Candy Sugar

[marmite]

I'm concerned about the cold weather so made up some candy sugar using Bee-Keeping Practice by F S Stuart. I followed the instructions and put 2 pints water 12 pounds sugar and 4 sachets of Dr Oetker Cream of Tarter. However this morning the candy sugar seems very hard. How can I rescue it please?
I'm wondering if I microwave it and add more sugar and water whether that will soften it but not sure it will not denature the cream of tartar
Thanks

 

[For want of a better word]

I'm concerned about the cold weather so made up some candy sugar using Bee-Keeping Practice by F S Stuart. I followed the instructions and put 2 pints water 12 pounds sugar and 4 sachets of Dr Oetker Cream of Tarter. However this morning the candy sugar seems very hard. How can I rescue it please?
I'm wondering if I microwave it and add more sugar and water whether that will soften it but not sure it will not denature the cream of tartar
Thanks

OMG that recipe must be a blast from the past!

Debatable if you should be giving bees sodium tartrate?

Most beekeeping suppliers sell stuff you can use from the packet... or buy bakers fondant.... even a youtoob video of how to make your own fondant if you like to faff about!

 

[Karsal]

I'm concerned about the cold weather so made up some candy sugar using Bee-Keeping Practice by F S Stuart. I followed the instructions and put 2 pints water 12 pounds sugar and 4 sachets of Dr Oetker Cream of Tarter. However this morning the candy sugar seems very hard. How can I rescue it please?
I'm wondering if I microwave it and add more sugar and water whether that will soften it but not sure it will not denature the cream of tartar
Thanks

I would be very careful microwaving the candy as it could burn inside the block and ruin it anyway.
Best to cut your losses and throw it away.
Find a local bakers and ask for some bakers fondant. Bought one not long ago and it was £12 for 12 kg.

 

[Quevy]

Take a 15l bottle, add the sugar and yeast. Mount an airlock.
Ferment 1 month.
After a month, add honey, keep fermenting 2 weeks.

Filter, add some hot wine, secret spices and drink preventively whenever flu is around in your area.

Meanwhile.
Make bakersfondant with bit honey for your bees or buy it.

 

[wightbees]

Or 2.5kg sugar, 125ml cider vinegar, drop lemon juice, 4 drops lemongrass. Mix then low heat bake couple hours.
Basics from another Web site

 

[For want of a better word]

Or 2.5kg sugar, 125ml cider vinegar, drop lemon juice, 4 drops lemongrass. Mix then low heat bake couple hours.
Basics from another Web site

Cream soda.... grandfather used to make it?

 

[Codford]

I would be very careful microwaving the candy as it could burn inside the block and ruin it anyway.
Best to cut your losses and throw it away.
Find a local bakers and ask for some bakers fondant. Bought one not long ago and it was £12 for 12 kg.

Seconded about the burning bit - it can not only burn, it can actually catch fire! (Don’t ask me how I know...)

 

[Millet]

I'm no scientist but over heating sugar syrup on a gas ring and then trying to cool it in cold water can be frightening ....

Can anyone of you on here explain why the sugar syrup got hotter and doubled in size when it was placed in cold water..

 

[Erichalfbee]

Just give them a bag of damp granulated if you are in a hurry

 

[JWF]

I'm no scientist but over heating sugar syrup on a gas ring and then trying to cool it in cold water can be frightening ....

Can anyone of you on here explain why the sugar syrup got hotter and doubled in size when it was placed in cold water..

Yes, the sugar syrup was heated to well over 100 degrees C, and when you put water in (or poured it into water) the water flashed off into steam and increased the volume of the syrup. It's a bit like opening a bottle of pop .

It wouldn't actually have got hotter, but the steam boiling off would have transferred the heat to your hands/face making it feel hotter.

 

[taurus]

My recipe is very simple. 2kg sugar to 400ml water and 1 teaspoon distilled vinegar.

Heat the water & vinegar to boiling, slowly stir in the sugar whilst stirring - raise temperature to about 230F / 118C (soft ball on a toffee thermometer).

Remove from heat and allow to cool to under 200F - then whisk gently. When a slight opacity develops pour into containers and allow to set.

It will set hard, like Kendal mint cake. My bees love it.

I've given them containers with commercial fondant one side and my home made stuff on the other. They scoff my home made first. Yes - it sets solid but that doesn't seem to worry them.

I've used it to get some late and small colonies through the winter and it seems to do the trick.

 

[enrico]

I'm concerned about the cold weather so made up some candy sugar using Bee-Keeping Practice by F S Stuart. I followed the instructions and put 2 pints water 12 pounds sugar and 4 sachets of Dr Oetker Cream of Tarter. However this morning the candy sugar seems very hard. How can I rescue it please?
I'm wondering if I microwave it and add more sugar and water whether that will soften it but not sure it will not denature the cream of tartar
Thanks

Marmite, in the olden days we used to make candy by boiling sure and water together until it went into the hard ball stage. You would just put it over a feeder hole as a solid block. I fed my bees on it for years before starting to feed syrup and fondant. They lived, so I doubt they will come to much harm
E

 

[Karsal]

Yes, the sugar syrup was heated to well over 100 degrees C, and when you put water in (or poured it into water) the water flashed off into steam and increased the volume of the syrup. It's a bit like opening a bottle of pop .

It wouldn't actually have got hotter, but the steam boiling off would have transferred the heat to your hands/face making it feel hotter.

If you put bicarbonate of soda in it when boiling you can make cinder toffee

 

[Millet]

Yes, the sugar syrup was heated to well over 100 degrees C, and when you put water in (or poured it into water) the water flashed off into steam and increased the volume of the syrup. It's a bit like opening a bottle of pop .

It wouldn't actually have got hotter, but the steam boiling off would have transferred the heat to your hands/face making it feel hotter.

No i did not pour water in.. i was trying to make fondant and i left it on the gas too long i think ? ... i floated the pan in a dish of cold water and started stir it around.. just as it started to cool and solidify it started to warm up again aswell as raising up in the pan.. in the end i had to run the cold tap over it as i thought it could have popped in my face..
I do not have a clue what happened but it raised my pulse rate a little..all that was in the pan was sugar + water + glucose... what could have caused such a reaction.. i am sure i have read somewhere that you can make bombs with sugar not sure if that is true..

 

[masterBK]

Adding acids like Cream of tartar or vinegar to hydrolyse some of the sucrose (into glucose and fructose) also unfortunately leads to the production of HMF which is toxic to bees. Although you won't see lots of corpses as a result it will shorten the lives of the bees that consume it. No need to use it. Adding some glucose to the mix and controlling the cooling with lots of stirring will help to produce the small soft crystalline structure required of the candy (if you make fudge you will be familiar with this)