Heather 2021

[Erichalfbee]

Correct, I didn't go to the heather this year but I usually process the honey with a hand jiggler, tangential extractor and then shear the honey through a strainaway vacuum filter.
They're not made anymore so it is treated with kid gloves, cleaned and stored carefully to hopefully give me many more years of service.

It must do the job..........There isn't a speck of anything in your heather honey

 

[maddydog]

Blimey curly, that top photo looks like my sugar syrup!

 

[Curly green finger's]

Blimey curly, that top photo looks like my sugar syrup!

It is light isn't it, it is all honey extracted July 23rd

 

[maddydog]

It is light isn't it, it is all honey extracted July 23rd

Never seen anything like that before, much taste?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Never seen anything like that before, much taste?

Buttery and a bit bitter with a hint of mint.

 

[elainemary]

I find it starts to revert back to a gel almost instantaneously and clogs the sieves. Do you warm the frames before pressing? I'm guessing the cold water in the hydropress may not be helping.

Hi yes I keep my frames in the utility which is a warm room and doesn’t vary as it houses our ground source heat pump. Heather flows fine through both seives in this warm room though when I first started I tried to filter through a really fine bag which took forever, now I don’t bother. It usually takes a couple of days in an unheated space before it reverts to a gel

 

[elainemary]

Correct, I didn't go to the heather this year but I usually process the honey with a hand jiggler, tangential extractor and then shear the honey through a strainaway vacuum filter.
They're not made anymore so it is treated with kid gloves, cleaned and stored carefully to hopefully give me many more years of service.

Do you have any pics? Understand they’re not made anymore but interested in seeing how they work anyway

 

[mbc]

Do you have any pics? Understand they’re not made anymore but interested in seeing how they work anyway

It's a bucket with the bottom cut out with a stainless steel mesh welded in place of the bottom then welded to a bucket lid so that it seals to a bucket bellow, there a pipe coming from the bottom bucket which you attach to a vacuum to suck the honey through the filter, this is best done while shearing at an angle over the filter with a plastic paddle to stop the filter clogging.

 

[PeaBee]

View attachment 28570
It's a bucket with the bottom cut out with a stainless steel mesh welded in place of the bottom then welded to a bucket lid so that it seals to a bucket bellow, there a pipe coming from the bottom bucket which you attach to a vacuum to suck the honey through the filter, this is best done while shearing at an angle over the filter with a plastic paddle to stop the filter clogging.

That looks an awesome bit of kit. Shame they are not made any more. What sort of vacuum pump does it use. Have been looking at the centrifuge spinners that konigin and abelo do, but this is such a good solution to the problem

 

[F.F.Stung]

I wish I had some honeycomb that needs pressing. I would press a thin slice of it on my morning toast

 

[Erichalfbee]

I wish I had some honeycomb that needs pressing. I would press a thin slice of it on my morning toast

PM me your address and I’ll send you a box. Have some with free honey in I didn’t drain ( yes I know!) and it’s crystallised. You can have it

 

[Newbeeneil]

This talk of extraction has got me thinking........... would it be possible to extract honey by putting energy into the honey using a vibrating table or something similar.
I have an idea of uncapping the frames and securing them upside down to a vibrating table and vibrating until the honey flowed out of the cells. Would it work?

 

[peterbees]

That looks an awesome bit of kit. Shame they are not made any more. What sort of vacuum pump does it use. Have been looking at the centrifuge spinners that konigin and abelo do, but this is such a good solution to the problem

I use a Strainaway for extracted honey. It uses a hand operated vacuum pump, a bit like a large bicycle pump.
I use an MG heather press for my heather honey. The press strains the honey. I blend one bucket of heather honey with two buckets of summer honey and sell it as heather blend.
It sells very easily.

 

[Wilco]

I use a Strainaway for extracted honey. It uses a hand operated vacuum pump, a bit like a large bicycle pump.
I use an MG heather press for my heather honey. The press strains the honey. I blend one bucket of heather honey with two buckets of summer honey and sell it as heather blend.
It sells very easily.

How do you price it?

 

[ericbeaumont]

MG heather press

Admirable use of old but quality kit, Peter, but does it comply with food regs?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Admirable use of old but quality kit, Peter, but does it comply with food regs?

Shhh I used a cider press

 

[Erichalfbee]

Shhh I used a cider press

Isn’t cider food?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Isn’t cider food?

Aye, and a good beverage at that!

 

[Erichalfbee]

Then your press is safe

 

[Murox]

Aye, and a good beverage at that!

Just one of several delicious apple based beverages. I go a bundle on calvados and also original Schnapps (not the grain based stuff flavoured with apple spirit)