Spring bloom, year-long brew at Southern Origin Meadery

  • Monroe Brown holding a large frame with honey comb covered in bees. The honeycomb is filled with honey. (Photo/Susan Culver)
    Monroe Brown holding a large frame with honey comb covered in bees. The honeycomb is filled with honey. (Photo/Susan Culver)
  • Honey from Monroe Brown’s bees is made into both honey and honey-based products for Blue Haven Bee Company and mead for Southern Origin Meadery in Canon. (Photo/Adriana Cascio)
    Honey from Monroe Brown’s bees is made into both honey and honey-based products for Blue Haven Bee Company and mead for Southern Origin Meadery in Canon. (Photo/Adriana Cascio)
  • Honey is taken and turned into mead and sold inside the meadery. (Photo/Susan Culver)
    Honey is taken and turned into mead and sold inside the meadery. (Photo/Susan Culver)
  • Blue Haven Bee Company in Canon manages a brief annual harvest of wildflower honey that becomes the foundation for Southern Origin Meadery. The local honey then undergoes a lengthy fermentation, often with added fruits or spices, to create a diverse array of meads, highlighting its unexpected versatility. (Photo/Susan Culver)
    Blue Haven Bee Company in Canon manages a brief annual harvest of wildflower honey that becomes the foundation for Southern Origin Meadery. The local honey then undergoes a lengthy fermentation, often with added fruits or spices, to create a diverse array of meads, highlighting its unexpected versatility. (Photo/Susan Culver)
  • Honey is taken and turned into mead and sold inside the meadery. (Photo/Adriana Cascio)
    Honey is taken and turned into mead and sold inside the meadery. (Photo/Adriana Cascio)

    For a few fleeting months each spring, the fields of Hart and Franklin counties buzz with the work of Monroe Brown’s honey bees, a crucial period that lays the sweet foundation for Southern Origin Mea…