By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— To celebrate National Honey Month, Gifted Handmade Gifts and More teamed up with Blankenship Farms to bring live bees to the store’s visitors.

After their fall harvest, Donnalee Blankenship and her daughter, Anna, displayed their bees and freshly harvested honey right in front of Gifted Sept. 19 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

“We thought it would be fun to bring the bees out and just let people see the bees and the honey and celebrate National Honey Month,” Donnalee said.

With the bees safely behind glass, families were able to get up close and explore the hive. The Blankenships were there to answer questions and explain the honey-making process as well as how the bees operate.

Donnalee said the kids also enjoyed trying on the mask of the beekeeping suit. It’s all a part of educating people about bees, according to Donnalee, which is even more important because of the Save the Bees movement.

Bees and other pollinators are essential for the two-thirds of the food crops humans eat everyday, and the population of bees is decreasing greatly.

“Whenever there is an opportunity for that, we love to get involved,” she said. “My daughter has taken the bees to school and done a couple classes.”

The beekeeping initiative all started several years ago when Brandon, Donnalee and Anna Blankenship decided to get back to the basics by growing, canning and pickling their own food.

They transformed their two-acre property in Pelham into Blankenship Farms, using family canning and pickling recipes. Donnalee also began creating her own pottery items, such as kitchen platters and dishes, necklaces and oil bottles.

About three years ago, Brandon and his neighbor decided to get into beekeeping, and they’ve been doing it ever since.

“We are just trying to get back to (a simpler way of life) and start creating our own foods,” Donnalee said. “There are so many people who are so knowledgeable, and there are so many people to meet and learn what they know. There is so much out there. We like to explore that.”

The family sells its local honey and pottery at Gifted, located at 2643 Pelham Parkway, and Donnalee said selling the honey has also opened other doors for the Blankenships. Anna is a competitive skater at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena, and Donnalee said ice skating can be an expensive sport.

“This is one way to fund her dream of making it to nationals and maybe one day the Olympics,” Donnalee said. “Saturday (Sept. 19) we raised the exact amount, to the dollar, that she needed to be able to pay for her new skates.”

For more information on Blankenship Farms, visit Facebook.com/blankenshipfamilyfarm.