A popular, health-boosting superfood, bursting with nutrients and natural goodness, Bee pollen is a remarkable natural substance packed with nutrients that have made it the subject of increasing scientific interest. Produced by honeybees, bee pollen is not only vital for the bees themselves but also offers numerous nutritional benefits for humans.

Bee pollen is a great source of plant-based protein that is rich in nutrients including vitamins (B-complex, C, D, E), minerals (calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc), amino acids, enzymes, and antioxidants. It is exceptionally nutrient-dense, containing carbohydrates, lipids, enzymes, and various bioactive compounds.

One striking fact is that per ounce, bee pollen contains more protein than an ounce of chicken breast, making it an excellent plant-based protein source.

Pollen serves as the main protein source for the hive. Nurse bees consume pollen to produce royal jelly, which feeds the queen and developing larvae. Pollen provides essential amino acids, lipids, vitamins, and minerals that support brood growth and the overall health of the colony.

The rich nutritional profile of bee pollen supports several potential health benefits:

• Immune Support: Bee pollen contains antioxidants and antimicrobial properties that may help protect the body from oxidative stress and infections.

• Energy and Stamina: High-quality proteins, carbohydrates, and vitamins help enhance energy levels and endurance.

• Anti-inflammatory Effects: Studies indicate that bee pollen may reduce inflammation, which is linked to many chronic diseases.

• Digestive Health: The enzymes present can aid digestion and nutrient absorption.

• Skin Health: Vitamins and antioxidants in bee pollen contribute to skin repair and protection.

Bee pollen is a fascinating natural product essential to honeybee colonies and increasingly recognized for its impressive nutritional value for humans. Whether incorporated into a balanced diet or used as a natural supplement, bee pollen offers a potent source of protein, vitamins, and antioxidants that can contribute to overall health and well-being.

At Frank’s Honey, we take pride in offering 100% local, raw, and all-natural bee pollen. Our bee pollen is carefully collected, minimally processed, and packaged to preserve its nutritional integrity and freshness.

As a Certified Master Beekeeper and author passionate about sustainable beekeeping, I ensure every batch meets the highest quality standards. Our bee pollen not only supports your health but also helps sustain the vital pollinators that are essential to our ecosystem.

Discover the power of local bee pollen with Frank’s Honey — visit frankshoney.com to learn more and order today.

Think bees are boring? Think again.

If you’re looking for a honeybee talk, beekeeping seminar, or lecture on bees that’s equal parts educational, entertaining, and inspiring, then look no further. Join Frank the Beeman—beekeeper, author, educator, and all-around bee enthusiast—for a lively, laugh-filled, and eye-opening journey into the world of honeybees. Whether you’re bee-curious or full-blown api-obsessed, “The ABC’s of Honeybees” is a fun, fast-paced talk that will leave you buzzing with new knowledge—and probably a few un-BEE-lievable bee puns.

Frank Mortimer has been sharing his passion for bees and beekeeping for over 12 years, and his talks are anything but ordinary. With stories from the hive, myth-busting facts, and just the right amount of bee humor, this isn’t your average nature lecture.

Honeybees can count, dance, and are responsible for pollinating about one-third of everything we eat —and that’s just the beginning. Frank pulls back the curtain on one of the world’s most fascinating insects and explains why honeybees are essential to our food, our flowers, and our future. Spoiler alert: you’ll never look at your almond milk the same way again.

Do bees really die after they sting? Are honeybees disappearing? Are all bees the same? Frank breaks down the biggest myths and misconceptions about honeybees as he dives into the real science behind bee behavior, colony dynamics, and the ongoing challenges bees face today. You’ll walk away informed and surprised—maybe even a little inspired to plant your own pollinator garden.

Frank’s presentations are more than just talks—they’re experiences. He’s spoken at schools, libraries, garden clubs, and festivals, bringing bee knowledge and big laughs to audiences of all ages. He even motivated his hometown of Ridgewood, NJ to become the first Bee City USA in the state. Now, how BEE-utiful is that!

• Author of Bee People and the Bugs They Love
• Adjunct Instructor at Cornell University’s Master Beekeeping Program
• Certified Master Beekeeper
• Featured on MarthaStewart.com
• Bee columnist and guest on BBC Radio 2
• Founder of the “Honey Cup”—an annual honey tasting showdown
• Believer that bees make everything better

Frank has a knack for turning the science of bees into stories you’ll want to tell your friends. Whether you’re laughing at bee mating rituals (yes, it’s weird) or marveling at hive mind dynamics, you’ll leave smarter, happier, and maybe even a little stickier—especially if there’s honey tasting involved.

Because when it comes to bees, there’s a lot more to learn—and laugh about—than you think.

