UC ANR South Coast REC hosted middle school students participating in the FLY summer enrichment program focusing on our everyday super hero, the honey bee.

Staff and OC Master Gardeners/Food Preservers volunteers guided the youth through a fun morning collecting pollen, making fruit leather, planting seeds, sampling honey varieties, in addition to learning fascinating facts about honey bees, observing the hive and bee parts, and investigating the components of a compound flower.

One of the most enjoyable activities for the youth was tasting different varieties of honey distinguishing the different characteristics - color, flavor, sweetness, crystallization, etc., of the available samples - avocado, orange blossom, cactus, and generic store brand. The hands down favorite  was the cactus.

Kudos to our UCCE Master Gardeners and Master Food Preservers!