July 2 was not a festival day at the Morton Grove Farmers' Market, and the attendance expectation for the Saturday before Independence Days was humble. So we were thrilled to see lines of shoppers at many of the vendor booths as more than 500 people patronized the Market. 

Maybe it was because John Bailey was giving a live demonstration of honey extraction. In addition to a glass-enclosed frame of live bees, busily preparing two queen chambers (only one would make it out alive after an eventual knock-down battle for survival that we did not get to witness at the Market), John scraped the wax off the frame and revealing the golden syrup beneath.

He inserted four frames into a hand-cranked centrifuge and spun it around. For those of us tall enough to look inside the metal drum, we could see the honey flying outward against the inner walls of the drum, where it slowly made its way down the walls and through the spigot into a waiting bucket. Later, after it was halfway full, John emptied the bucket into a cheesecloth strainer to remove the wax and other hive bits that came out of the frames.

And yes, we got to taste test the fresh honey. It was as sweet as you can imagine. The frames themselves were in good condition after the draining, unlike years ago when honey farmers would simply crush the hive to extract the goods. With the wax comb structure in place, John is able to return the frames to the box and let the bees continue on their busy way making more honey for the next batch. 

This upcoming Saturday we look forward to welcoming a knife sharpener back to the Market. Feel free to bring along your blades and watch them get honed to a fine edge while you shop.

The Morton Grove Farmers' Market is held Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 8930 Waukegan Rd.