On BBC 2 Radio, live from the Salford Riviera it’s OJ Borg – making night times fun each and every weeknight. OJ puts himself to the test every night during his Midnight Mastermind segment, where somebody is invited on air to quiz OJ with three questions on THEIR specialist subject. OJ never knows who he’ll be speaking to, or what the subject will be. He just has the length of one song to do as much research as he can, then face the three questions.

On this episode of Midnight Mastermind, OJ meets Frank The Beeman, who will test OJ’s knowledge on everyone’s favorite honey-loving bug, the people who keep them, and the sweet honey that we all love. Tune in to hear how much knowledge OJ can obtain in one song-length of time, and what questions Frank The Beeman has chosen to test his knowledge.

As a backyard beekeeper, I have a LOT of Honey and my family eats it on everything! Because of the amount of Honey that I get every year, I am always creating new recipes and looking for new ways for my family to enjoy our Honey.

One of the most awesome foods on the planet is Honey, and if you want to take your recipes to the next level, then always look for Pure, Raw, Local Honey.

Too often what you see at the big box stores is anything but 100% genuine honey. Report after report has shown that honey is the globe’s second most counterfeited food, (olive oil is number one,) so while it may be labeled as “honey,” the truth is that it is anything but.

When you are serious about cooking, find a beekeeper in your area and Buy Local Honey from them. You will BEE able to taste the difference!

While my recipe for pizza dough doesn’t contain any honey, you have to have delicious dough to have awesome pizza. Once your pizza is done, then you can top it with some pure, raw, local honey.

The modern pizza was first invented in Naples, Italy, and so to make truly great pizza, you have to follow what Neapolitans have been doing for hundreds of years. Since ancient times many cultures may had been eating toppings on flat bread, but the modern pizza was officially “born” in 1889. As the story goes, King Umberto I and Queen Margherita were visiting Naples and during their trip, they enjoyed their first pizza. A special pizza was created for the queen topped with mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil—the colors of the Italian flag—and since that first royal first bite, this iconic combo has been called the Margherita pizza.

Neapolitan pizza dough, which is the world’s best pizza dough, contains only 4 ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. Yet, as simple as it may seem, there are a lot of other considerations for making great dough.

After a lot of trial and error, I have landed on a recipe that is relatively easy and makes an absolutely delicious pizza crust.

Flour: The best flour is Caputo “00” Pizzeria Flour from Naples Italy. Caputo has different flours, so always look for the blue bag, which is specifically labeled, “Pizzeria Flour.” The double zero refers to how finely the flour is ground, and this particular flour is so good because of its low gluten content and higher protein that provides the perfect stretch and flavor for an authentic Neapolitan dough.

Yeast: Once again, look to Naples for Caputo Lievito Active Dry Yeast. Caputo Lievito is a traditional Italian dry active yeast that has been used for 100’s of years in pizza dough. This yeast is what will give your dough that authentic pizza taste.

Water: The number one thing about water is to make sure it is room temperature before you add it into the recipe. Also, like all types of cooking, use high quality drinking water.

Salt: You need salt to help bring out the taste of the crust. You can use any type of salt, including table salt, but sea salt is what’s traditionally used in Neapolitan pizza dough.

As crazy as it sounds, making dough is actually a fermentation process. When you think about fermentation, you usually think about alcohol, but the definition of fermentation is: a process of chemical change in food or drink because of the action of yeast that produces bubbles (CO2), heat, or turn sugars in it into alcohol.

Even though many of us do enjoy a good beer with our pizza, there is obviously no alcohol produced in the dough. But, the yeast does transform the flour and produces CO2 bubbles, which are what gives pizza dough that airy, chewy texture.

When making great tasting dough, you want to give the yeast plenty of time to do its thing, adding flavor and CO2 to the crust. However, the balance is that if you use too much yeast, or if you ferment it for too long, then all the little bubbles in your dough will burst, which is called “over-proofed,” and your crust will end up being flat and hard.

The following recipe will yield 4 individual 14” pizzas

For best results, use a kitchen scale to get an accurate for all of your ingredients.

Slowly add the remaining flour, mixing as you go. I prefer to mix by hand, as it makes it easier to feel what the dough needs.

Once all the flour has been added, dump the mixture onto a table or other flat surface. All of the flour may not be mixed, so use the flat surface to keep mixing in the flour until you have one consistent mixture of flour/water/yeast/salt.

At this point your dough ball will be quite sticky/pasty.

The goal of kneading the dough is to mix the yeast into the flour/water, and to stretch its gluten, so that it contains lots of “mini walls” that will trap the CO2 the yeast gives off, resulting in a chewy, crispy pizza crust.

