I first met Elizabeth through our mutual friend, Zoe Wilder, a few years ago. Elizabeth’s article in High Times Magazine piqued my interest in these marvelous and essential creatures pertaining to the correlation that they hold with cannabis. It’s not just for pollination, but cannabis, in the decarbed form, works very well with honey — and in honey. I discovered this through writing my book, which utilizes infused raw honey in craft cocktails infused with THC, Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails, and Tonics.
Rather than try to explain who she is, I’ve offered Elizabeth a place to share her knowledge surrounding her love of bees and the universe at large.
Elizabeth Vernon:
It’s hard to summarize who I am. I have many interests and developed a wide set of skills and talents. I am a beekeeper, educator, fire performer, dancer, musician, entrepreneur, freedom advocate, primitive skills student, farmer, thought leader, natural healer, herbalist, content creator, digital marketing consultant, mother, wife, and all-around renaissance woman managing an online apothecary focused on natural products with real ingredients and as little processing as possible. We offer lots of apiary products as well as products that offer health benefits, but our big focus currently is educating the public on what greenwashing is and why all products, including honey, are not equal. Teaching consumers to learn to discern so that they know what to ask to get what they want from their shopping experiences.
I was originally born and raised in NYC but spent time growing up in London and eventually doing a beekeeping internship in Jamaica, spending five years living on the island as much as my visa permitted. I have traded in the city life these days, and I am currently living in the Poconos; however, to ensure people in the city have access to clean food, I often set up vending events to bring farm shares into NYC, Long Island, and surrounding areas.
In 2009, I wanted to learn how to grow my own food. By the end of 2009, I had joined a farming cooperative and wanted to learn it all. A beekeeper came to teach the group, and I was hooked. The power of the bees was evident the minute I saw them up close. Feeling their vibration, it felt like home. They provide food, their role as pollinators is critical to the world’s survival, and how they work has inspired me to keep going and put more and more energy into my work, both in business and personal growth. Continuing my education in bees, I sought out the top mentors I could find. I worked alongside some of the great beekeepers on the East Coast, Roman Oscada, Jim Kile, and Thomas Webb, all of whom have since passed on. My beekeeping experience in Jamaica made me realize that this is what I would do in life.
The Honeybees have always shown up in a way that left not only me breathless but also people who witnessed it. The first time I went to Jamaica, honeybees covered the door of my hotel room. The housekeepers and I went to every room to check if anyone else had honeybees on their doors; there were none. Queen Bee is the name the Jamaicans gave me when I was living there because honeybees would land on me even in the middle of the ocean.
I think one of the really cool things about beekeeping is that I am always learning. I am adapting to what they need and what is best for them. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for me, but the bees are the real heroes. There is always new power and new medicine to work within the hive, and I think that is the coolest thing about an apiary. We utilize pollen, propolis, royal jelly, honey, and wax. Everything they do creates a beneficial relationship with us, and that is an amazing superpower they have. The hives are always evolving, and so am I right alongside it. I am always met with challenges that help me grow. This past summer, we had a robbery; another bee colony came and stole hundreds of pounds of honey. That decimated one of our strongest hives; moments like that rock me. It took a lot to rebound and overcome that mentally and fiscally, but we did, and we and the other hives are now stronger and better prepared for it. These setbacks help us adapt to the ever-changing industry and what we need as a society.
Right now, I am seeking beautiful land to expand my apiary. The goal of this location would be to bring about an educational resource suited to meet ALL people and an alternative health care center where people can explore their relationship with the honeybees and apitherapy. We will have about 28 colonies by the end of the 2024 season and will be looking to increase that as we go. On the right property, we can better safeguard against predators, we can utilize more efficient practices to give wild bees a safe place to settle, but also create a space for education and growth at a societal level of building more harmonious relationships with the hardest working friend we humans have in the animal kingdom. This location would become the main vessel for our amazing Bee School program for kids and adults.
Bee School™️ beckons young adventurers aged 4 to 12 to don bee suits and embark on a captivating exploration of the intricate world of honeybees. Guided by expert beekeepers, children delve into the fascinating realm of pollination while engaging in hands-on hive-inspired crafts that ignite their creativity. Bee School™️ is not just an educational journey; it’s a shared odyssey that bridges generations, all set against the backdrop of nature’s blossoming wonders.
We are looking for the right investors who see the importance of the work I have been doing not only from an educational perspective but also as laying a foundation to be built on in the future of sustainability and even apiary-based tourism programs. We want people who understand the gentle relationship we have with nature and get a full-on experience in appreciating and immersing in that relationship, bringing awareness and seeking to build community. Our long-term goals would be to expand this concept into several locations, including Mexico, Jamaica, and Canada, which are the countries in which we have established business partnerships.
In 2017, I was featured in High Times magazine for my cannabis honey, which is a combination I still use to this day and one of our best pain remedies. When we first launched, there was a lot to be said about combining the forces of cannabis and honey. Cannabis Honey is one of my favorite pain relief and sleep aid remedies. Cannabis, for us, has always been a vehicle to help drive medicines into the cells both topically and internally. We’ve had customers successfully manage many painful afflictions while consulting on ways to modify their diets to eliminate the underlying causes.
It may seem like I have a lot of different passions, but I think there is an underlying motivation for service. I love to serve my community. I have a strong relationship with God, and he has always benefitted me with a great vision for my path. Whether it’s seeing the look in kids’ eyes as they experience learning or helping someone guide their business to a new level of productivity, uniting the community around farms, or just performing to share my energy with the audience, I find giving myself to service of others is what triggers my flow state and helps strengthen that relationship to God who keeps that path extremely clear before me.
Thank you.
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All photos courtesy of Elizabeth Vernon