Steve has been beekeeping since 2000 and has been vending with the Santa Fe Farmers’ Market since 2001. Steve’s honey is produced right in Santa Fe, and all of his hives are in or around Santa Fe.
A chat with Steve in 2018
What is a signature item that you sell? Honey! Anything I can squeeze out of a bee.
What’s the best way to store it? Honey never goes bad. So storing at room temp is just fine.
How long have you been beekeeping? 22 years
How long have you been a member of the Market? Holy smokes, since 2001 give or take.
Share a favorite memory of the Market: The move into the permanent Railyard Market Pavilion. It’s great to have A/C, bathrooms, heating and year round sales!
How did you get into beekeeping? I was a landscaping contractor in Dallas. A customer offered me a beehive. It wasn’t even his, it was somewhat abandoned, taking up space in his yard unmanaged. I took it. Then someone else gave me a hive. I was able to split the hives into new hives over time and kept expanding.
Do you own or rent the land you grow on? I trade honey for permission to keep bees on other people’s properties. There are a total of 15 properties where I manage the hives.
Are you certified organic? No pesticides? Free-range? There’s no such thing as organic honey by the USDA. But the bees are free range, cage free, and gluten free! I do not treat any of the bees with antibiotics or commercial miticides.
How was your season last year? Last year’s harvests were a little scant due to late freezes and not much spring rain. This year is actually better, no late freezes so the bee forage is in bloom.
What crops are coming up next, seasonally? The next major flower bloom will be clover and alfalfa for the bees, which will produce a light and mild tasting honey.
Besides farming, what takes up your time? Ha! Ha! Ha! I’m fixing up my house. To my wife’s chagrin, it’s taken 18 years!
Do you speak any other languages? A little Spanish
How would you describe yourself in one word? Gregarious. It drives my wife and daughter crazy.
What is your favorite dish to make? Pumpkin Pie
Red or Green? Oh, red definitely.
If you were a super hero what would your powers be and why? I’d like to fly like a bee (and sting people, hahaha!)
What is the strangest thing you’ve eaten? Escargot
What have you done that you are most proud of? Managed to make a business out of a hobby.