Episode 47: Christina Joy Neumann talks beekeeping, honey sustainability and more

Episode 47: Christina Joy Neumann talks beekeeping, honey sustainability and more

Author: Hobby Farms February 10, 2023 Duration: 54:13

Pittsburgh apiarist Christina Joy Neumann talks with Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good host Lisa Munniksma about beekeeping, sustainability in the honey industry, and more.

Learn about the evolution of Christina's Apoidea Apiary and how she sees her career in architecture and her work with bees as intrinsically related. (Think about bees as natural architects!) She shares her fascination with bees as eusocial creatures and with their ability to efficiently make their own food and homes. 

Hear about the 70 to 110 hives that Christina manages and the seasonality of beekeeping in urban Pittsburgh, both from the perspective of the bees and the beekeeper. Christina talks about the high-level craft of creating honey and how she encourages consumers to appreciate her Certified Naturally Grown honey as an artisan farm product.

Dive into what takes place behind the scenes of commercial-scale beekeeping, including the industrialized system of migratory beekeeping, commodified honey processing and labeling, and bee welfare. You'll hear about the study Christina is participating in with a researcher at Chatham University about the question of what truly sustainable honey production would look like.

Get to know Burgh Bees, a beekeeper education group in Pittsburgh, and Co-Nectar, the honey tasting room, cafe, and art space that Christina and family members are opening in 2023. At the end, Christina touches on the terroir and different flavor profiles of honey.

Apoidia Apiary website

Sign up for Christina's newsletter

Christina Joy Neumann on Instagram

Co-Nectar on Instagram

Burgh Bees website 


At the heart of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good are the conversations that happen over a fence line or at a farmers market, translated into audio. This podcast lives in the space where a personal passion meets practical purpose, featuring the voices of those who cultivate small plots, raise a few animals, or run a sustainable micro-farm. Host Lisa Munniksma doesn’t just interview her guests; she gets into the dirt with them, uncovering the personal journeys that led to a life rooted in the land. You’ll hear how a simple hobby evolved into a thriving side business, how families connect through daily chores, and how these growers are building resilience within their local communities far beyond the harvest. The discussions are grounded in real experience, tackling the challenges of soil health, animal husbandry, and market creativity alongside the profound satisfactions of self-reliance and stewardship. It’s a series for anyone who has ever felt the pull to grow something, whether that’s a backyard tomato plant or a fledgling farmstead business, offering relatable stories and tangible insights from people who are actually doing the work. Tune in for honest talk about the failures, the triumphs, and the quiet motivations that keep this community planting seeds season after season.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 88

Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good
Podcast Episodes
Episode 7: Monica Clark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:40
Hear from Dig This! radio show host and book author Monica Clark about her work to dispel the myths surrounding food access. Monica speaks honestly about her experience of job loss and homelessness in Seattle and how gro…
Episode 6: Amy Dawson and Mike Costello [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:01
Listen in as farmer-chef-storytellers Amy Dawson and Mike Costello talk with host Lisa Munniksma about using food and farming to reverse the narratives we've all learned about stereotypes of Appalachia. Hear about Amy's…
Episode 5: Kenya Abraham [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:20
Show host Lisa Munniksma talks with SLAK Market Farm's Kenya Abraham, who just happens to be Lisa's raw milk herdshare owner in Lexington, Kentucky. Listen in to hear about the journey that took Kenya from urban entrepre…
Episode 4: Olga Tzogas [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:04
Show host Lisa Munniksma talks with Olga Tzogas, a forager, mushroom grower and educator in Rochester, New York. Olga's Smugtown Mushrooms has provided mushroom-cultivation supplies and education since 2014. Hear about t…
Episode 3: Maria Elena Rodriguez [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:31
Lisa Munniksma sits down with Maria Elena Rodriguez of Puerto Rico's Cosecha Caribe to talk about growing food in Puerto Rico, her craft Caribbean-inspired artisanal food products, and the community-based food work she d…
Episode 2: Jessica Walliser [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:06
Lisa Munniksma sits down with horticulturalist Jessica Walliser to talk about growing plants, appreciating bugs, writing (and editing) about gardening and more. As a writer, editor and co-founder of Savvy Gardening, Wall…
Episode 1: Angela Wartes-Kahl [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:37
In our premiere episode of Hobby Farms Presents: Growing Good, host Lisa Munniksma sits down for a chat with Angela Wartes-Kahl of Oregon's Common Treasury Farm. As the co-founder of Fibrevolution, Wartes-Kahl has plenty…