Some of my friends know that I am a fan of Japanese food and culture. The other night watching the Green Style Japan show about what the Japanese are doing to promote bees caught my attention. In the city of Tokyo Japan, a sake company started an apiary (bee hives) project on the rooftop of their headquarters, which is in the Ginza district. The Ginza has many flowers planted everywhere. In fact, there are enough to keep the bees very busy making honey. The project has been a success and an incentive to other nearby companies, who have started roof top gardens of rapeseed, which has a lovely yellow flower and are maintained by company volunteers. The bees are thriving and producing enough honey to sell. April is cherry blossom time in Tokyo at the Imperial Palace. Since the bees are very near the palace they gather nectar from the flowers and produce this cherry blossom honey! I can imagine that would taste really special. A local bar owner (who has a standing order) has designed a drink specifically for cherry blossom honey. In a shaker mix about 1/3 cup lemon juice; 1/3cup honey and stir, then add a German liqueur called Korn. Once the Korn is added assemble your shaker and gentle shake the ingredients. Pour them into a martini glass filled with crushed ice and garnish with delicately curled orange zest. It looks like ambrosia – very pale and exotic.
The people at the sake company are learning about bees while the nearby company grows flowers for the bees. The volunteers enjoy the break in their day as they care for the flowers. More people are starting rooftop gardens in Tokyo. A simple idea can send out amazing ripples of change.
Think Green!
(Korn is a German colorless spirit that is usually made from fermented rye but may also be made from corn, barley, or wheat.[1] Korn differs from vodka in that it is less rigorously filtered, which leaves more of the cereal taste in the finished spirit.) Thank you, Wikipedia! Retrieved August 26 2010.
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Take care!!
It is always encouraging to see people are conscientious about planting flowers. I think the city folk are probably doing better than some of us country folk – although I am doing my best!
Let me say that Minneapolis is pretty green minded. Some years ago they gave a tax break to home owners who plant rain gardens. Lots of garden have popped up since then.
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