Got home this morning around 11:30. Travel is always fun, but also tiring. You want to see everyone and spend quality time, but that time always seems to go so fast. I specifically went to California to see Rhiann’s (my niece) debut as Sister Bertha in “Getting to Know the Sound of Music”. Basically, the shorter version for youth theater. It was really quite good! But I also wanted to visit family and friends as much as possible. Three days went by quickly (I don’t count the travel days), and saw me take in the food at Point Loma Seafoods with my folks, The Maincourse Restaurant with my friends Ray, Tony, Candace and Nat, the final event of San Diego’s Beer Week and Guild Fest at The Lodge at Torrey Pines (one of the most authentic Craftsman style hotels I’ve ever seen) with Bernadette, John, Ralph, and my brother – Timm, as well as the main event that I wanted to attend in the first place with my family; now, all of a sudden, I’m back! As my mind is still trying to catch up to my body, I’m thinking I’ll just do a simple post/report on my visit to Trumper’s Honey and Fruit Shack.

When I go to California, I stay with my parents who live halfway between Santa Ysabel and Ramona townships. They still live on the family farm where I was raised and are a very short 10 minute (if that) drive up the hill to Trumper’s Honey and Fruit Shack. Yep, it truly is a shack. I remember the shack being there ever since I was in grade school. One of my good friends used to live by it and it was a school bus stop where he and his sister would catch the bus. It wasn’t until I was an adult, though, that I would occasionally stop there. Then Sue and I got into the benefits of raw honey! The Trumpers were really the inspiration, and who gave me the drive, to have my own hive. (Still working on that hive thing.) Now it has become one of my Saturday morning stops whenever I go home.

Trumper’s is only open on Saturday and Sunday. That’s it! But the traffic that goes by during the weekends makes that a great week for them. They are well known for their high quality raw honey in a plethora of flavors, dried fruit, jams, jellies, and jerky. Everything there is so tasty. Sue has fallen in love with the Bee Keepers Blend which combines Alfalfa and Buckwheat honeys into an amazing dark and flavorful honey. I really like the flavor of the Avocado Honey, but there’s something about the Avocado that makes my mouth go fuzzy, so I just usually get their spun honey. A-mazing! You can also get honey that has started to crystallize for a lower cost. Just put it in a sunny window and it will begin to liquidize again. It’s great to use for baking and cooking. If you search for information on Trumper’s online you won’t find a website for them, only an unofficial Face Book page, and many entries in other folks’ blogs. They are well known in California, even getting visits from some Orange County and LA chefs.

What’s the big deal about raw honey??? There are many great benefits of eating raw honey, but here are the top 6.

• Packed with antioxidants: raw honey contains antioxidants called phenolic compounds, these help to protect your body from cell damage. The polyphenols contained in honey have been shown to help protect against heart disease.
• Antibacterial and Antifungal Properties: Raw honey can kill unwanted bacteria and fungus. It naturally contains hydrogen peroxide, an antiseptic. Several hospitals in Europe have used Manuka honey to fight methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a type of staph bacterial infection that’s become resistant to antibiotics. The effectiveness of honey as an antibacterial or antifungal depends on the type of honey. [https://bmccomplementalternmed.biomedcentral.com]
• Honey heals wounds: You can use raw honey on burns and they will almost heal completely in 24 hours – it’s true, I’ve actually done this! Also you can use them on cold sores with the same effect. Some hospitals are using the Manuka honey to boost healing time and reduce infections. They are using hospital grade honey that has been sterilized, so beyond the two I’ve mentioned, you may not want to use raw honey for more serious wounds. You can often find sterilized honey for first aid use at health food stores.
• Filled with phytonutrients: phytonutrients are compounds found in plants that help protect the plant from harm. For example, some may keep insects away or shield the plant from harsh UV radiation. Phytonutrients provide both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Because honey is made from plants, it also has phytonutrients. They are also believed to protect the body from cancer by preventing carcinogens from developing into cancer and making cancer cells more likely to self-destruct. Phytonutrients have also been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. These valuable nutrients are unique to raw honey and disappear when honey is heavily processed.
• Help for digestive issues:  it’s proven to be effective as a treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a common cause of peptic ulcers. (Peptic ulcers occur in the stomach or digestive system.) Taking 1-2 teaspoons on an empty stomach is said to soothe pain and help with the healing process.
• Soothing sore throats: Honey is an old sore throat remedy. Try adding it to hot tea with lemon. It also works as a cough suppressant. Research shows that honey is as effective as dextromethorphan, a common over-the-counter cough medicine ingredient, in treating a cough. Just eat one or two teaspoons straight.

The best thing about raw honey? It tastes amazing! In addition to these above, honey has been shown to help reduce allergies, if taken over time – or for an even stronger boost, bee pollen! So many great uses to help make and keep you healthy. Don’t take my word for it, there are so many resources out there on the benefits of honey, you just need to use your favorite search engine to find them. I’m already sold though, and will continue to buy my honey, every time I visit my family, from Barbara and Ernie Trumper in Santa Ysabel. If you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and try some. Tell Barbara that Sue and Joanne sent you – she’ll give you the extra special honey!!!

This post ended up being a bit longer than I really anticipated. Hope that was at least a bit informative. On Wednesday and Friday we’ll get into what’s happening around here. Until then, as always~
Thanks for reading!

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Today’s Weather: COLD! We hare having a rather cold week this week. Overnight lows have been in the high 20’s to low 30’s. High for today was 58° but there was also a cold wind blowing so it felt more like 54°. Currently, at 7:14 p.m., it is 43° with 23% humidity. We are expecting an overnight low of 27°.  Sue ran around last night covering everything that might have issues with the overnight lows. So far, things are hanging in there. It’s supposed to start warming up again towards the end of the week.

Egg report: Saturday – zero goose, zero duck, 16 chicken. Sunday – zero goose, zero duck, 13 chicken. Monday – zero goose, zero duck, 9 chicken. You can see that the chickens are protesting the lower temperatures. Hopefully the temps will warm up before they go on a complete strike.