Osr flowering time?

[Stiffy]

Move 20+ hives to OSR early spring (late March) in ‘proper ‘ Cornwall’ and usually get a good crop, which is made into soft set. Never had a customer say they didn’t like it, which is fine by me
S

 

[Beefriendly]

OSR : thankfully do not get a lot here in Cornwall... when we do I melt it out in the Apimelter and sell it as baking honey in 2 kg drums
The honey consumers we sell to seem to like a well produced soft set honey to the creamed product.

Yeghes da

Interesting you don't seem to be,aware that the function of a honey creamer is to produce a soft set honey. You know,liquify, add seed and blend together.
I always let my customers be the judge of how good a honey tastes. Beekeepers are notorious for disliking and being snobbish about honey.Some don't even like the stuff...

 

[Millet]

Tastes like cabbage. Each to their own.

My first ever honey was OSR which made me buy a refractometer , after faffing about getting it soft set my head was done in, i only got 15 jars of the stuff but to me at no point did it taste or smell of cabbage, quite the opposite and whoever i gave it too loved it.
The only reason i do not like it is the faff on from hive to jar, but if we have to do it then so be it.

 

[MerryBee]

My soft set honey made from OSR certainly does not taste of cabbage
It has won prizes in the local honey show for the last 3 years and my customers love it too.

With a manual creamer and a warming cabinet it is not difficult to deal with once you know the routine.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Some don't even like the stuff...

I don't, smell of the stuff to me is a cross between cabbage and regurgitated babies milk.

 

[For want of a better word]

Interesting you don't seem to be,aware that the function of a honey creamer is to produce a soft set honey. You know,liquify, add seed and blend together.
I always let my customers be the judge of how good a honey tastes. Beekeepers are notorious for disliking and being snobbish about honey.Some don't even like the stuff...

We had one ... sold it on as we produce much more runny honey than proper soft set.
The small amount 500 or so jars of soft set we produce is bottled and gradually cooled in a commercial food industry cooling cabinet, to give a superior creamy soft set honey.


Agree with Hivemaker...... on OSR honey...
I don't, smell of the stuff to me is a cross between cabbage and regurgitated babies milk. .....
That's put me off breakfast!

Yeghes da

 

[Poly Hive]

The smell you are referring to is surely the smell of the nectar which I agree is not all that pleasant but it is not present in the honey which is what surely matters.

I was at the Turrif show (think BIG here) and as part of our sales techniques was offering tasters of the various kinds of honey. A large bearded gent scoffed near a pound of creamed OSR honey all the while booming away about how vile OSR was.As he took the 2nd step away (with out buying anything of course) I said in a loud voice "Did you like the Rape honey then? You ate enough of it"
He went a very pretty pink!

It sells very well indeed.

PH

 

[Millet]

The smell you are referring to is surely the smell of the nectar which I agree is not all that pleasant but it is not present in the honey which is what surely matters.

I was at the Turrif show (think BIG here) and as part of our sales techniques was offering tasters of the various kinds of honey. A large bearded gent scoffed near a pound of creamed OSR honey all the while booming away about how vile OSR was.As he took the 2nd step away (with out buying anything of course) I said in a loud voice "Did you like the Rape honey then? You ate enough of it"
He went a very pretty pink!

It sells very well indeed.

PH

 

[Beefriendly]

We had one ... sold it on as we produce much more runny honey than proper soft set.
The small amount 500 or so jars of soft set we produce

For once we agree....wonder of the age.
If only doing about 500 jars or so, it's not worth the expense.

 

[For want of a better word]

For once we agree....wonder of the age.
If only doing about 500 jars or so, it's not worth the expense.

Did get a Tomas 20 frame radial extractor on the proceeds!

Nadalek Lowen
Yeghes da

 

[Beefriendly]

 

[beeno]

According to the books, autumn sown OSR flowers approx. April/May and spring sown Aug/Sep. I would hazard a guess that most of the OSR in the UK is autumn sown. Looking very good down South this year.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The books are always right

 

[colinc]

The books are always right

Ha ha missing the relevance of approx. Which in U.K. farming may be a month either way


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[birdsandbees]

There's quite a lot of it growing near me at the moment a field near one of my Apiaries musty have been planted very early, its half grown already and starting to flower??
I'll have to stop and check it properly as it definitely looks like OSR but is so far ahead of anything else.

BTW - my spring crop this year was mostly OSR - my first year with knowingly having it brought in by the bees, I need not have worried as it was fine and although set very quickly when softened and mixed it made some super smooth and delicious Honey with no cabbage aroma or taste.

 

[Beefriendly]

There's quite a lot of it growing near me at the moment a field near one of my Apiaries musty have been planted very early, its half grown already and starting to flower??

Are you sure it's not charlock? Often grown as a green manure and in flower (yellow) at the moment.

 

[Millet]

Are you sure it's not charlock? Often grown as a green manure and in flower (yellow) at the moment.

It will not be rape for sure.

 

[birdsandbees]

Are you sure it's not charlock? Often grown as a green manure and in flower (yellow) at the moment.

Nope! not sue at all, I just drove past and it 'looked like' OSR I did think it was odd

 

[Poly Hive]

It's not unusual to see charlock flowering amongst the rape in late Autumn.

For my area up here I know it normally starts around the third week in April but yes three weeks or so either way depending on weather. This spring was closer to the last week in March and first of April, which still equates to bloody useless for a crop but with some benefit in building up the stocks.

PH

 

[Beefriendly]

It's not unusual to see charlock flowering amongst the rape in late Autumn.

They grow charlock and rape together as a mixed crop in Scotland?
How does that work?