Justin Winter’s Carolina Lake and Mountain Blog

The Land of Milk and Honey

We are blessed to live in this beautiful place, and many of us realize the wonderful health benefits which derive from our natural surroundings. The Bee Well Honey Market in Pickens boasts a superfluity of local, natural honey, meat and produce to enhance the healthy  lifestyle for which we all strive. Located conveniently in downtown Pickens, Bee Well Honey offers a smorgasbord of comestibles. Honey – sweet, golden, healthful and delicious – is the main event. The proprietor, Kerry Owen, has more than 400 colonies of bees located at his farm on Belle Shoals Road, just south of town. The honey is raw and unpasteurized, so that all natural enzymes remain in the honey. There is no need for pasteurization (which enhances shelf life), since the honey at Bee Well is bottled on a weekly basis, with freshness guaranteed. The delightful “local” honey of the upstate is offered here; this is derived from the “Sourwood” tree, which is seen flowering in late June up and down Highway 11.  This nectar results in some of the finest honey produced anywhere.  Also on offer are wildflower, orange blossom, and Echinacea honeys.  Bee-keeping supplies, beeswax candles and bees themselves are also for sale. Delicious, organic produce fills one colorful corner of the shop, including romaine lettuce, broccoli, heirloom tomatoes and melons. All are grown organically at the proprietor’s farm. Happy Cow all-natural milk products (including the popular roll-butter) are available, as are fresh eggs from Happy Berry Farm in Six Mile. Taylor’s Natural Beef is offered here, with fine cuts of beef being flash-frozen and vacuum-sealed, and deriving from cattle which are produced locally (in Honea Path), having been raised upon grass and grain, with no hormones or antibiotics. Organic, free-range chicken from Sharon Rose Farm in Woodruff is also available. An assortment of all-natural Wisconsin and Amish cheeses are for sale, as are grits and cornmeal from local Timm’s Mill, in Pendleton. For those allergic to gluten, there is a range of wheat-free breads from Berlin Bakery. Kiss My Face and Nature’s Gate bath products, soy and rice ice cream, organic juices, herbal teas, syrups and sauces complete this local, convenient, and friendly shopping experience. Bee Well Honey Store is open Mon.-Fri. from 9 ‘til 7, and Sat. from 9 ‘til 5, with a drive-thru window service. Visit www.beewellhoneyfarm.com or call 864-898-5122 for further information about the market and farm, which is open to the public.