Kneading dough is one of the most important steps in making great pizza. If you skip it, or try to find a shortcut, then it will have a negative impact on your final product.

Once the dough is thoroughly mixed, without any dry spots, start your stopwatch, as you will knead the dough for 20 minutes.

The best way to knead the dough is to use the palm of your hand to push the dough forward then use your fingers to fold it back into the ball, and repeat. You should flip the dough over, fold in the sides, and just keep pushing it out and folding it back in for a full 20 minutes.

IMPORTANT: At no point should you ever use a rolling pin, as it will destroy your dough. A rolling pin will push out all the CO2 and you will be left with a lifeless ball of dough.

Also, as you start kneading your dough, if it feels too sticky, then lightly dust more flour into your dough. I usually dust in flour 2-3 times until it feels right. The more pizza dough you make, the better you will get at telling what the dough should feel like. This is one of the things that I love about making pizza dough, it’s both a science and an art.

After twenty minutes of kneading, you will want to “bulk ferment” your dough.

The first step is to shape your dough into a nice, smooth ball. A good tip is to pull the sides down and tuck underneath the bottom of the ball. Keep pulling it down & under until the ball is evenly smooth on its top and sides.

Next, place the ball back into your large mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap. You want to cover it so your dough does not dry out. Once it’s covered let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.

After two hours, you will see that your dough ball doubled in size.

After your dough has been bulk fermented, it’s time to divide it into individual servings, allowing each one to develop into its own dough ball.

Remember to always respect the top and bottom of your dough balls. Top should always be up, and bottom should always be down.

Next, you will need a dough cutter and 4 dough proofing bowls with lids.

First, gently let your dough plop out of your mixing bowl. You should carefully pull it away from the sides, and let it lightly fall onto the table.

Coat each proofing bowl with the olive oil, and remember to also coat the inside of the lid.

Next, use the same process of shaping the dough into a ball by pulling the sides down and tucking it underneath. As you’re creating your ball, make sure you are keeping the top of the ball up. Once you have a ball, place it in the bowl and put on the lid so it’s fully sealed.

Once all 4 balls are in their bowls, place all the covered containers into the fridge. The lower temperature will allow the yeast to do its thing, while also slowing down the amount of CO2 that gets created, which will increase the dough’s taste while ensuring it doesn’t get over-proofed.

After 24 hours, your dough is ready!

Remove your dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before you intend to make your pizzas. These two hours will give the dough time to rise to the proper size and get to room temperature.

After 2 hours, your dough is ready to be formed into pizza crust.

Shaping your dough ball into a proper pizza crust is an art onto itself.

The key things to remember are:

• NEVER use a rolling pin to flatten your dough.  It will destroy all your hard work
• Dust your working surface and your hands with some dry flour before you begin
• The top of your ball will be the top of your crust.  Once it’s out of the proofing bowl, place your dough top up
• Push straight down on the ball using your both your hands.  Start with your palms in the middle, and your fingers around the edge
• With your hands still on the dough, spread your fingers to spread the dough
• Always maintain the outer edge of your crust. Never cut or puncture the edge
• Continually turn the dough so you’re fully working it, expanding the full circle
• Your dough is very stretchy and will hold together, so pick it up with two hands and move your hands like you’re turning the wheel of your car,  it will stretch it/increase its size
• You know your dough is at the right thickness when you can see light shining through it
• Continue until you have a 12” – 14” pizza crust

And That’s It!  Now it’s time to make your pizza by adding toppings and putting it the oven.

Chao!

Meatloaf is one of the greatest comfort foods known to man, and it’s something that we’ve all enjoyed over the years. Now there’s a tastier way to prepare this traditional dish and make it even more delicious. As anyone with their own backyard smoker knows, if you smoke it, you’re going to end up with something that’s way more delicious than if it was cooked in an oven. This rule is beyond true for the traditional meatloaf.

As a backyard beekeeper, I have a LOT of Honey and my family eats it on everything! Because of the amount of Honey that I get every year, I am always creating new recipes and looking for new ways for my family to enjoy our Honey. One of the most awesome foods on the planet is Honey, and if you want to take your recipes to the next level, then always look for Pure, Raw, Local Honey.

Too often what you see at the big box stores is anything but 100% genuine honey.  Report after report has shown that honey is the globe’s second most counterfeited food, (olive oil is number one,) so while it may be labeled as “honey,” the truth is that it is anything but.

So, when you are serious about cooking, find a beekeeper in your area and buy your Honey from them. You will BEE able to taste the difference!

