Fermentation problem

[Jimmy]

Advice please on dealing with the following situation:

A couple of jars of creamed OSR honey that I'm selling through a local farm shop has been returned due to fermentation. All other jars from that batch have been sold.

I now have a refractometer and will be vigilant in checking the % water this year.

How do I keep the farm shop owner happy and willing to sell my honey in the future? Buy back at retail cost the returned jars and offer to do the same with any future returns?

Many thanks

 

[broandy]

Hi Jimmy
What I would do is just replace the jars ( dont buy back at retail price )

 

[oliver90owner]

National product recall?

Trading Standards might soon be your case, if anyone complains. Not sure that you need to involve them but it may be a thought before they arrive at your door.

As a minimum, personally, if there were only a few bottles, I would supply the retailer with an equal number of jars for him/her to exchange with customer returns and a few extra as sweeteners.

It is always going to be an expensive error, so bite the bullet and put it right properly.

Document all steps taken (as this may placate TS if they become involved).

RAB

 

[RoofTops]

Fermentation is always a risk with OSR. The problem is that as it sets the water content in the remaining honey rises so that even when he water content seems OK in the liquid honey after extraction this will not be the case as it sets.

I am not sure what a safe water content is for OSR but I would think not more than 19% and idealy 18% or lower.

I would be interested in others' experiences, having lost a couple of buckets in recent years to fermentation. Unfortunately, I didn't write the water content on the labels of the buckets so I am not sure what it was on the ones that spoiled, although it would have been below 20%. A lesson for the future. Write the % on the label!

 

[oliver90owner]

I think taking partially uncapped frames is the problem here. I doubt the bees would make a mistake.

I always allow the bucket of honey to granulate. Dry surface - no worries; wet suface - do something quick!

RAB

 

[theengraver]

Stop trying to scare people trading standard and no one else is ever going to get involved for a few jars of granulated honey theres more chance of my granny sticking her nose in and shes been dead 30 years!

Just replace or refund at cost any returns no need to give extra jars
no other suppler would or have to.

So when the doom and gloom merchants say the honey police are going to be on your door step with battering rams ignore them
and dont give away you product its a slippery slope you will be giving them jars for every little thing . o look that label is not on perfect 12 jars of free honey please!!

 

[Black Comb]

I agree.
Don't forget retailers are in it to make money and will screw all they can out of suppliers. Returns (in general) are nothing new and if you replace there should be no complaints. As ever learn the lesson, you've now bought a refractometer so this particular problem should be obviated in future.

Perhaps put a shorter "use by" date on OSR honey?

 

[oliver90owner]

Stop trying to scare people trading standard and no one else is ever going to get involved for a few jars of granulated honey

Oh dear, another case of a poster not reading the script!

Few - who said that?

Granulated - err, if you don't know the difference beween granulated and fermented, you need to learn quickly.

Scaring - who said anyone was scaring anybody. There was no threat there at all.

The comment re extra jars was in reply to the OP question "How do I keep the farm shop owner happy".

This is 2011, where litigation and complaints are rife. I'm complaining of your post, right here and now!

 

[RoseCottage]

Is the simlest way to avoid this situation just let your OSR granulate in a bucket first and then check the surface. Ours, so far, has always been rock hard in a few weeks which is very reassuring.
Sam

 

[hedgerow pete]

i had the trading standards ladie round last week with the council food hygine inspector. They came around on the off chance last thursday. came in had a coffee had a very quick look in the house kiten. i explained what i wanted to do, selling honey etc. they said no worries at all. they have offered to do my liecence for a two week twin period for me, once in may and once in september.
basicly all that means is i am only supposed to bottle and extract within those two areas but i can do it at any time by giving them a quick call.

they seemed very helpfull and totaly under stood the idea of a very small scale producer so i dont see them as a threat more of a help.

the only ideas and recomdations they made were , on the day of the great extraction i would be better off clearing the whole kitchen out to make it easy to wash the work tops completely. shut the door to keep the dogs out and to were an apron and if i was to have any which i dont a hair net or such like.

i got the feeling that they were not to worried about little old me and a few jars getting made up

 

[RoofTops]

Is the simlest way to avoid this situation just let your OSR granulate in a bucket first and then check the surface. Ours, so far, has always been rock hard in a few weeks which is very reassuring.
Sam

Not in my experience. The surface of the set honey was hard in both buckets but there is a smell of fermentation when you took off the lids.

I tried melting one lot down to see if it was palatable but the smell was still present.