Marshall's Farm Natural Honey

HIVE LOCATIONS: The hives are placed in 70 locations throughout the greater Bay Area. Additional migratory bee hives are taken to orange, alfalfa, and other fields on a seasonal basis. It's approximately 41 miles from the Marshall's honey house in American Canyon to the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market.

FARM HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY: Spencer was born into a farming family. At one point, his family needed him to run the harvesting operations at the Acampo ranch and care for his seriously injured father. While doing so, Spencer started a few beehives. Through trial and error, Spencer learned about the fine art of beekeeping. Eventually the bees became an obsession for him. Although he had bees in the Central Valley, he started hives in Marin County. This was the genesis of the Marshall Farm honey business. In addition to producing honey, the Marshalls offer honey tastings and tours of their facility.

HONEY PROCESSING: All honey is bottled at Marshall's Honey House in American Canyon. Marshall Farm honey is raw, unheated, and unfiltered. No heat whatsoever is used in the extraction of the honey, and the honey never rises above the temperature of the hive.

PEST MANAGEMENT: The primary pest in the production of honey is the Varroa mite. In non-organic hives, Marshall uses a plastic strip of fluvalinate in the bottom of the hive after the honey has been extracted. It remains in place for several weeks to kill the mites. Spencer is currently breeding bees that are more resistant to the mite in order to create a more miteresistant hive. Other hive pests include bears, teenage boys, and other beekeepers! Marshall is careful about where he puts his hives to reduce the risks from these pesky critters.

WORKERS: Spencer and Helene plus part-time help as needed.

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: None. Some hives are not treated for varroa mite and are registered organic with the state of California. As of this writing, no national standards for honey have been established.

(800) 624-4637 honey@MarshallsHoney.com www.MarshallsfarmHoney.com

See a slideshow of a CUESA-led farm tour to Marshall's Farm >