Author Topic: Mixing honey...?  (Read 7665 times)

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline CpnObvious

  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 642
  • Thanked: 8 times
  • Gender: Male
    • My Photobucket Bee Album
  • Location: North-Central Massachusetts
Mixing honey...?
« on: July 13, 2015, 12:50:25 pm »
I have 3 medium frames of honey that I will be extracting once I get a bit more.  Due to the, ehem, "accidental" finger pokes into them, it's quite clear that each of the 3 frames have different colors of honey in them.  One is pretty clear-ish, the next has a bit more color, and the third is a light caramel color.  Is it wrong to extract them together and let them blend?  The honey is strictly for personal use and to share with friends.  It will not be sold, graded, shown, judged, etc...
« Last Edit: July 13, 2015, 12:50:49 pm by CpnObvious »

Offline iddee

  • Administrator
  • Gold Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 6152
  • Thanked: 412 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Sophia, N. C.
Re: Mixing honey...?
« Reply #1 on: July 13, 2015, 12:56:24 pm »
I always mix. Sometimes it separates in the jar. It's neat having layered honey in the jars.
“Listen to the mustn'ts, child. Listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me... Anything can happen, child. Anything can be.”
― Shel Silverstein

Offline apisbees

  • Global Moderator
  • Gold Member
  • *******
  • Posts: 3723
  • Thanked: 331 times
  • Gender: Male
  • Location: Vernon B.C.
Re: Mixing honey...?
« Reply #2 on: July 13, 2015, 07:06:34 pm »
I always mix. Sometimes it separates in the jar. It's neat having layered honey in the jars.
Not when it is entered into a honey competition. But is does look cool in the jar.
Most honeys are a blend. The bees will be working a variety of flowers at any given time and although they do store the different hectors in separate cells it is hard to keep the honey from mixing.
One way to to keep the honey types separated is marketing them as spring, summer, and fall honeys.
If the bees are on a large area of nectar producing plants you can advertise it as mainly that floral source but I would not go so far as to say it is a pure single source.
Blending is used by the commercial packers to sell a consistence tasting and looking product. It also allows them to mix in honeys that are less desirable due to taste color and property's like crystallizing with course crystal structure.
In the end it is your honey and you can market it any way you want. If you let your customers know the difference or give sample tastes then they can choose what they like best.
Honey Judge, Beekeeping Display Coordinator, Armstrong Fair and Rodeo.

Offline riverbee

  • Gold Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 8924
  • Thanked: 410 times
  • Gender: Female
  • ***Forum Sponsor***
  • Location: El Paso Twp, Wisconsin
Re: Mixing honey...?
« Reply #3 on: July 13, 2015, 09:20:52 pm »
"Is it wrong to extract them together and let them blend?  The honey is strictly for personal use and to share with friends.  It will not be sold, graded, shown, judged, etc..."

nope, absolutely nothing wrong!  mix away capn and let them blend unless you want to separate the frames yourself. enjoy and your friends will enjoy!
i mix honey frames/supers every year, unless there is a specific bloom i have watched the frames/supers for and want to separate from the rest.
i keep wild things in a box..........™
if you obey the rules, you miss all the fun.....katherine hepburn
Forum Sponsor