July 15, 2022
Don’t step on a Bee! Sounds like sane advice, but did you know it’s also a day of recognizing the incredible impact that bees play on our ecosystem? There are roughly 4,000 bee species in North America and about 20,000 around the globe that pollinate everything from flowers to vegetables. In fact, bees pollinate approximately one in every three bites of food you eat, which makes them essential to the health and prosperity of countless ecosystems worldwide. Crops such as apples, cranberries, and broccoli all rely on bees. Fruits like blueberries and cherries are 90% dependent on honeybee pollination, as are almonds. To pollinate the roughly 1.2 million acres of almond trees, the California almond industry needs about 1.8 million bees.
However, one in four species of bees are facing extinction. From fungus to pesticides, bees are facing rapidly declining numbers. In the US, the honeybee population has declined 60% since 1947.
This year, Hudson Grande Senior Living is celebrating “Don’t Step On A Bee Day” by utilizing locally sourced honey, mead wine, honey comb in our grilled bone-in pork chop marinated in a lavender infused honey, mead-glazed baby carrots, and honey-ricotta mashed potatoes on July 10th. The local honey was purchased from the Hudson Honey Company, the mead from Jilbert Winery, and the honeycomb from Jacobs Heritage Farm.
As a culinarian, honey is one of my favorite ingredients to use. I find myself sneaking it into dishes that you would never think to add honey to. It is an extremely versatile ingredient with a ton of health benefits. Our ecosystem very much depends on these bees to cross pollinate and we get to enjoy the sweet benefits of all their hard work!
By recognizing this holiday, we hope to bring awareness to this global issue and try to start a conversation about what we can all do to help reverse this trend and help build the bee population back to its pre-WWII levels. And while you’re at it, don’t step on a bee. We need them here.
Hudson Grande Senior Living in Hudson, OH offers independent senior apartments, assisted living, and memory care with a variety of services and a range of floor plan options. Amenities include restaurant dining, 24-hour bistro, concierge service, housekeeping, events and entertainment, personal care, transportation services, and more. Centrally located near Summa Health Systems with convenient access to major shopping centers and attractions, including Ellsworth Meadows Golf Club, Hudson First and Main, Hudson Springs Park, Hudson Historic District, Gazebo & Green, and the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.
