It seems my September Reset is influencing the products on Red Barn Mercantile’s shelves and I didn’t even realize it. We recently added three new products that honey bees have had a hand in making and I wanted to share them with you. After a quick Google search (by no means real research for this post, I assure you) I found a few surprising facts about honey. Did you know that honey is antibacterial? That its use has been traced back to 7000 BC? Or that it helps with inflammation and sore throats? Did you also know that it should not be given to children under 12 months? If not, then there are a few articles that are worth reading here, here, and here.Now, I’m not here to preach the health benefits of honey, I’m here to tell you about the three new brands we have added. The first is actual honey. Bee Raw is single-source, raw honey. It is not processed, heated, or filtered like the kind you find in the supermarket. From Maine blueberry blossoms to Colorado Sweet Yellow Clover, each Bee Raw honey takes on the unique flavor of its floral source. Bee Raw was has been celebrated in the pages of Oprah, Martha Stewart Living, Food & Wine, and the New York Times for its delicious flavor and uncompromising mission to create the finest honey, save endangered bees, and promote sustainability.If you like sweet cocktails but want to avoid all the sugar, then consider Hudson & Lee’s Honey Simple Syrup and their Ginger Spice Honey Simple Syrup. It takes less honey than sugar to sweeten anything. Hudson & Lee’s syrups are best used to sweeten your non-alcoholic drinks like lemonade and sweet tea or your favorite cocktails like Margaritas, Mojitos, Sangria, and Moscow Mules. Try out this recipe to see for yourself!Finally, our most recent addition is Bee’s Wrap, a sustainable alternative to plastic wrap. Each sheet is made from organic cotton, beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin, making it a natural choice. What’s really cool is how it works. The beeswax warms from the heat of your hands, making it moldable over most any surface. Keep your avocados green, your sandwich fresh, and your bread from going stale. Each Bee’s Wrap is reusable, biodegradable, and compostable. To me, with all the plastic polluting our oceans, this is a big win.[nemus_slider id="52672"]We are super excited to have the honey bee well represented on our shelves and are confident that you will be excited by these amazing products, too. Come in today and give them a go!

Update

My September Reset is as much a mental leap as it is a physical leap. There’s a reason I haven’t worked out in years and that’s because of fear. Fear that I couldn’t do it, fear of being judged, fear of looking like an idiot as I learned, and fear that it would just be too darn hard.That’s why Adrien suggested that we meet for a Wellness Visit. Last week, she and I sat down and discussed what I do now and where to go from here. Not once did she make me feel ashamed of my abilities, bad habits, or lack of exercise. She showed empathy, support, and encouragement as we looked forward to the year ahead. There was no expectation or promise of a quick fix. The plan was to move at my pace with the confidence that as I move forward, things would change organically.My motto is “slow and steady wins the race” and that aligns beautifully with my new fitness plan and goals. Adrien has created a program called “Fit for Life” where she works in small groups over five weeks to teach participants what it really means to live a fit life. Building a community and a support network where you hold each other accountable sounds really great. Now to push past my fear to take that next step…