01/23/2026
Introduced by President Peg Frock, our speaker this week was our very own Christina VanDergrift. Christina has turned a hobby into a new venture and has opened Rustic Roots Honey Farm. Inspired by her son's brief stint as a beekeeper and because she enjoyed making mead, an alcoholic fermented beverage made from honey, she decided to start her own hives. Chris started with four hives and has grown that to ten hives now. In the beginning, she ran into a lot of problems from bears to beetles, but is learning a lot as she goes. One thing we found out is that honey bees are not native to the United States. Honey bees are all imported, and Chris’s bees are from Italy and Russia. She brought three different honeys for us to sample. The first was Woodland Meadow. This honey was collected in the spring, and the flavor was light and sweet, coming from the nectar and pollen collected by the bees from the spring flowers and trees. The second sample was Summer Solstice and came primarily from clover. The last was called Fall Flower, and its flavor was derived mostly from goldenrod. All three were delicious! Chris explained that beekeeping is a lot of work but is super rewarding, and after a hard day's work is both calming and relaxing. She also shared that just like ourselves, honeybees are the perfect example of our Rotary motto, “Service Above Self”. If you would like to try her honey, it is available for sale at her sister's shop, The Happy Rave,n located at 11 Pearl Street in Wellsboro.
This week, we inducted new member Duffy Moran into the club.
Welcome to the Wellsboro Rotary family, Duffy!
