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Image by Jez Timms
Home: Our Story
The Legend

Born Julius Christoph Gustav. Known to most all simply as JG. Said to be a man that things just came natural to. His distinguished comportment and venerable life inspired many. Renown, for his plantin' skills and abundant harvests, he was purported to have at least one green thumb and it was said of Ol' JG that he could grow anything almost anywhere. When it came to plantin', family, friends, and even those travelin' by, all sought out the advice of Ol' JG.

 

But then …

                                     … maybe it was his bees.

​

Growing Up

When you are a young child growing up the relatives you don't get to see very often can become in your mind a legend. Mainly because of the events, stories and other things you hear being said about them by the relatives you do often see… 

 

…Such was the case with my Great Grandfather JG.

 

In Time

Time changes lives and as I grew closer to my teenage years, I found myself fascinated by the opportunities I had available to me by spending time with my retired grandparents. One of those opportunities was catching up with JG my great grandfather and verifying those stories/legends I grew up with. Like making friends and playing with his pet fox. Then there were the magical times like when I went with him up the road to the new neighbor's place and watched as he worked his dowsing rod and showed the man where to put his well and sure-nuff they found water. The only payment JG wanted was to put some beehives on the property. One morning down by the lake JG said to me, "If 'in you sit real still on this stump them wild ducks when they come up on the shore will take dat cracked corn right from 'ur hand but you dasn't move!" I still have those pictures. Of course, I figured out right off the reason I got to go fishing with JG, someone had to keep bailing water out of the boat or we weren't making it back to the pier. But dang if he wasn't right when he said, "There's no fish on dat side of the boat fish on this side."

And ohhh ones fascination with those honey bees… JG always said, "You dasn't go by grandpa's bees." Of course, he was right. The two most important lessons about bees I learned early on! 1. They sting. 2. They fly faster than you can run. Yet with Ol' JG never a head veil or gloves did he wear just slow and methodical were his moves and with an occasional puff of smoke from his pipe did he work his hives. Then off to the house we went with a fresh frame of honey for that evening supper's cornbread.

Lookin' back, it seemed hardly a day passed where someone didn't stop to speak to Ol' JG. Seems people were always stopping by with fresh milk, meat, eggs, and such looking for advice or to barter for garden goods or honey.

 

As of Late

         Nowadays we maintain apiaries in Kenosha, Racine, Walworth, and Waukesha counties.

 

We've never really advertised our honey. You folks have always been kind enough to do that for us by your word of mouth and for that…

 

We thank you kindly!

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414-416-9767
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