Showing Honey

[nickhodge]

All

I am shortly (saturday) to enter our local Beekeeping Association (Southampton) Honey Show which is really struggling for entries, having already been amalgamated with the allotment society show (although good synergy)

As a novice (2nd year beekeeping). I am hoping someone has tips to just stop me looking daft! I am happy to learn from Saturday and not expecting to win anything. I am entering 'two jars of 454g (1lb) medium honey', the same in 12oz and the 1lb (any honey) in the novice class. (As well as some pictures but I'm proficient there!)

I think my main questions are

1) Do I fill the jars, as 454g for example, is noticeably short of full?
2) How do I gauge 'medium' honey?
3) These are specifically classes NOT 'ready for sale'. Do I need any kind of label?

I am filtering through a very tight filter cloth over a couple of days and will sterlise and polish jars, of the same batch. Obviously the jars and lids are 'virgin'

Any and all help truly appreciated.

 

[Russel]

All

I am shortly (saturday) to enter our local Beekeeping Association (Southampton) Honey Show which is really struggling for entries, having already been amalgamated with the allotment society show (although good synergy)

As a novice (2nd year beekeeping). I am hoping someone has tips to just stop me looking daft! I am happy to learn from Saturday and not expecting to win anything. I am entering 'two jars of 454g (1lb) medium honey', the same in 12oz and the 1lb (any honey) in the novice class. (As well as some pictures but I'm proficient there!)

I think my main questions are

1) Do I fill the jars, as 454g for example, is noticeably short of full?
2) How do I gauge 'medium' honey?
3) These are specifically classes NOT 'ready for sale'. Do I need any kind of label?

I am filtering through a very tight filter cloth over a couple of days and will sterlise and polish jars, of the same batch. Obviously the jars and lids are 'virgin'

Any and all help truly appreciated.

Best of luck. Can't help much but at last years local farmers show they too were short on entries, so I volunteered 2 12oz jars to make up the numbers. Disqualified - wrong size jars. Make sure there are no blemishes in either jar on lid, seems the actual honey may be secondary in some judge's eyes.
Read the rules if there are any, think the judge assumed everyone knew what was expected?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The 1 lb jars should be filled just over the shoulder but so there is no daylight showing between the bottom rim of the lid and the top of the honey - so just fill up the jar to just a bit more than where the rim of the lid willl sit. You want to avoid any bubbles or anything else (however small) around the edges of the honey - this can be removed by using a warm flatish teaspoon but make sure there are no specks of honey around the inside of the rim.
Make sure there are no scratches/dinks/blemishes on the lids you use and check your jars for any obvious blowing flaws (loads of bubbles in the glass etc.) and obviously a chip is totally out of the question. Take a duster with you to the show, and after changing the lid for your 'show' one give the whole thing a quick polish making sure there are no fingerprints etc on the pot or lid. another trick, rather than putting a new lid on when you get there (this is to make sure there is no honey on the underside of the lid) is to put a piece of cling film over the jar before putting the lid on for transportation, then when you get there; lid off, cling film off - make sure there is no honey around the rim then lid back on.
The only label you need for the classes you have entered is the one given to you by the show secretary (a small on with your entry number/class on) and you should affix it as per show schedule - usually near the bottom (of the jar!) about 11mm up.
There are 'honey glasses' available to check what class of honey you have but you cannot get them now for love or money ( well you can, but they do cost the earth - I was lucky on fleabay a few years ago!) Just ask on of the stewards on the day - they should be able to check for you. You could enter both the light/medium or medium/dark classes if you're not sure in advance and then just put it in whatever class is right on the day.
Just to clarify, because not all jars are the same (as you said on yours 454g is noticeably short of full) the rules now state that they should be filled up to the bottom of the lid as I said previously

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Make sure there are no blemishes in either jar on lid, seems the actual honey may be secondary in some judge's eyes.

With some classes having so many entries the judge will first sort out by eye - blemishes, wrong jar, colour not right whatever. The rejects get shoved aside before the judge goes on to open the remaining jars and judge viscosity, taste, boquet etc.

 

[drstitson]

most honey is medium. light is very light. dark is very dark.

no labels.
fill jars so no light shows under cap.
sit on windowsill for few days then skim off bubbles.

 

[itma]

... You want to avoid any bubbles or anything else (however small) around the edges of the honey - this can be removed by using a warm flatish teaspoon ...

Clingfilm has also been suggested for cleaning the top surface.

 

[masterBK]

Good Judges do not downgrade for travel splash on the inside of the lid (and I have been a senior judge for a long time). So NEVER EVER change lids at the show as that is not only a sure way of getting dust etc on the surface of the honey (as most public rooms / tents etc are not as clean as your home) but also you will lose the aroma (which takes hours to build up again). A good honey aroma is major factor along with taste and viscosity in sorting out the winners. Not to Schedule faults, incipient granulation and "visible debris" eliminate entries early on in the judging process and these never get tasted.

 

[BeeJayBee]

There's some useful stuff on the National Honey Show site http://www.honeyshow.co.uk/preparation_and_showing_honey.shtml

Bear in mind that some people keep their winning honey from one competition and enter it into the next one. Doesn't seem to be in the spirit of the thing, but it's how they keep winning prizes.

Take a clean tea towel to buff the outside of the jars when you're ready to put them on display.

Don't let a 'helpful' other, more experienced, competitor take the lids off your jars of honey to 'make sure they're clean' - it's gamesmanship on their part, and is a bit mean. Had it done to me, but I didn't realise the significance at the time.

 

[iombeeman]

look on the whole event as not about winning prizes,but a learning exercise to enable you to present to your honey customers a better product.
i think it is better that a judge picks out faults than a customer does.

 

[nickhodge]

Thanks all for the advice, all very valid.

The result was I won nothing in the honey classes, but got a first and third in photography ones, which I was chuffed with.

Spoke at length with judge and he had made some great comments on back of entry card so that'll make me better next time.

My major failure was not using 'squat' BS honey jars! (It was in the specification but it'd not clicked with me). Mine were virgin, clean, from the same batch, but not to spec. Also, my honey was starting to crystalise. (Swirls in it when shone from behind with torch)

The judge noted a very nice taste though, so was pleased there.

He made the point about NOT changing lids. He said travel marks seldom cover the whole lid, instead making 'wave' marks which almost form a square on the underside of the lid that is not covered in honey. He noted the problem with changing is that when he starts the taste test, he puts the jar up to his nose and loosens the lid. If it has been sealed for a day of so he says you get an immediate 'burst' of aroma, with newly changed lids, there is nothing, even for a few hours.

He did note my honey was very clean but part of my issue with length of time taken to strain, was tiny crystals clogging the cloth. I must now get my warming cabinet set up to overcome this. I have a fridge which I intend to convert with a thermostat and bulb.

Learned a huge amount from him, here and other entries so next year I intend to get at least a third!!