Beekeeper Paul Westerbeck. (Ernest Coleman photo) | ZOOM |

        Honey connoisseurs, like those of wine, collect and savor honey varietals — lavender, orange blossom, clover. Once a year, Parisians buy Rucher du Luxembourg honey at a fall sale in the famous public gardens of the same name.

        In Greater Cincinnati, we also have a once-a-year opportunity to obtain some exclusive honey produced in one of our most beautiful parks. But at Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, the honey is free.

        Paul Westerbeck has been keeping bees at Spring Grove for 15 years and giving away the pure honey for at least a decade. An “artisanal” honey producer and Spring Grove's bee expert, Mr. Westerbeck admits he's a small beekeeper, caring for only eight hives. But that makes his honey that much more precious.

        Next Sunday, Mr. Westerbeck will be manning his educational bee booth, complete with a glass hive ,in conjunction with Spring Grove's Autumn Color Walking Tour. Learn a little, enjoy the season on Spring Grove's 733 pastoral acres, and come home with 6 ounces of honey to boot. What better place to appreciate how sweet life is?

        Question: How did the honey giveaway start?

IF YOU GO

What: Honey give-away at the Autumn Color Walking Tour.     Where: Spring Grove Cemetery and Arboretum, 4521 Spring Grove Ave.Winton Place.     When: 1 p.m. next Sunday, rain or shine. Reservations required by Friday to Monika A. Jorg, public relations manager, 853-6819.     Information: www.springgrove.org

RESOURCES

• Honey, a Connoisseur's Guide with Recipes, (Ten SpeedPress; $14.05) by Gene Opton.     • www.draperbee.com: Honey suppliers to the White House with 24 hour bee-cam.

        Answer: We started keeping bees for pollination in the cemetery. The first time there was a honey giveaway there was a congressman and mayor get together and they put up local produce goody bags. Tom Smith (vice president of Spring Grove) donated about 100 jars of honey. It was a good idea, a way to give people a feel for pure honey.

        Q: What kind of honey is it?

        A: It's mostly clover honey — you can tell by the color and the taste. We had some locust honey — when the bees collect locust, it gives a white honey. I'd rather have locust than any other honey, so I did keep that honey for myself.

        Q: How often do you get stung?

        A: Every time I mess with the bees, pretty near. But, you get used to the stings.

        Q: What about the rumors of health benefits from bee stings and honey?

        A: They're supposed to help prevent arthritis and some other diseases. Some are prevented by honey and some by bee stings. Apparently they do some good. We once had an old German woman getting about two quarts of honey a week — she used it in everything. She said it made her arthritis seem to disappear. She swore by it. Same people with allergies eat honey and their allergies go away. They stop, the allergies come back.

        Q: How do you like your honey?

        A: Mostly, I just eat it straight. I also like it on venison.
       

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