Beekeeping and loving it…
We are a small family business located in Clifton, Virginia. It is now our fourth year of beekeeping and we are excited to be selling both bees and honey as of 2024.
Our Honey
Raw
We don’t add anything to our honey. We simply extract it and bottle it bypassing commercial processing methods. It is not heated, thus preserving all of the enzymes and antioxidants that are naturally occurring in honey.
Unfiltered
Our honey contains naturally occurring pollen and propolis unlike some commercial honeys which are processed by undergoing ultrafiltration which may remove these beneficial aspects of honey.
Local
The honey we sell is from the hives on our property – which means it is from nectar sources within a three-mile radius of Clifton, Va.
Now available on shelves…
We are so pleased to be working with Clifton Café and Ruppert’s Roughage to offer Goldberry Hill Honey for sale.
We are thrilled to see Clifton Café featuring our honey in seasonal specials and hand-crafted drinks. Located in downtown Clifton, (7144 Main Street, Clifton, VA 20124), with easy off-street parking. Grab some honey with your latté!
We are pleased to share that 3/4 lb honey is available at Ruppert’s Roughage (13101 Springdale Estates Rd, Clifton, VA 20124), just 1 mile up the road from our apiary! They accept cash or Venmo – and we’re keeping their farmstand stocked!
Resources We have found helpful
Advice to the new beekeeper….
POETRY
The Peace of the Wild Things (by Wendell Berry)
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of the wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief.
I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Wendell Berry
For Sale
as of October 2024
While Supplies Last
Honey
raw unfiltered
$15
3/4 lb
2024 Harvests – pick-up at Ruppert’s Roughage, Clifton Café or if interested in larger quantities contact us via the contact form
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2024 Harvests – varietal honey
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100% raw, local, unfiltered honey
Honey Spoons
hand crafted wooden honey spoons
$12
each
Made from various wood, these hand-made spoons won’t harm the beneficial enzymes in honey the way metal spoons might – and the notch allows excess to drip back in your jar.
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hand crafted in-house
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wood spoons ideal for honey, rests easily on edge of jar
Nuc
Planning ahead? We sell Bees – This will be a 5 frame (deeps) bee hive starter, with a fully mated and marked queen. Please contact us if interested
Estimated May 2025 Delivery – deposit required to hold
5 Left
contact us for details
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Local pick-up Only
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5 drawn deep frames w/ bees
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Mated & marked queen
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State Inspected
Origin of “Goldberry Hill”
We moved to Clifton, VA in 2021 and within a month of arriving installed our first nuc of bees in our front field. We had no idea what we were getting into, but have absolutely loved learning how to keep bees, now eat lots of honey, and love sharing our passion for bees with others we encounter.
The name, Goldberry Hill, is derived in part from the fact that our home is located on a small hill on our property and Goldberry is a character that we love and enjoy in Tolkien’s, Lord of the Rings. She only appears in the book, so movie goers may need to dust of the larger paper tome to encounter her. Goldberry is very connected to nature. She radiates light, goodness, beauty, and hospitality…a very aspirational figure.
A part of what we appreciate about keeping bees and producing honey is participating in the wonder and beauty of the created world which continues to evoke joy and awe in the midst of our engagement with it. And of course…things always taste that much sweeter when you are involved in their journey to the table.
What’s the story with the paint jobs on our hive boxes….
The bees really don’t care about the paint jobs on our hives but we think they are super fun and have a lot of fun designing and painting them. We have become really good at working with artist tape and have a fondness for geometric patterns. We hope to do a tutorial at some point our website showing a little bit more about how we design and paint our hive bodies for those who may be interested. Stay tuned.
