The Latest Buzz on Linda Vista Honey
Plus: Havana Grill In MV, SB 10 Rally/Protest, STEAM Camp at LV Library, new hours at Farmers Market, and LV resident mentioned in Union Tribune article
It has been nearly two years since the Linda Vista Update last wrote about local resident Jeff Shoellerman and his back yard honey bee keeping operation. Now that this newsletter has a far greater number of subscribers, we thought it was an appropriate time to re-introduce Jeff and his sweet, delicious product—Linda Vista Honey—to all of our readers. Since the previous article was published, many Linda Vista residents have taken up the honey habit and become his regular customers.
Jeff has lived in Linda Vista since 2013 and has been keeping bees during these past ten years. This bee keeping enthusiast works as a research scientist for Janssen Research and Development over in the Torrey Pines area. He is also active in local civic activities, volunteering as a board member for the Linda Vista Town Council.
When we last visited Jeff in 2021, he was maintaining two hives of bees in his backyard, however, he now has three hives that are producing honey. He estimates that his two larger hives have about 10,000 bees each, with his smaller hive housing approximately 5,000 bees. The hives are located in a backyard that he keeps full of small fruit trees, grape vines, and tomato plants.
When asked how he starts a new hive, he explained how the process starts by spotting a swarm of bees (bees looking for a new location), usually situated in a tree; he will sometimes notice a swarm while riding his bike to work. He then sets out to attract the swarm to his hive, which he positions underneath the tree, being careful to attract the all-important queen bee to ensure the hive’s eventual success.
What happens once the hive is formed? It takes about a year for the new hive to produce enough honey for collection, but according to Jeff, the bees are relatively low maintenance. “The bees do all the work,” he says, though bee keepers must remain vigilant in regard to two aspects of successful bee keeping—first, ensuring there is a queen bee, and, second, watching to see if any pests infiltrate the hive. “You have to keep an eye open for pests like the wax moth. If you don’t get rid of them quickly, they will destroy a hive.”
The great weather here in the San Diego area also contributes to good bee keeping, as do the bees themselves. During the cool San Diego winter months, the bees will keep the hive at 95 degrees with all their activity, and during the summer months the bees will congregate outside the hive and help ventilate it with the fanning of their wings.
After 10 years, what keeps Jeff interested in bee keeping? The answer is simple. He likes the honey, and he enjoys continuing to learn more about bees. “I never stop learning when it comes to bees,” he said. “I like talking to other people and learning the tricks of the trade.”
He is a big fan of honey’s health attributes, explaining that some of his customers buy the honey to address allergy problems. According to one website, honey possesses 7 health benefits to include the following: (1) rich in nutrients, (2) rich in antioxidants, (3) better for blood sugar level than regular sugar, (4) may improve heart health, (5) promotes burn and wound healing, (6) helps suppress coughing in children, and (7) easy to add to your diet.
If you are interested in trying out some of his honey, you can visit his web site by clicking HERE. The honey is available in jars, squeeze bottles, and in combs.
You can read our original newsletter article on Linda Vista’s favorite bee keeper by “combing” the LV Update archives or by just clicking here.
***
The LV Update wishes to thank Jeff Schoellerman for taking the time to share his knowledge of bees with us.
Havana Grill in Mission Valley
For quite a while we have been wanting to try Cuban food. We knew there was a Cuban restaurant on Clairemont Mesa Blvd, but had never gone there. Fortunately, a couple of months ago, I read that Havana Grill had opened in Mission Valley near another restaurant we reviewed recently, CAVA in the Westfield Mission Valley Shopping Center. We decided to give it a try, and so we invited our Carnivore Sidekick and his sidekick to join us one Saturday evening. The original Havana Grill on Clairemont Mesa has been around a long time. The recipes were brought to the U.S. by the founders in 1956 from the family restaurant in Cuba. They say the recipes are mostly unchanged from the way they were served in old Havana in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. Havana Grill uses pure ingredients, naturally raised grass fed and free range meats. The food is organic and locally sourced as much as possible.
There was a line when we arrived, although it moved along quickly. When you reach the front, a person helps you with your selections at a kiosk. There is an attractive display of the various menu items and desserts so you get a visual even before you order. You can see the menu here. Once you have given and paid for your order, you are seated with a number you place on your table.
The menu was very extensive, consisting of appetizers, plates, specialty dishes, baked empanadas, soup/salads, sandwiches, hot sides and desserts. Although most items were meat based, there was a selection of vegetarian and fish dishes. The plates included sweet plantains and a choice of brown or white rice with signature black beans or congris (rice and beans).
Steve selected the Vegetarian Plate which included roasted veggies, yucca fries, tostones as well as the plantains and rice/beans.
I chose a baked bean and cheese empanada and a spinach salad which included organic baby spinach, goat cheese, organic apples, caramelized pecans, cranberries and honey mustard vinaigrette.
The Sidekicks chose a Seafood paella for two, which included shrimp, mussels, calamari, cod, red peppers, peas, lemon, and rice.
You can see from the pictures that the food was substantial. Steve enjoyed his veggie platter and especially liked the sweet plantains. The tostones were another type plantain, not sweet and smashed into patties and fried. His meal also contained roasted vegetables such as zucchini, eggplant, carrots, and peppers.
My spinach salad was yummy. I wanted something light and it hit the spot. The empanada was very light and flaky with a tasty filling of cheese and beans.