Ingredients:

1 pound of Ground Beef (preferably 80% lean, 20% fat)
1 pound Ground Pork
5 Eggs
2 cups of Quaker Oats (Uncooked)
½ cup of Worcestershire Sauce
3 tablespoons of Recteq Casanova’s Competition Rub
½ cup of Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce
¼ cup of Pure, Raw, Local Honey

Pour the Quaker Oats into a bowl and add the Recteq Casanova’s Competition Rub. For best results, add one tablespoon at a time and stir, which will ensure that the rub is evenly distributed throughout all of the oats.

Next, add the Worcestershire Sauce. Mix together until the oats have absorbed all of the Worcestershire Sauce.

Now add the eggs and mix.

The oats act like little flavor sponges, and you want them to absorb these ingredients before adding the meat. Once you start cooking, the oats will also absorb juices from the meat, keeping your meatloaf juicy and full of flavor.

Add the meat and mix by hand. You want to mix until all the meat and the oats are thoroughly combined.

Once you have mixed all your ingredients together, grab a large loaf pan and line it with plastic wrap. You are only using the pan to shape the meatloaf and the plastic wrap will make it easy for you to pop it out of the pan.

After you have lined your loaf pan with the plastic wrap, put the uncooked mixture into the pan. Once it’s in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and push down on the loaf so that it’s evenly shaped into the pan.

Next, put the meatloaf into your refrigerator for 90 minutes – 2 hours. The goal is to give the meatloaf time to hold its shape.

Set your smoker to 250 F, and make sure it is holding temperature before starting your cook.

For best results, use a wire rack for your meatloaf. Using one will make it easier for you to get your meatloaf on and off the smoker. Make sure to coat your rack with cooking spray, so your meatloaf doesn’t stick.

Once your wire rack is ready, unwrap your meatloaf and put the wire rack on top of the pan. Next, flip the meatloaf over so that it is resting on the wire rack, then remove the pan and all of the plastic wrap.

Now that your smoker is at 250 F, place your meatloaf on it for 1 hour.  The initial 250 F temperature will increase the smoky taste of the meatloaf and give it a great smoke ring.

As your meatloaf is on the smoker, mix the ½ cup of Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce together with the ¼ cup of Pure, Raw, Local Honey.

After 1 hour, raise the temperature of your smoker to 275 F and cook until your meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 145.

Once you’ve hit 145, coat your meatloaf with the honey-BBQ glaze.

Keep your meatloaf on the smoker until it hits an internal temperature of 160, then apply a second coat of the Honey-BBQ glaze.

To set the glaze, smoke for another 15 minutes or until its internal temperature hits 165. Then, pull the meatloaf from your smoker and rest it for 10 minutes.

Now all that’s left is for you and your family to enjoy Frank the Beeman’s Smoked Honey-Glazed Meatloaf

Once when archaeologists were excavating an ancient Egyptian tomb, they found pots of honey. The honey, which was the world’s oldest, and dating back over 3,500 years, was still perfectly edible!  And one day I would like to meet the person who ate it!

To learn more about how to best store honey, please click on the button below to see what MarthaStewart.com has to say.

Get the buzz on everything involved with beekeeping

Spring is in full swing in parts of the world, and you know what that means: blossoms, buds, and bees! In this Meetup Live event recording, we’re bringing in an apiarist to give us the buzz on everything involved with beekeeping.

Watch Frank Mortimer, author of Bee People and The Bugs They Love, who will take us on a fact-filled journey into the world of bees. Hear about the loving practice of beekeeping and why it’s more than just a hobby. You’ll also learn about different types and uses of honey, a sweet treat that’s been delighting tastebuds for thousands of years.

Click on the button to watch this Recorded Meetup Live Event!

There are lots of books about honeybees and beekeeping. Some are how-to books, others are for kids. As the author of Bee People And The Bugs They Love, I have assembled some of my favorite bee books, (other than Bee People of course), and each book on my list fits a different bee need or genre.

Please use this list as a jumping off point, as there are so many wonderful bee books out there, and I would encourage you to fill your bookshelves with them all.

To check out my list, please follow the link to read more!

Who wants to keep bees? And why? For the answers, master beekeeper Frank Mortimer invites readers on an eye-opening journey into the secret world of bees, and the singular world of his fellow beekeepers.

Buzzing along from hobbyist to expert, Mortimer – aka “Frank the Bee Man” – delivers an informative, funny, and galvanizing book about the symbiotic relationship between bees and the beekeepers who are determined to protect the existence of one of the most beguiling and invaluable creatures on earth.

With a swarm of offbeat characters and un-BEE-lievable facts, (did that bee just waggle or festoon?), Frank the Bee Man takes his obsession to the next level as he is indoctrinated into the millennia-old craft of beekeeping.