Fondant

[PennyB]

I only started beekeeping this year and was wondering whether any of you make your own fondant for feeding bees or do you buy it?

 

[drstitson]

buy it.

it keeps fine if wrapped and IMHO if you need to use it you need to use a decent chunk (ie 4-6kg).
much easier to pop into local bakery and pick up a box or two come mid winter.

 

[Cazza]

Dr S may buy it. I make it. Easy to do and cheaper than buying it.
Cazza

 

[Roola]

Dr S may buy it. I make it. Easy to do and cheaper than buying it.
Cazza

An I being a wuss or does it look difficult to make? How do you do it cazza and how long does it take? I'd love to make it.

 

[sandysman]

An I being a wuss or does it look difficult to make? How do you do it cazza and how long does it take? I'd love to make it.

If you use the search facility on the forum there are recipes on here. I'm with the Doc on this though, no mess or fuss just buy it.
Andy

 

[sandysman]

Penny B. here is the link.
http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/video.php?do=viewdetails&videoid=96

 

[drstitson]

"Dr S may buy it. I make it. Easy to do and cheaper than buying it."

not denying relative ease/cheapness

BUT

IF i need to use it then i need to use 4-6kg per hive. i'm not talking the tinkerers 500g a week approach.

although i suppose for a nation of one hivers a weekly small scale cook up is no hassle.

 

[oliver90owner]

An I being a wuss

Honest answer is yes!

The main problem is getting the consistency correct. People make it expensive by buying liquid glucose in a tiny tube, or bottle, from the local cake shop or supermarket. Brewing sugar is the same only dry, so more concentrated. One can buy either the monohydrate or the near 100% glucose (no water of crystallization). Prices are variable.

Once one gets the recipe spot on, so no boiling to soft ball stage, repitition is easy and replication of results is spot on. At that point one can omit the boiling and temperature checking stages, so very quick and minimal mess.

I no longer make it; I don't use it often but there are usually a couple 12.5kg packs sitting ready for use if required.

You don't say whether for feeding autumn or emergency winter supplies. Some commercial beeks use it as standard autumn feed. Bulk rates are favourable and so much easier and cheaper than bought-in liquid feeds.

RAB

 

[oliver90owner]

Just looked at the Rosti video.

Nice and easy. I got that third of the water boiling stage out of the way and used a whisk for stirring as it cooled - no problems with lumps generally. But my batches were somewhat bigger than those shown.

The vid started at ~33% water and commercial fondant is around 11%; don't know what mine actually were as my notes are long gone.

With accurate digital kichen scales available, there is no real excuse for getting the ingredients in the wrong ratios these days so very easy to replicate. Changing amounts may need slight adjustment. I settled on 5kgs sugar at a time and poured/scraped into typical chinese take-away dishes, covered the fondant with cling film, fitted the lids and stacked them ready for use.

A couple slashes across the cling film and the tray was inverted over the feed hole. When empty, or almost, a replacement was slid along behind the empty oneuntil over the hole and any bees in the old container were returned to the hive entrance or left over the other feed hole temporarily.

 

[Roola]

An I being a wuss

Honest answer is yes!

The main problem is getting the consistency correct. People make it expensive by buying liquid glucose in a tiny tube, or bottle, from the local cake shop or supermarket. Brewing sugar is the same only dry, so more concentrated. One can buy either the monohydrate or the near 100% glucose (no water of crystallization). Prices are variable.

Once one gets the recipe spot on, so no boiling to soft ball stage, repitition is easy and replication of results is spot on. At that point one can omit the boiling and temperature checking stages, so very quick and minimal mess.

I no longer make it; I don't use it often but there are usually a couple 12.5kg packs sitting ready for use if required.

You don't say whether for feeding autumn or emergency winter supplies. Some commercial beeks use it as standard autumn feed. Bulk rates are favourable and so much easier and cheaper than bought-in liquid feeds.

RAB

Ha! Thanks! Yes I'm a wuss. I'm going to give it a go more so that its a beek skill I know I can do... It would be for emergency feeding rather than for winter stores. My plan for winter is to learn to make the fondant and pollen patties.

Thanks for the info Rab.

 

[alanf]

The basic difference is that making it at home uses heat. Commercial bakers fondant is made mechanically by pulverising sugar and blending in glucose syrup. Heavy duty machinery on a factory scale, but relatively quick and easy once it's set up.

Some older home fondant recipes use acid hydrolysis: cream of tartar or vinegar for instance. Best avoided for bees because it's hard to control the level of HMF production (humans tolerate much higher levels).

Whether it's worthwhile making it beyond a one off experiment is really down to the relative price and quantities. Straight bakers fondant through a baker or association bulk buy is in 12.5 kg boxes and not much over a pound a kg, wrap any leftovers and it will keep until next year. The fondant/dough sold by bee suppliers is priced over double for the same pulverised sucrose as bakers fondant. The only (very minor) advantage is it's pre packed into 2.5 kg slabs.

 

[beeno]

Missing a trick there guys! Nothing more sexy than a man in the kitchen who can cook, preferably a bit more than making fondant though.
Make my own fondant, mostly. Can't remember who submitted the recipe, but used left over syrup instead of glucose which worked out really nicely.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Nothing more sexy than a man in the kitchen who can cook

Got something going for me then! My tagines and curries had rather a reputation around the fleet as did my Christmas dinners (including my GGG Grandmothers Christmas pudding recipe) I make a mean orange cheesecake as well. That and being a bit of a hunk (or is that a chunk) is just a cross I have to bear.

 

[blackie]

buy it its only £1 a kilo not worth making unless your retired?

 

[PennyB]

I was thinking winter emergency supplies. When you say bulk rates are favourable, how much would be considered as bulk? Thanks for reply.

Honest answer is yes!

The main problem is getting the consistency correct. People make it expensive by buying liquid glucose in a tiny tube, or bottle, from the local cake shop or supermarket. Brewing sugar is the same only dry, so more concentrated. One can buy either the monohydrate or the near 100% glucose (no water of crystallization). Prices are variable.

Once one gets the recipe spot on, so no boiling to soft ball stage, repitition is easy and replication of results is spot on. At that point one can omit the boiling and temperature checking stages, so very quick and minimal mess.

I no longer make it; I don't use it often but there are usually a couple 12.5kg packs sitting ready for use if required.

You don't say whether for feeding autumn or emergency winter supplies. Some commercial beeks use it as standard autumn feed. Bulk rates are favourable and so much easier and cheaper than bought-in liquid feeds.

RAB[/QUOTE]

 

[REDWOOD]

I prefer home made than commercially bought fondant, I find the the commercially made fondant dries out very quickly, RAB answered my question why

 

[Cazza]

buy it its only £1 a kilo not worth making unless your retired?

I'm not anywhere near being retired!

Easy to make if you follow Rosti's recipe and as RAB says adjust it to lower the water content to start with. You will need a thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature or you may end up with a brown burnt rock hard sugar sculpture.
Cazza