Honey House in Door County
The roads less traveled are off the beaten path; and for me, they give me a chance to bypass the hustle and bustle of traffic, slow down and really look for “hidden” treasures. One of these treasures happens to be a honey house in Door County.
The honey house in Door County lies in Northern Door County, Wisconsin. The grounds from the road had old tractors, buildings, and a cherry orchard.
Built Up the Courage To Ask For a Closer Look
The building below was what first caught my eye. Normally, I shoot from the road but in this case I could not. It was the first property that I was brave enough to go up to the door and to ask to have a closer look, instead of driving past.
Old Booming Cherry Orchard
I was feeling adventurous and needed to get closer to the honey house property. An older gentleman, in his 80’s and his “lady friend” as he called her lead me around the property giving me some of the backstory.
The property was an old, booming cherry orchard, during the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s.
In days past, orchard owners would house an apiary or “bee yard” to get bees to stay on their land and pollinate the trees.
Bee Keeping, Honey & Cherries a Winning Combo
The land housed bee hives, a beekeeper and the processing, honey house. The bees would pollinate the cherry blossoms and the honey was processed and sold on site.
Many, but not all of the owners would process and sell honey during their cherry season. This building is where the landowner would process and sell his honey out of. This is what he called “the honey house.”
For the picture above, I’m standing in the middle of the honey house. The window looks out into the old orchard.
Old Cherry Store
This old building has plenty of character and history within its walls.
The building was the old cherry store. Customers would drive up to the parking lot, get pails and go out and pick cherries. After the customers picked their cherries they would pay for their goods.
Besides the “you pick your own” method the cherry orchards sent off product to the cherry processing plants to be sold in tins.
I enjoyed speaking to the gentleman that owned this property. Living the experiences through his eyes was enjoyable. The pride he felt about the land and his accomplishments was admirable.
