High moisture honey

[Griffo]

I have just extracted my last 10 frames which I would estimate were 80% capped. Some very dark gelatinous honey in there, is this from heather ? Very tasty stuff anyway. However, the problem is the moisture is just under 20%. I will put some into jars for myself and friends but was wondering what is the best way to feed the rest back to the bees. Will it be OK as it is in a contact feeder or would it be better used a cupful at a time in autumn feed sugar solution?

 

[Hachi]

why do you want to feed it back?

 

[MuswellMetro]

as long as water content is 20% or below you can sell it as honey ( 18% in USA though)

if most of it is heather honey, then you are allowed to call it heather honey and can have up to 23% water, if you only have a few jars keep the jars in the fridge if you are worried about fermination

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

it's under 20% so it's fine, what's the problem?

 

[gregior]

I have some that I suspect is high moisture content and was wondering if it is going to ferment how long would it take? Is there a set amount of time where it is safe to presume it will not be fermenting and is safe to jar up?9

 

[Fatbee]

Depends temperature you store at but I had a batch start going up to 8 months after extraction. Was shocked it took so long, would normally expect sooner

 

[Swarm]

Nowt wrong with it, it could be a lot of heather by the sound of it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Jar it and keep in fridge

 

[Zante]

Make mead. It's delicious when done properly, and it not at all difficult.

 

[sherwood]

I have just extracted my last 10 frames which I would estimate were 80% capped. Some very dark gelatinous honey in there, is this from heather ? Very tasty stuff anyway. However, the problem is the moisture is just under 20%. I will put some into jars for myself and friends but was wondering what is the best way to feed the rest back to the bees. Will it be OK as it is in a contact feeder or would it be better used a cupful at a time in autumn feed sugar solution?

I beleive that if the honey is as you suspect Heather honey then it is quite acceptable to jar it with a water content of 22-23%

 

[charlievictorbravo]

If you want to try something ground-breaking, you could make some mead then convert it to Honey Vinegar. I saw it sold in a market near Sydney for AU$12.50 for 125 ml - the beek was selling honey for AU$9 for a kilo. Massive value added going from honey to vinegar, though there's some labour and alchemy involved. You need to be in a "foodie" area, I think, to capitalise on this product.

CVB

 

[Hebeegeebee]

I have heard of a jar exploding which contained fermented honey. If fridged, it should be OK though.
A refractomer will confirm the moistness.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have heard of a jar exploding which contained fermented honey. If fridged, it should be OK though.
A refractomer will confirm the moistness.

the moisture is just under 20%.

Not 'just over' so nothing wrong with it.

 

[Erichalfbee]

If you are allowed to sell honey as long as it is 20% water or under then surely 19 or 19.5 is kosher