Buying local honey

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spunk

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I just found a local honey bee keeper that sells honey. Never had fresh honey like this before. Is there any thing I need to look for or ask when I get it. She said it is watery than I'm used to is that norml? Going to get get a few pints and see what it's like.
 
Honey should not be thin and watery. Rather it should be fairly thick slightly thinner than corn syrup. It should have a color consistent with the norm for the Type of honey. Honey should have a moisture content no greater than 18.5 % A moisture content any higher will cause the honey to ferment. Now I know I am talking to wine makers who desire a strong fermentation we are talking about wild yeasts that are un-reliable and un-predictable. a quality raw honey should be filtered with a filter no greater than 200 microns this leaves all the best the bees have to offer within the honey. It also should never be heated above 150 degrees. and NEVER microwaved.

I find that by talking to the beekeeper about the bees rather than the honey exclusively, one can get a feel for their integrity. if they are enthused and genuinely love their bees then they will do nothing to discredit them. When people visit my honey house they can see my extraction process, they can view the bees in a glass hive inside the building, and they will get a free lecture on "Beehavior", and the social hierarchy within the hive, they will be educated on the varietal honeys and the importance of buying U.S. Or Canadian exclusively. Both from a safety and economical standpoint. And they can sample most any of the honeys we have on hand. This is what I recommend you look for dedication to the bees, the craft, and the customer.

Make Mead with local Honey and catch the buzz
 
10 B's thanks lot of information. She did say it was a thin honey. Also told me not to get to much as she feels it won't ferment like a year from now. Not sure what she ment. So do you think it's ok to get?
 
Pretty much what was said above, except I try to keep my honey below 120 F at all times. Also, I know I am going to sound like a bastard for saying this... But, just because it is local does not mean it is good. I have found in the past it has been worth my while to search around a bit and order from out of state when I need to to ensure I don't get ripped off.

I have had good luck from The Bee Folks for buying bulk and Flying Bee Ranch has also given me some great honey before.
 
10 B's thanks lot of information. She did say it was a thin honey. Also told me not to get to much as she feels it won't ferment like a year from now. Not sure what she ment. So do you think it's ok to get?

It is just a suspicion based on what you have said, I do not know the individual, But Quality honey will last decades without spoiling, or loosing it's ability to ferment. IT is basically Sugars. and enzymes, It is also antiseptic. I have some that my farther bottled in the 1930, it is darker than it was back when it was bottled, but it is still a pure great tasting honey. I feel the individual you are talking to may be a new beekeeper who is unsure of their extraction, and bottling procedures. I am also inclined to believe that during the extraction process they extracted honey/nectar from the comb that was not capped. although there may be a small% of the honey in the comb that has reached the proper moisture levels. the bees generally cap the honey when it is ready. Thus uncapped honey in the comb is generally not dehydrated enough to be truly honey. a small amount of this will not harm the honey as most honey is well below the 18.5% moisture levels. The problem arises when too much in allowed in the honey. it reduces the viscosity and allows for fermentation from wild yeasts that can be found everywhere.

If you will send me your address via Private message I will send you a 6 oz. sampler of my wildflower honey at no charge, enjoy it get to know its flavor, sweetness, and consistency, Now I am not so vain as to propose that it is the measuring stick by which all honey should be judged. But it is as good a quality universal honey as any should be.
 
Ok so now I'm not sure I want to get any from her I think I will just try a small amount and see. I may take you up on that offer. So I can compair.she called it goldenrod honey.
 
Tenbears - so glad to read that you know so much about honey and bees. I have a friend in Canada who has bees and shipped me a 2 kg container of "honey". It is not what i think of as honey - it is thick and more like honey butter if you will. I am thinking it is some sort of really raw honey but I'm not sure what to do with it. It is thick and creamy color not golden so I think it has a lot of coomb in it. Any ideas/suggestions??
 
Tenbears - so glad to read that you know so much about honey and bees. I have a friend in Canada who has bees and shipped me a 2 kg container of "honey". It is not what i think of as honey - it is thick and more like honey butter if you will. I am thinking it is some sort of really raw honey but I'm not sure what to do with it. It is thick and creamy color not golden so I think it has a lot of coomb in it. Any ideas/suggestions??

