Reef Botanicals

Reef Botanicals Local raw honey, gourmet mushrooms, chicken eggs, quail eggs, quail, 100% natural soap, lip balms, bath luxuries, & insect repellent, and handmade candles.

Reef Botanicals is the creation of husband and wife team, Larissa and Eric Symbouras. It comes from our love of the outdoors, animals, good food, creating, and generally treating ourselves well. As a result, in addition to our dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and fish, we find ourselves with chickens and honey bees, as well as a love for making soaps and candles, lip balms, lotion bars, and handspinning y

arn! Reef Botanicals means fresh, free range, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, multicolored eggs from pet chickens, and delicious raw honey. It also means all-natural soaps, beautiful beeswax candles, and some other skin care luxuries. Plus art photographs, handspun yarn, hand-knitted and sewn items, and coloring pages. Enjoy!

12/08/2021
01/25/2021
Now available at Reef Botanicals! Hand painted Kratky method hydroponic growing kits. Take a look at www.reefbotanical...
01/25/2021

Now available at Reef Botanicals! Hand painted Kratky method hydroponic growing kits. Take a look at www.reefbotanicals.com.

Check this out! The lovely farmers at Dreamscape Acres gave me raw romney sheep fleece from 2-year-old Winston to clean...
09/09/2019

Check this out! The lovely farmers at Dreamscape Acres gave me raw romney sheep fleece from 2-year-old Winston to clean, card, spin, and knit into a scarf for the Shepherd's Lead contest at the Garden State Sheep & Fiber Festival this weekend. Brilliant breeder, Tabitha, showed Winston while wearing the scarf... and check out that ribbon!!!

I had some good fortune at the Home and Hobby Division competition! First place for my second place for my third p...
08/13/2019

I had some good fortune at the Home and Hobby Division competition! First place for my second place for my third place for my and and an honorable mention for my Go me!

Black/White/Grey Alpaca Yarn - 1st Place!Grey/Silver/White Romney Yarn - 2nd Place!Black/White/Grey Woven Alpaca Scarf -...
08/12/2019

Black/White/Grey Alpaca Yarn - 1st Place!
Grey/Silver/White Romney Yarn - 2nd Place!
Black/White/Grey Woven Alpaca Scarf - 3rd Place!
Bluefaced Leicester Yarn - 3rd Place!
Knitted Dinosaur Children's Scarf - Honorable Mention!
My knitted hippo children's scarf is the only thing that didn't place. :)

05/09/2019

Saturday: Checked on the bees; they're doing great.

Sunday: Made two batches of Purity.

Tonight: Making lotion bars.

04/21/2019

Installing a new nuc.

My, Grandma, what big teeth you have!
03/08/2019

My, Grandma, what big teeth you have!

I've been busy! I'm making loads and loads of dryer balls to have with me at the Northern Valley Earth Fair this year! ...
03/05/2019

I've been busy! I'm making loads and loads of dryer balls to have with me at the Northern Valley Earth Fair this year! Who already uses and loves dryer balls?

February Supper Club: Iberico hamOstrich tartare, deep fried quail egg, pickled radish, garlicSpring mix, mandarin miso ...
02/26/2019

February Supper Club:

Iberico ham

Ostrich tartare, deep fried quail egg, pickled radish, garlic

Spring mix, mandarin miso vinaigrette

Poached quail egg, brioche, black truffle, fois gras, caviar

Duck egg creme brulee, Bailey's Irish cream

02/21/2019

It was crazy thins morning when I took the pups out - the snow and ice are done, and it's warming up, so the trees were raining on us!

Even a simple night at home for Valentine's Day can be a nice dinner. We had roast quail and a lovely salad in a ginger...
02/15/2019

Even a simple night at home for Valentine's Day can be a nice dinner. We had roast quail and a lovely salad in a ginger/blood orange dressing, with some nice champagne. Filling, delicious, but not heavy!

This week, I've been spinning Wensleydale, that's destined for organic purple dye and will debut at the Northern Valley ...
02/13/2019

This week, I've been spinning Wensleydale, that's destined for organic purple dye and will debut at the Northern Valley Earth Fair!

We'll be back!
02/12/2019

We'll be back!

