Wilton Gold Honey made by Ed Weiss

October 16, 7:30 AMFairfield County Food ExaminerJames Cooper

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Honey and Ed's antique scale

Ed Weiss has been Wilton’s premier beekeeper for more than 30 years. His excellent Wilton Gold honey is found in a number of local stores, such as Wilton’s Village Market and stores in Ridgefield, Greenwich, Darien, Norwalk, and Westport. At its peak, Weiss produced 10,000 to 30,000 pounds Wilton Gold Honey each season.

Wilton Gold Honey is not your ordinary bland, commercial honey: it has real flavor and a delightful bite to it, which makes it a popular item in all the stores that carry it.

While the 90-year old Weiss still produces honey on a somewhat smaller scale than he did earlier, he is best known locally as the founder of the Backyard Beekeeper’s Association, and a mentor to hundreds if not thousands of new beekeepers all over the country. He is widely considered Connecticut’s beekeeper.

His shop sells honey, but more important sells all the supplies you might need to become a beekeeper. Most important, he provides endless advice from his years of experience in beekeeping. A recent customer referred to himself as a “third-generation beekeeper,” and they all started into their craft because of Weiss’s patient tutoring and wealth of information. His book, The Queen and I is available at his shop and is in its third printing.

Ed Weiss

Weiss began as a small beekeeping hobbyist, and bought his supplies from the late Edna Erickson in Danbury who started him out in the business. He became close friends with her, and helped her in her shop as she became older. When she died, he was surprised to learn that she had left her business and all of her supplies to him, and he left his marketing job and took over the business of supplying beekeepers in the region. The Backyard Beekeepers Association has over 300 current member and meets monthly in Weston, Ct.

Weiss still keeps 8-10 hives on his property and expects to produce 500 pounds of honey a year, although this year was as bad for beekeepers as it was for other kinds of gardeners. His shop at 3 Whipstick Rd in Wilton is open Tuesday through Thursday from 12 to 6pm.

A new hive in use

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