes the hive, he takes the top off the hive and takes out a frame or two to see if the honey is ready to be robbed.
Frames in the box |
The cows were quite interested in what we were doing ...
Out come the frames, and they're ready for robbing! We can tell because they're full, and they have that white stuff (wax) sealing up all the cells.
The honey cells are all capped, so this hive is ready for robbing. |
After Mark removes all the frames from the box, we take them inside. The first step once we're inside is to cut off the wax caps. Usually, the wax doesn't come off in nice big sheets like Mark got it to in the photo below. He got lucky with that cut!
Look on the left side of the photo --- See the very pale, almost clear-colored honey? Now look to the right, even with the right-side board of the frame --- See the darker, amber-colored honey drippings? Pretty big difference. To me, all honey is delicious, but I do prefer the darker stuff if I have a choice.
Different colors of honey, as seen in the wax cuttings & drippings |
Extractor |
Pouring off |
Bits of wax & other impurities float to the top |
Look at the bee at the bottom right ... can you see it's tongue??
Bees are cleaning up! |
Hopefully we'll be robbing again in a few weeks. Get busy, little bees so we can come play with you again!
So, have I got your mouth watering for a honey treat? Well, go on and whip up some Honey-Vanilla Granola. You know you want to!
(Oh, and please leave a comment for my bee-stud hubby ... he would love it.)
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground. We'd love to have you back soon!
Yield: about 11 cups
Honey-Vanilla Granola
Honey-Vanilla Granola is a healthy and delicious snack that highlights the beautiful flavor of honey. This recipe can easily be halved to make a smaller batch.
Prep time: 15 MCook time: 35 MTotal time: 50 M
Ingredients:
- 7 c. old-fashioned oats
- 1 c. wheat germ
- 1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1 c. unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 c. honey
- 3/4 c. canola oil
- 1 T. vanilla extract
- 1 c. golden raisins
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, stir together oats, wheat germ, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and salt.
- Place honey, oil, and vanilla in a small bowl; stir to combine.
- Pour honey mixture over oat mixture; mix together until oats are evenly coated with the honey mixture.
- Spread granola mixture onto a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring about every 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and stir in golden raisins.
- Let cool completely. Store tightly covered.
Wow - that process is so interesting. I have only ever seen this on TV where people have full body - head to toe white suits on. Ha Ha. Mark looks like he was just in his normal clothes. I would love to be able to taste real honey and the different flavors each batch has. I have been eating store-bought honey on everything lately. This granola sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteMark was indeed in just some regular clothes ... he has and should have worn his white head-to-toe suit, but he likes to brave it without the suit. You certainly can't do that with all bees! ... ours are just super gentle.
DeleteWhat a cool post! Your husband definitely is a bee stud. You're both pretty cool in my eyes for having bees in the first place. Thanks for sharing all the pictures. I can see why you'd take so many because the whole process is fascinating. Hope you get another good robbing in a few weeks!
ReplyDeleteI just read your comment to Mark. He's all smiley now!
DeleteI love honey; it is so neat that you guys can make your own! I bet it tastes just that much better. Also, I'm looking forward to trying this recipe. I'm always putting granola into my yogurt!
ReplyDeleteI love your bee pictures. We just started keeping bees last year. I'm not sure if I gave you the link but we have a different type of box you might find interesting, (no smoking required)
ReplyDeletehttp://simplelivingdianebalch.blogspot.com/2012/04/be-bee-backyard-beekeeping-basics.html
That is amazing! Newest follower. Hope you stop by and follow my blog.
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The Girl in the Wild West
I'm so jealous you have bees! There is nothing better then honey fresh from the bees! Your granola looks delicious as well :-)
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Wow, this is definitely an impressive post. I would love to collect honey (and hopefully not get stung). Your recipe looks delicious as well! I am a big granola fan. :)
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Looks yummy! Going to the store tomorrow to get everything to make this. You have one brave hubby, but I bet the reward is worth being stung :-) Thanks for sharing your recipe!
ReplyDelete