Worldwide Beekeeping
Beekeeping => Products Of The Hive => Topic started by: Perry on December 04, 2014, 08:46:00 pm
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I went out today and got everything I need to make a batch of creamed honey. Almost every time I'm at the market I have at least one person ask if I have any creamed honey. I read a bit on Apis's thread, watched a couple of you tube videos, and chose a path up the middle.
I bought a kilo jar of what I consider to be one of the nicer creamed honeys as a seed starter.
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs28.postimg.cc%2F7ta0vjo7t%2FCreamed_honey_010.jpg&hash=943d22cddada7b83f7c0b120d1bcc520c11b70d4) (http://postimg.cc/image/7ta0vjo7t/)
I then picked up a paint mixer attachment for my drill. I'll run it on slow so as not to incorporate too much air, blend rather than whip.
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs4.postimg.cc%2F4ltq979u1%2FCreamed_honey_008.jpg&hash=9518de7ad2aa119fa611f9c3e24294c681f7750c) (http://postimg.cc/image/4ltq979u1/)
I'm still trying to figure out if the ratio is 10%, or 10 to 1. I've warmed up my honey to 90 degrees (not to 140 as I think this would cook the honey as well as destroy any yeast), and will filter it again through some purpose filter cloth to remove any crystals that may be in there, and then I will add the seed and blend it in. I will wait 1 day, and then blend it again, and then jar on the 3rd day.
Anyone have any advice?
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10% or 10 to 1 isn't that critical. 10% would speed it up a minor bit. Otherwise, no difference.
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It is a little more work, but I find your fellow canuck's method produces a more pleasing product. You don't need his tool, but he describes the process. Just try not to get too much air in it with your paint stirrer.
http://www.beeworks.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=113
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Followed these steps and made a terrific creamed honey, will be making another 60 lb soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLGE-7n0_Ko
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Thanks Marbees. How long after you blended in your seed in, did you wait to actually jar it?
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Filled jars after mixing and left boxes outside. It was 12 C temperature, back in October. After 2 days came back to find the tastiest creamed honey ever. :)
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Hey Perry, do they have big man shops in your area. :laugh: :laugh: Jack
Sorry buddy, i couldn't help it. ;D
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Hey Perry, do they have big man shops in your area. :laugh: :laugh: Jack
Sorry buddy, i couldn't help it. ;D
Yes they do Jack, you'll have no problem getting a new wardrobe when you're visiting. ;D
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That creamed honey sure looks good! When you market this, what is a typical price compared to pure honey? :)
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All my honey is the same price. $10/500 gram jar. Whether it's a buckwheat, creamed, houseblend or wildflower
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marbees, thanks for the video!
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You are welcome :) At the end, when you do that toast test, word perfect comes naturally from your mouth. :laugh: :laugh:
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$10 for 500 grams? I like the sound of that. I only get $6 for 500 grams.
I don't see why one wouldn't charge a bit more for the creamed as it involves an extra step or process? :-\
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You may charge more, of course, most beekeepers charge more for buckwheat too. It's just me :) KISS laziness.
Also I saw jars of creamed honey ~ 360 grams with the same price as 500 grams of liquid honey, from the same apiary
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Well, got it done today, but am really not too sure how it's going to turn out. I had my bottling tank set at 100 degrees after I filled it up with some granulated honey. I'm thinking I didn't let it heat up long enough cause as I was draining out the honey through a fine filter to catch any fine crystals it kept plugging up and slowed down so much I gave up. It would have taken me hours just to get the 18 kilos I needed out of the tank (I decided to make a double batch, 20 kilos).
I just went and found another bucket that hadn't set up bad and topped it off to get the 18 kilos, and then I blended in the 2 kilos of seed. The drill attachment worked well. I will give it another stir tomorrow and then jar it up.
This may have just been a screw up kind of day.
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Where are your pictures perry? ;D
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I'll tell you, someone just gave me a small jar of creamed honey from Savannah Bee Company. That has got to be some of the best honey I have
tasted. The consistency was crazy smooth. Like whipped butter.
I have tried to make this before but nothing even close to this. So Perry, keep us posted cause I want to learn to do this.
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Sorry I didn't get pictures (yet), I may try and get some today when I give it a final stir and hopefully jar it. I'm at the market today so it will be a busy day. I was not happy about having to top up the batch the way I did and I really hope it doesn't affect the final product. I was hoping to have absolutely zero crystals in there when I seeded it.
You're right on with your appreciation of the creamed honey. The stuff I couldn't get out of the jars as seed went into my gut off my fingers and was it ever smooth.
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I haven't studied any recipes on making creamed honey---I sort of came to it by luck.