I suspect what your friend sent is honey that has crystalized. In time all unprocessed honey will crystalize. (turn from a fully liquid state to a semi solid)
However it could be creamed honey. Honey that is intentionally crystalized in a specific manner them whipped to a creamy texture. this is often done to make honey spreadable. A great treat on biscuits, or toast without dripping onto your lap. The Difference between the two is Creamed honey will be smooth and creamy The consistency of peanut butter. where as crystalized honey will have a grainy texture as though it has undissolved sugar in it. In both instances they are pure honey. If what you have is creamed honey enjoy It as it is, your friend would have put forth great effort to make it. as the process in not simple. However If as I suspect is the case it is simply honey that has crystalized. it can be used as any honey. In fact you can turn it back to liquid if you like. simply bring a pot of water almost to a boil, remove from heat. place the jar of honey in the water as the heat transfers from the water to the honey the honey will liquefy. it only takes temperatures above 105F for the crystals to turn to liquid. Once liquid it can be used as you use any honey.
Since this is a wine forum I would suggest using it for a mead or melomel. 2 kg would be an ample amount to try my latest experiment Dragon blood melomel.. You would have to cut it down but I used dangerdave's Dragon Blood recipe and substituted honey for sugar. at a rate of 2/3 cup honey in place of sugar. then tweaked the SG to achieve the 1.075 SG
 
Ok so now I'm not sure I want to get any from her I think I will just try a small amount and see. I may take you up on that offer. So I can compair.she called it goldenrod honey.

Goldenrod honey is a very light colored honey with a high glucose content very sweet, However some find goldenrod honey distasteful, it has a strong aroma, Ask any farmer who has mowed a goldenrod field. Personally I like it.
Goldenrod honey because of its high glucose crystalizes very rapidly, second only to Canola honey. however, many of my customers tell me it is the best baking honey out there.
I just made 6.5 gallons of mead from goldenrod honey for the first time so I cannot tell you how it preforms as a single source honey for mead. Maybe someone else can.
 
So is there anyone else out there that has used golden rod honey mead and what did you think of it?
 
I got a pint of honey 7.50 taste good. I will tell you a story we had a pussywillow turned into a tree taller than our house. Planted to close to house was messing roof and gutters. Had to take down. Loved it one of the first bloomers. The bees alway came and visited it wasn't anything else out there blooming much yet.You would walk by it and the whole bush hummed like a small moter there were so many. We really hated taking it down. Felt bad they would come back every year.
 
Goldenrod honey is not a good tasting homey.. I'm a beekeeper in South Carolina and we take all honey off the hives that isn't being left for the bees to over winter with before the goldenrod blooms. Honey will last forever if the moisture level is below 18%.. As said before it should not be thin or watery..
 
I want to chime in just a little here, also. My wife and I started a small backyard apiary a couple of years ago and I am definitely "hooked on bees." I tell people that I never knew I would ever become so passionate about a bunch of "bugs that sting." I also agree with what 10B's and Ferb are saying about the quality of raw honey. In a side-by-side tasting of my honey against a store-bought honey, you'd want to go up there and slap those people at Kroger for selling that stuff as honey. I might suggest that you do a google search for a local beekeeper's association in your area. Those associations can get you in touch with long-time beekeepers who would probably be happy to sell you their honey.

My wife and I have pretty much sold our harvest from this year. I tried to lay claim to some for making a mead, but it was a "no-go" for this year. Next year, though, I believe I'll be able to talk her out of a little for an "experimental" batch of mead. Hoping so anyway.
 
Goldenrod honey is not a good tasting homey.. I'm a beekeeper in South Carolina and we take all honey off the hives that isn't being left for the bees to over winter with before the goldenrod blooms. Honey will last forever if the moisture level is below 18%.. As said before it should not be thin or watery..


To say that goldenrod honey is not good tasting homey is a bit of a misnomer.

It would be like saying that extremely dry wine , or wine with very high alcohol content are not good tasting. although some my agree with either statement. neither is true. I happen to dislike very dry wines, but my wife favors them greatly. The same applies to Goldenrod honey. Although it's powerful aroma tends to put some off, others like it very much. It is sweet and can have a verity of side notes.
 
Question i have a canned honey recipe that has cloves and lemon wedge and a cinnamon stick in them.I have learned more about honey from this form. Gave it out as christmas presents.The recipe i use boils the honey with spices. Then cans using the boil method for ten minutes. It is good. But now i know that cooking at that level will take a some of the qualities away. I wonder if i could just warm it up to like 120 -130. Then can in boiling canner. Would i still lose flavor? I was thinking to make some of this let it sit for a year. Then use it to make mead like for next winter.
 

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