First egg of the year! Thank you, Araucanas!
02/03/2019

First egg of the year! Thank you, Araucanas!

02/03/2019

I had a great time this morning with the silly, silly alpacas! Can you find Lucy the llama among them?

01/29/2019

The current situation.

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Colonial Road
Franklin Lakes, NJ
07417

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Videos

Installing a new nuc.

It was crazy thins morning when I took the pups out - the snow and ice are done, and it's warming up, so the trees were raining on us! #suburbanlife #rainingtrees #winter #february #februaryinnj #climatechange #crazyweather #iceandsnow #snowandice #newjersey

I had a great time this morning with the silly, silly alpacas! Can you find Lucy the llama among them? #llama #camelidsofinstagram #camelids #alpacafarms #alpacasofinstagram #alpacas #llamasareawesome #llamasofinstagram #njfarms #njalpacafarms

The current situation. #snow #january #newjersey #franklinlakesnj #januaryinnewjersey

Walking Harris during our Sunday visit. #alpacasofinstagram #alpaca #alpacafarm #adoptanalpaca #njalpacafarms #njalpacas #alpacasareawesome

I grew up in a house where raking leaves was the normal thing to do, for all of us. When Eric and I moved here to our 1.24 acres (in my defense, about half is wooded) on September 1, 2012, and leaves started to fall that autumn, I did the natural thing and went out and bought a rake. Several hours later, when I'd managed to rake a 5' swath across the front yard, Eric and I went out and bought a leaf blower. Today, borrowing a second from a friend and working together for 3 hours, we managed just the from yard. I swear our oak trees are mutants. #ithoughtitwaseasy #thatwassilly #suburbanlife #leavessuck #leavesarecrunchy #leavesinmyhair #leavesinmyeyes#leavesinmyface #leavesinmymouth #iwasnuts

The Chicklettes say good morning to you! For those of you who don't know them, meet Lita, Adele, Cher, Reba, Miranda, and Martina. #reefbotanicals #reefsapiary #njfarming #njfarms #chickens #njchickens #suburbanfarming #bergencounty #bergencountychickens #chickensofinstagram

I got to learn to catch and halter alpacas and take Harris for a walk today! #alpaca #alpacas #alpacafarm #alpacafarming #njalpacas #njalpacafarms #suburbanfarming #njfarming #njfarms

First Hive Inspection Spring 2018
First Hive Inspection Spring 2018

Sorry it's so blurry; I didn't realize! We finally got into the hives on Saturday, and suffice it to say, we were VERY happy with the health of the hives, the sight of brood, and the population size. Because it's early spring and all the bees were in the top boxes, and because honey bees have a tendency to build upwards, we didn't want them to think they didn't have space and swarm, so we reversed the boxes. With the vast majority of the population in the bottom box and ton of empty comb in which the queen can lay eggs in the top box, they realize they've got loads of space and stick around! The girls we so chill, too! Sign of a healthy, untroubled hive. It was so nice to be back with them, surrounded by the buzz.

Waggle Dance
Waggle Dance

It's the waggle dance! During the swarm capture, we knew we had the queen in the box, when the others started heading in on their own, while others stayed out to dance their pheromone message to any stragglers.

New hive stands, new hives, all placed today! Bees come Friday night!

The Chicklettes
The Chicklettes

Want to meet the hens that create such gorgeous eggs? Here they are! Adele, Martina, Cher, Miranda, Reba, and Lita, at your service!

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Our Story

Reef Botanicals is the creation of husband and wife team, Larissa and Eric Symbouras. It comes from our love of the outdoors, animals, good food, creating, and generally treating ourselves well. As a result, in addition to our dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and fish, we find ourselves with chickens, angora rabbits, and honey bees, as well as a love for making soaps and candles, lip balms, lotion bars, maple syrup, handspun yarn, and handcrafted knitted and woven items! Reef Botanicals means fresh, free range, hormone-free, antibiotic-free, multicolored eggs from pet chickens, and delicious raw honey. In the winter we tap our maple trees, and might have that available too if there’s enough! It also means all-natural soaps, beautiful beeswax candles, and some other skin care luxuries. Plus art photographs, handspun yarn, hand-knitted, woven, and sewn items, and coloring pages. Enjoy!