A few short comments:
1. I would never heat up the honey in preparation for creaming. That could melt the seed crystals and eliminate them entirely.
2. I've never used seed honey from any other source than my own crystalllized honey.
3. Whipping the honey serves the purpose of physically breaking down large crystals into smaller ones ("seed" size) and spreading them evenly throughout the honey.
4. IMHO, the mixing process is the key to a successful start. The next important step is the cooling of the mixture (honey + small crystals) quickly. Rapid crystallization (encouraged by cooling) speeds crystallization and prevents the creation of large crystals thus giving you a nice smooth texture.
Since you use your paint mixer, you might try to add a little color to your cream ;D
But really----it just dawned on me, you could try using a minute amount of food coloring, prepare holiday colored batches and market them in layers inside your jars. It might be a dud but if done nicely, it could be a holiday hit. ;)
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I never heat honey above what I believe to be a "natural" temp in the hive, but at this time of year almost everything I have is now starting to set up. There is no way to add seed to something that stiff, so I have to warm it up to evenly distribute the seed.
I do, however, think your idea of food colouring for holiday seasons is absolutely brilliant! This could be a marketing dream, even doing layers if that possible. You're a genius Ef! ;D
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a couple questions for perry and ef:
perry what do you heat your honey at?
"I never heat honey above what I believe to be a "natural" temp in the hive"
ef,
how do you do your creamed honey?
and thanks in advance!
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Hey river:
I try to never go above 100 -104 F. The bees supposedly maintain a temp in the cluster around 95 - 97, and in the summer time it gets hotter. I saw a pic (I think it was tec's) of a thermometer in the back of an open bed truck that was showing 110 in the shade. :-0
Alright, here are a few more pics. I blended it one more time but it sure looked good to me before I did. I then jarred it up. I put one jar in the fridge, and the rest I put on the basement floor against the concrete wall with a blanket over it. It seems to me some said that is a way to get close to 57 F. The ground below ground-level is near that so place it on the floor next to a wall and prevent it from getting any "room temperature. If anyone else has a better idea, fire away.
I'll be curious to see how light coloured this stuff gets once it's done! ;D
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs8.postimg.cc%2F8lbmnfgup%2Fcreamed_honey_in_the_jar_002.jpg&hash=ca38e80abb49c4589d947c1e82aa25d8fd4cca7b) (http://postimg.cc/image/8lbmnfgup/)
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs24.postimg.cc%2Fmpn94s7gh%2Fcreamed_honey_in_the_jar_007.jpg&hash=1456c7e4418a2fd380e0948f0f51596f39423aaa) (http://postimg.cc/image/mpn94s7gh/)
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs27.postimg.cc%2Fkyegh6d33%2Fcreamed_honey_in_the_jar_008.jpg&hash=5ee35542b9c8244ffd6a53998bf5cce9d5d308e1) (http://postimg.cc/image/kyegh6d33/)
(https://worldwidebeekeeping.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fs30.postimg.cc%2F80hft7x25%2Fcreamed_honey_in_the_jar_009.jpg&hash=1598b0c552ef870fea00a1d85895d37e79ecd6e8) (http://postimg.cc/image/80hft7x25/)
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thanks perry! that honey sure looks good!
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You did it :yes: I was surprised how much I enjoy eating creamed honey :laugh:
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"how do you do your creamed honey?
and thanks in advance!"
RB, please accept my apologies---I didn't spot your December 7th request til just five minutes ago.
Down to business----
Sometimes I extract frames that have crystalized honey in the cells. The fine fabric filter I use holds the crsytals from entering my honey barrel. Using a wide spatula which I draw back and forth across the filter, I crush the crystals and they eventually get small enough tp go through the filter and enter the barrel.
When I pour this mixture of honey + fine crystals into my bottling arrangement, the crystals and the honey get mixed together quite well, on their own.
The bottled honey is placed in the refrigerator for about a week and "presto" you've got it.
So, for all practical purposes, my creamed honey is produced more or less by itself, as an afterthought.
If I were to go about the process intentionally. I would start with a few jars of "old", crystalized honey from my back stock, crush the large crystals and mix them into liquid honey and cool them in the fridge.
The whole business is really quite simple, and well worth the minimal effort required.
The pleasant texture of the creamed honey is a taster's delight and the non-dripping ease with which it spreads makes it a valuable, highly desirable product of the hive---IMHO, well worth a higher price than "standard" honey.
Another highly desirable quality of creamed honey is the fact that it doesn't change from small crystals to large ones. As such, it eliminates the "need" to heat and super-filter honey in order to keep its desirable appearance for marketing.