Oilseed Rape - tasty honey or not?

[Kuirephoebe]

I am hoping to start this wonderful hobby next year, but have read that honey made from oilseed rape is unpalatable and we are in the middle of the countryside surrounded by OSR fields. Also, the farmers may well be using neonicotinoids on their OSR and I don't want to bring the bees to an environment that is going to kill them. Any thoughts please? I will try and get a jar of honey made from oilseed rape as I can use it in cooking if we don't like the flavour.

 

[snelgrove]

I am hoping to start this wonderful hobby next year, but have read that honey made from oilseed rape is unpalatable and we are in the middle of the countryside surrounded by OSR fields. Also, the farmers may well be using neonicotinoids on their OSR and I don't want to bring the bees to an environment that is going to kill them. Any thoughts please? I will try and get a jar of honey made from oilseed rape as I can use it in cooking if we don't like the flavour.

Honey from rape is supposed to be rather bland in flavour however i find it very nice it usually has other stuff mixed in such as various tree blossom , it granulates very quickly . Certainly not unpalatable, wish I had a ton of it.

 

[denise washington]

nothing wrong with osr honey good on toast when its been turned into soft set honey,

 

[Jeff M]

My first honey this year was mainly OSR and like you had heard about the taste. However, the honey from my hives tastes great, and as said is very good on toast.

 

[Goodwood]

Tatsed some which appeared in my sons Christmas hamper.
It was like sugary lard.
I hope the local farmers stay clear of it.

 

[einsteinagogo]

OSR - majority of my crop this year, and my clients love it, and to my surprise has been a big seller this year!!! When at 10 market stalls, I had four types of honey for sale, and free tasters - creamed/set honey, and three different runney honey, and the biggest seller was creamed/set honey - OSR!

Clients preferred it!

What can I say, it surprised me, as I don't like it, but hey what ever customers buy, I'm not going to complain!

 

[enrico]

Depends on your own preference. In its natural state it is hard enough to bend a knife so there are things you should know about early extraction before you start. Leave it in the hive and you could get problems. For the record. I like the honey but dislike its properties.
E

 

[Harley1]

I take mine off early, let it set solid and then warm it just enough to cream. I can't get enough of it and have people asking for more every year. Lovely stuff!

 

[Thymallus]

I take mine off early, let it set solid and then warm it just enough to cream. I can't get enough of it and have people asking for more every year. Lovely stuff!

Hit the nail on the head there. It needs treatment for it to be a good selling honey. Just extracting it and jarring it will initially give you a runny honey that then sets and is grainy and hard. A real knife bender. Perhaps a reason why some beekeepers do not like it as they have to work at it to make a top rate product.
Like yourself I let it set, partially melt and cream . Makes a wonderful creamed/soft set honey. Not in the same league as heather honey but very popular.

 

[Amari]

Over the years I have found that spring honey (pale colour, largely OSR) is equally popular as summer honey (mid brown, blackberry, clover, lime et al) with my customers.

 

[Finman]

.
In my mouth rape honey alone has a faint and narrow aroma. But in mixture it gives a fat base to other plants. Fireweed, rasberry and clovers have faint aroma too alone, but all togethet is my favorit. The more plants, the better.

South Finland has lots of rape honey producers, and I do not compete with them.

What I need to do to get mixture honey, I transfer hives to different pastures.

 

[Finman]

.
Tupla

 

[Fatbee]

If you want to keep bees and stay in Cambridgeshire then you will need to learn to love OSR because in your county they will find it! It's a great early boost to production but read up on how it granulates quickly (so needs removing quickly) and how to cream it

 

[YorkshireBees]

My Spring Honey (softset) will contain a majority of OSR (no chance getting away from it) but it will also have Dandelion (also a fast granulating nectar), Hawthorne, Blackthorn and a whole host of other nectars.

Personally I like the taste and so do most of my customers.

There are always people that want a clear / runny honey and can't be convinced that softset is basically the same product.

On a side note the very first big honey show I entered I won Supreme Champion (Best exhibit in the whole show) for '6 jars for sale' with my softset!

Boy did that get the old boys club chuntering!

Yes you have to get used to taking the honey off early and then turning it into softset but personally I don't find it complicated.

 

[Finman]

.
Dandelion gives good aroma to rape honey. That is why it is valuable.

And there are lots of other garden plants which give nectar at same time.

 

[For want of a better word]

OSR... feed it back to the bees... unless you like honey with the odor of cats pee and Mazola!

Mytten da

 

[Finman]

OSR... feed it back to the bees... unless you like honey with the odor of cats pee and Mazola!

Mytten da

To feed 60 kg rape honey to bees?
How?

With refeeding bees consume 24% of honey in the process.

.

 

[Madge]

OSR... feed it back to the bees... unless you like honey with the odor of cats pee and Mazola!

Mytten da

Blimey. Where do your bees forage? It's certainly not OSR.

Like Finman and others, OSR mixed with other floral honeys is delicious.

 

[For want of a better word]

Blimey. Where do your bees forage? It's certainly not OSR.

Like Finman and others, OSR mixed with other floral honeys is delicious.

56 acres of the horrible yellow rancid rape planted directly opposite one 10 hive apiary... took off 25 National supers of it!!
Stank like a biodiesel factory!
Farmer... fortunately a relative says he had a good yield.. probably due to the bees... but prices were low due to a glut and the collapse of the Chinese market.
Planting beans and potatoes next year!!

Set solid in comb as I did not get it off fast enough... used a lot in making up nucs... remainder in freezer... what to do with it?

I tend not to blend my honey as my customers like to experience the differing flavours and aromas that change with the forage... but like Solidago flavour... ( Cats pee and Creasote) I could not give them that!

Mytten da

 

[Finman]

OSR... feed it back to the bees...
Mytten da

No I realized! Catch and release!