How to rescue whisked honey

[ugcheleuce]

Hello everyone

For some of the honey I got this year, I used the crush-and-strain method.

(I put the cut out comb in a bucket and crush it with a wide putty knife, then transfer it to a flour sieve over a bucket to let the honey drain. 12-18 hours later about 80% of the honey is drained out. Then I filter it once (using a fine honey sieve), and that's it. The remaining 20% goes into a "not for human consumption" tub after melting down the comb in a bain marie.)

During one of the batches, I got the bright idea to crush the comb even better by using an blender. Bad idea... this introduced bubbles into the honey. How can I rescue this honey? It's only about 4 litres, but I'd rather rescue it (or as much of it as possible) than throw it away.

The bubbliness of the honey didn't affect its ability to drip through the flour sieve and it had only marginal effect on its ability to drip through the filter. The honey now has a white texture so that it looks like creamed honey (but it isn't, of course). The bubbles do rise to the top over the course of a day or two, but even then only the bottom 10% is anywhere near "clear".

I suppose I could bottle the stuff and give it away to neighbours, with the instruction to stir before use. Some web sites recommend using a blender to make creamed honey (using seed, of course), but I'm not sure if adding seed to this bubbly stuff will turn it into creamed honey.

Your thoughts?

Samuel

 

[Madge]

... The remaining 20% goes into a "not for human consumption" tub after melting down the comb in a bain marie. ...

Why ‘not for human consumption’? It’s higher in HMF - but it’s still perfectly good honey. Use it as cooking honey, or make mead.

 

[ugcheleuce]

Why ‘not for human consumption’? It’s higher in HMF - but it’s still perfectly good honey. Use it as cooking honey, or make mead.

I did not mean that it's not "fit" for human consumption, but rather that it is not intended for human consumption. I'm going to feed it to the bees.

It has quite a strong slumgum smell, so I don't know if anyone would want to eat it, except maybe people looking for a "wild" flavour. (-:

Legally I could still sell it as "honey" because the required enzymes are still present in it at the required levels (so I assume... based on the temperature that I cooked it at, the amount of time it cooked, and the known halflives of the relevant enzymes). For people with a sore throat, though, this honey would be pure placebo because the antibacterial enzymes are cooked out.

 

[Madge]

I did not mean that it's not "fit" for human consumption, but rather that it is not intended for human consumption. I'm going to feed it to the bees.

It has quite a strong slumgum smell, so I don't know if anyone would want to eat it, except maybe people looking for a "wild" flavour. (-:

Legally I could still sell it as "honey" because the required enzymes are still present in it at the required levels (so I assume... based on the temperature that I cooked it at, the amount of time it cooked, and the known halflives of the relevant enzymes). For people with a sore throat, though, this honey would be pure placebo because the antibacterial enzymes are cooked out.

Samuel,

It's definitely not 'fit' for the bees. It's too high in HMFs.

I think that, legally, you can only sell heated honey as 'cooking honey' - but not if it has a strong slumgum smell. Where did that come from? Did you add some brace comb and all kinds of whatnots in with the cappings?

Kitta

PS: I forgot - you did crush-and-strain extraction, and you probably crushed and strained old brood comb that's been filled with honey. So, yes, all those silk cocoons probably added to the heated honey's aroma.

 

[ugcheleuce]

It's definitely not 'fit' for the bees. It's too high in HMFs.

Yup, forgot about that one. And I don't have any of that Chinese HMF absorbing resin lying about...

 

[Finman]

.
My thoughts? Surely you learned that you do not harvest honey with this "method" any more.

Seed honey is not made with blender, despite what ever some write in the world.
If you foam honey, you do not get foam away.

When you crushed the combs, comb building needs from bees as much honey as you get from sieving.

 

[Finman]

I'm going to feed it to the bees.


Legally I could still sell it as "honey" because the required enzymes are still present in it at the required levels (so I assume... based on the temperature that I cooked it at, the amount of time it cooked, and the known halflives of the relevant enzymes). .

Cooked honey?

It takes taste from melted wax. Then you feed it into the hive, and all new honey will taste same melted wax.

.

 

[ugcheleuce]

Then you feed it into the hive, and all new honey will taste same melted wax.

Sure, but we don't always harvest the honey. Sometimes we feed the bees because we want them to survive.

 

[Finman]

Sure, but we don't always harvest the honey. Sometimes we feed the bees because we want them to survive.

I feed always because I extract all honey. Winter food is 10€ per hive.

If you give them 20 kg honey, winterfood is 200 €.

Free hint: Sugar is 50€ per kilo in Lidl.

I get enough feelings when I crush and strain cappings.
.

 

[Beecat]

I get enough feelings when I crush and strain cappings.
.

Can you say this a different way? As you wrote it, it means you find that handling cappings is an intensely emotional experience.

This reminds me of the time John Cleese tried to speak Finnish and came out with "My hovercraft is full of eels".

Oh well, I'm sure we'll get it sorted out.

 

[Finman]

Oh well, I'm sure we'll get it sorted out.

Quod scripsi, scripsi

It is your problem to sort it out. I am OK....

 

[Beecat]

Surely you don't expect us mere mortals to decode Finglish without help?

 

[Finman]

Real Englishman thinks something stupid, and then he tryes to put thoughts into my mouth. You can use the same formula. That is called " to commune".

 

[Beecat]

Real Englishman thinks something stupid, and then he tryes to put thoughts into my mouth. You can use the same formula. That is called " to commune".

O for heaven's sake. I'm not putting anything in your mouth, you just said something that makes no sense at all in English. I'm am not asking much. Just that you rephrase it so we can get some idea of what you meant.
Is that too much to ask?

 

[Madge]

... you just said something that makes no sense at all in English. ...

‘Feeling’ is ‘feeding’, I would guess. It’s just a typo.

 

[Fritillary]

You spoilsport Mellifera!

 

[Beecat]

‘Feeling’ is ‘feeding’, I would guess. It’s just a typo.

Oh very good, mystery solved. I am happy and my hovercraft is full of eels.

 

[Finman]

‘Feeling’ is ‘feeding’, I would guess. It’s just a typo.

Yes, but I know that I meant FEELING, like I wrote.

But in truth, it had dry humour wrapped inside that word.

 

[Finman]

, mystery solved.

Very good quality life here.