When the Seafood paella was presented, we all gasped. Meant as a serving for two, it looked like it could have served all four of us. It was humongous. The shrimp were huge and there were quire a few. I tried a couple mussels and they were excellent. The sidekicks said that everything was delicious and as much as they tried to eat it all, they had to get a box to take about half of it with them. So, it probably did make four normal size meals. It was a beautiful dish. The saffron rice was fragrant and looked so good. The Carnivore said it somewhat reminded him of the paella he had when he was in Spain.
The manager came to each table to talk with the patrons which I thought was a very nice touch. He said they had been open a couple of months and thanked us for coming in. The restaurant itself is fairly small and a lot of their business seemed to be takeout. There is also outside seating, and a nice bar area with a good selection of beer and other drinks. The servers, all wearing Cuban fedoras, were friendly and service good.
SB 10 Protest Takes Place on LV-MV Border
This past Saturday morning saw hundreds of San Diegans show up along Friars Road—in front of the Fashion Valley Mall—to conduct a rally in support of responsible growth and protesting the city’s possible adoption of SB 10. The rally was sponsored by San Diegans for Responsible Growth, which advocates for “a sustainable, walkable, community-driven approach to housing and planning.” The organization calls for “responsible growth that adds high-density housing in the right places, without destroying the integrity and livability of our respective neighborhoods.”
According to Bonnie Kutch, lead organizer of the event, the protestors came from several San Diego communities, and reflected a solidarity against the “City of San Diego’s destructive and irresponsible high-density housing initiatives and foolish opt-in to SB 10.” The organization believes that SB 10 will far exceed…”demonstrated need, intentionally ruin single-family neighborhoods, put residents at risk of being trapped in the event of a wildfire, ignore the need for supportive infrastructure, shift San Diegans from future homeowners to lifelong renters, serve as obstacles to achieving the city's Climate Action goals, destroy our urban canopy, fail to provide truly affordable housing, and disregard existing residents’ input and quality of life “
Chants of “Hey, Hey. Ho Ho. SB 10 has got to go” were heard throughout the rally, and amidst all the protest signs. Many car drivers responded with supportive honking of horns.
The rally was timed to coincide with the scheduled Thursday August 3 (today) hearing on SB 10 to be held by the San Diego Planning Commission. The hearing will begin at 9:00 am. The Planning Commission will make its recommendation on adopting SB 10 which will then be forwarded to the City Council for eventual approval/disapproval. The hearing can be viewed on Zoom at https://sandiego.zoomgov.com/j/1612210047
Members of the non profit organization Neighbors for a Better San Diego were also in attendance at the Saturday rally. Readers of the Linda Vista Update may recall this newsletter published an article about Neighbors for a Better San Diego and the SB 10 debate in our June 22 issue. You can go back and read that article here.
Full STEAM Ahead at LV Library
By Olivia Teates (LV Update Summer Intern)
Last week, the Linda Vista Library was the venue for a unique four-day summer camp—Full STEAM Ahead—which gave fourth through sixth-grade students an opportunity to learn about science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM) in a hands-on environment.
Over the four days, students who attended the Full STEAM Ahead camp participated in engaging activities that addressed several different STEAM subjects. For example, throughout the camp, students learned about food chains, chemical science, and environmental science, among others. Students also enjoyed fun activities, including building balloon-driven cars with STEAM kits. Vendors visited the camp to supplement programming in specific areas. One such vendor, RoboThink, instructed the students on how to design and build their own miniature robots, bulldozers, and helicopters.
According to Torie Wang, one of the camp instructors and a fourth-grade teacher, the goal of the camp, “is to introduce students to STEAM and have fun, not just put their heads down and work.”
The camp also helped students learn about STEAM-related issues that affect our local San Diego community, such as understanding the importance of earthquake-proof architecture by building miniature structures that can withstand a shake test.
This specific camp had two instructors, Torie Wang (mentioned earlier) and Alexis Davidson, a San Diego middle school teacher. Approximately a dozen campers attended each day, allowing for engaging interaction between instructors and students.
Love, Linda Farmers Market Extends Hours
The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will extends it operating time for one hour during the month of August. Vendors will stay open till 8:00 pm to take advantage of summer daylight hours. The Farmers Market, which operates at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center, is open every Thursday afternoon beginning at 2:00 pm.
LV Resident Featured in Union Tribune Article
We are always happy to see the names of Linda Vista residents mentioned favorably in the San Diego Union Tribune. This past Sunday we happened to notice LV resident Rachel Oporto mentioned in a column written by journalist Lisa Deaderick. In the column, Deaderick interviewed Rachel O., who is director of community building and partnerships at the San Diego Food System Alliance, and Anaheim Brakke of the San Diego Hunger Coalition, as part of an article addressing the need for a more equitable food system. In answering Deaderick’s questions, Rachel provided an interesting explanation of how food insecurity and racial justice are connected, and why it is important to have conversations about this issue. You can read the entire SD Union Tribune article here.
Rachel is also a volunteer board member of the Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market. She has played an important role in the development of the year-old Farmers Market.
Subscribe to the LV Update
We invite everyone to subscribe to the Linda Vista Update. It’s free! Just click on the “Subscribe now” button located below. Once you do so, you will be on automatic distribution for all future posts. Stay informed. Join our growing community of readers.
The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities. Readers can go back and read all previous issues of the Linda Vista Update by going to the newsletter archive here.