Korean Farmer Tech

  Hello, everyone. How is your winter beginning? Here on the farm in Korea, the air has turned crisp and cold. This is the season when our most important winter work begins: making "Meju" (메주) . To be honest, I planned to take fresh photos of the Meju blocks hanging in our farm today. However, life as a farmer and a father doesn't always go to plan. My youngest child (7 years old) caught a bad winter cold, and I've been busy running between farm duties and caring for my little one. Since I couldn't step away to take taking photos, I decided to use technology to share the spirit of this beautiful tradition with you. A Note on the Image Above: The image you see was generated by AI to capture the nostalgic atmosphere of the Korean countryside in the 1960s and 70s. Please note that modern Korean farms (including mine!) are much more modernized now with different architecture and facilities. However, even though our buildings have changed, the traditional spirit of ...

 If you visit our apiary in Gokseong right now, you will notice something strange. The buzzing sound is gone. A heavy silence has settled over the farm. Winter has officially arrived in Korea. Today, I want to share the current status of our hives as they enter their critical survival mode, and the specific challenges we face this year. 1. The Signs of Winter (Preparation) It started with the morning frost. When we saw the ground turning white like this, we knew it was time to act. Unlike some beekeepers who use electric heating systems to keep the bees active or shorten the wintering period, our apiary follows the natural rhythm of the seasons. From early December to around January 15th—for about 40 days —our bees go into deep wintering. Before closing the doors, we had to make some tough decisions. We inspected every hive. Colonies that were weakened by robbing (Do-bong) or had low populations were removed or merged. It is sad, but in beekeeping, consolidation is survival. 2. The...

 Why we spent our weekend buried in mountains of cabbage and red pepper paste. If you visit Korea in late November or early December, you might notice something strange. People are carrying huge nets of cabbage, and the price of radishes becomes a national news topic. It’s Gimjang  season. Just like my bees work hard to store honey for the winter, we Koreans have our own ritual to prepare for the cold months. Today, I want to invite you into our home to see how we secured our food for the next year. 1. From Village Festivals to Family Gatherings Gimjang comes in many shapes and sizes. Sometimes, an entire village gathers to make Kimchi together in a massive "Pumasi" (labor exchange) event. Other times, social clubs or charities gather to make thousands of heads of Kimchi for the elderly or those in need. In those cases, it truly feels like a loud, bustling local festival. But for us this weekend, it was a focused "Family Team Mission." We didn't have the whole n...

 Looking beneath the floor of my apartment and planning for my apiary. In the Korean winter, there is a reason why homes feel uniquely cozy. It’s not because of the warm air—it’s because the floor itself is warm. We take this for granted in Korea, but I know that globally, our heating system, called 'Ondol,' is quite unique. Today, I decided to use a thermal imaging camera to look beneath the surface of my apartment floor. I also want to share how this technology is influencing my plans for a future resting hut at my apiary. 1. The Anatomy of Warmth: How Ondol Works When you step onto a warm Korean floor, you are standing on top of a sophisticated engineering system. This AI-generated image illustrates exactly what is happening beneath our feet. Unlike Western homes that often use radiators to heat the air, our system starts with a boiler. It heats water and pumps it through a complex network of pipes—known as "XL pipes" —embedded in the concrete floor. Think of it...

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the second entry in A Beekeeper's Journal . In Part 1, we talked about waking the bees up in late winter. But even if we succeed, a new war begins as the weather warms. This is our fight against the Asian Giant Hornet, known in the West as the "Murder Hornet." This is not an exaggeration. For us beekeepers in Korea, this is an annual battle for survival that defines our autumn. 1. The Problem: Meet the Attackers Before we show you our defenses, you need to understand who we're fighting. It's not just one type of hornet; it's a two-front war. The Main Villain: The Asian Giant Hornet.  This is the one you've heard of—the 'Murder Hornet.' It's a monster. Its only goal is to slaughter the entire hive, chop up the bees and their brood, and feed them to its young. A few of these can destroy an entire colony in hours. The Relentless Nuisance: The Yellow-legged Hornet.  This one is smaller, but just as terrible. It ...

 Hello everyone, and welcome to a brand-new feature on the blog! In my last post, I shared that we just finished getting the bees ready for winter. Now that the 'off-season' is here, I want to share some special pages from 'A Beekeeper's Journal'  that I've kept since starting this journey. This series isn't a complete month-by-month calendar. Instead, it’s a look at the key challenges and milestones that define our year—from waking the bees up, to fighting off pests. Our first entry begins in late February . This is about 20-30 days after their very first wake-up, and it's a critical time when the queen begins to lay eggs again and the colony must build its strength for spring. The Goal: Building a Strong Colony in the Cold In late winter, the nights are still freezing in Korea. The colony is small and weak. Our single most important job is to help them grow into a strong, packed hive as safely and quickly as possible. Every apiary has its own style,...