Bee's Knees - What's inside the September Favorite Things Box!

HONEY…HONEY…HONEY!

Awe...the bees have been working on getting this month's box ready for you for 5 months and I am SO EXCITED to share our September HONEY themed Favorite Things Box with you!

For those of you that follow me, you know that we are Iowa bee keepers. It is definitely a labor of love and there is nothing like the taste of fresh local honey!

This month's Fave Box Club are the first ones to get our 2023 season honey just extracted the middle of August for you! In addition to Zoet Farm Honey there are 4 other local makers included in this month's box all honey themed.

DISCLAIMER: IF YOU HAVE NOT OPENED YOUR SEPTEMBER FAVORITE THINGS BOX YET AND WANT IT TO BE A SURPRISE, STOP READING AND COME BACK LATER!

IF YOU ARE READY TO SEE WHAT’S INSIDE AND HEAR THE STORIES ABOUT THE BEHIND THE SCENES ON THE SEPTEMBER BOX CURATING…LET’S DO THIS!!!

Here’s what’s inside:

#1 – Zoet Farm Honey - A single bee can produce 1 tablespoon of honey in it's lifetime. 600 bees fly roughly 30,000 miles to gather 5 lbs of nectar from about 1,155,000 flowers in order to make one 8 oz. jar of Zoet Farm Honey. That's some busy bees and a lot of love in this golden jar for you. Our bee hives are located on our 100 year old forest reserve in beautiful rural Dallas County, Iowa. This season we harvested 20 gallons of honey from 4 hives. Bees are truly little miracle creatures! We can't wait for you to experience our local fresh honey!!!

Photo by Jami Milne IG @jamimilne

#2 - Iowa Honey Producers Cookbook - Get your cooking creativity on! This cookbook is a gem and includes favorite honey recipes from bee keepers all across the state of Iowa!

I love old school cookbooks and have quite the collection. When I was cleaning the pantry this summer, I ran across an Iowa Honey Producers Cookbook from the year we were married in 1999. I have no idea where it came from, but I was working on honey box ideas for you and I thought, “I should see if the Iowa Honey Producers Association still produces a cookbook.” And, yes, they sure do! So, my “vintage” cookbook discovery in my pantry inspired the newest edition in your box, which I am so excited to share with you!!! I have loved looking through the pages and can’t wait to dive into making so many of the recipes with the Zoet Farm Honey.

By the way, if you run out of honey in your box and need more, email me at thisnewoldhouse@gmail.com and I’ll let you know if we still have more of this season’s honey available for you!

#3 - Perfect timing for those cooler Fall temps, sip on a cozy cup of Almond Honey Tea {maybe with a drop of Zoet Farm Honey} from local maker the Tea Cellar in Cedar Falls, Iowa! Adorable reusable tea steeper included in your box. **contains nuts

I discovered the Tea Cellar teas several years ago on one of our Iowa Adventures at a cute little shop in the Amana Colonies that carried their teas. Honey Almond is my favorite flavor they make and perfect for the honey box too! Steep, sip and enjoy as you start taking in September and the start of the Fall season!

# 4 – What's a Favorite Things Box without a little something to pamper you! Sharing my favorite handmade soap by local maker Ada Acres in rural, Linden Iowa. Milk + Honey soap + lotion to give you a smooth soft skin for sweater season!

Cathy, the owner and maker of all things at Ada Acres has one of the nicest personalities…think Iowa nice, that is her! And, her shop not only smells amazing if you ever get a chance to visit but is loaded with so many fun soap varieties.

BONUS GIFT- For those of you that shared your August box on social media with #tnohfavethings, your bonus gift is a Honey Face Scrub handmade with love with Zoet Farm Honey + blend of lavender and tea tree essential oils from my friend and local maker Monica with doTERRA oils. Amazing skin benefits of honey: anti-aging, exfoliation, and moisturizer!

Thank you so much for your support of my Favorite Things Box!!! I have been having so much fun curating these special monthly surprises for you of my favorite things!

If you missed out on the September box and want to get in on the fun, I’ll be releasing a very limited number of additional box spots each month. You can learn more about this monthly subscription box and get on the wait list to be the first to know when box spots open up here.

HINT: The theme of the October box is FALL and if you follow me you know I LOVE FALL! This box will contain items to get your home in the spirit of the season from some very talented makers. I can’t wait for you to get it. Join the wait list here to be the first to know when I open up limited additional box spots for October. You will not want to miss it! {P.S. If you are already on the box list…your subscription spot is secured for the October box!}

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for being here and following along on This New Old House!!! I can’t wait to see the continued fun ahead on the Favorite Things Box adventures. I absolutely love hearing from you all after you get your monthly boxes, how excited you are to open them, and how you are using or gifting the items inside. The boxes are meant to be a celebration and self hug in each box…and it makes my heart happy to see this happening with each box that goes out!

XOXO,

Rebecca