Skimming air bubbles off honey

[melon]

How do people remove the air bubbles that have risen over night, when bottling honey?
I leave it in the ripening tank overnight for air bubbles to rise, and then try to skim them off with a big metal spoon. It is not very successful, and in my opinion, wasteful of honey. There must be a better way, all you experts use. Please let me know your secrets. Thanks

 

[Mike a]

two words

cling film

Carefully press down the cling film on to the surface I use a teaspoon or similar to get into the edges then carefully peel it off again. You should find 90-95% of the bubbles are removed.

 

[Onge]

I use the spoon method.

Then use the bubbly honey first as personal use, cooking etc.

If there is a better method I would like to know too.

 

[Onge]

Ah cling film.

I'll give that a go this year.

 

[RoofTops]

I also tend to keep the bubbly honey for our own use. However, the bubbles do clear in the jar if the jars are kept warm for 24 hours or so after bottling - 35C in the warming cabinet seems to do the trick. There may be bubbles left on the surface in the jar but these are not usually very visible.

I find keeping bubbles out of the shoulders of hexagonal jars is more of a problem. The last lot I did I ensured the honey was at 35C so it was nice and runny and as the level of the honey reached the shoulders I would close down the flow a lot and let it creep past the shoulder nice and slowly. This seemed to result in a just a few small bubble in about half the shoulders - possibly because the jars were not quite level. When I came to stick the labels on I made sure they went on the side away from the bubbles so they were not visible on the shelf.

Probably not a technique for a large producer but it worked for me.

 

[melon]

Thanks Mike A,
I have used cling film on jars for show honey before, so I'll try it in the bucket and try not to get in too much off a mess!
Thanks for your quick response.

 

[victor meldrew]

The bubbles only present a problem (aesthetic) when the surface of the honey in the ripener reaches the outlet valve ! I place my ripener on a frame to elevate it sufficiently to place a jar under the valve with a little extra depth to allow me (with the aid of a wedge ) to tip the ripener to ensure the surface is kept above the valve until very little honey is left there( maybe 2/ 3 jars at most ) these I tend to use myself !

John W.

 

[melon]

The frame is a good idea, but probably not so easy if you have to keep moving things around....working in the kitchen, and having to move everything to cook and feed everyone! Looks like you have a special purpose honey room, somrthing I'd like, but more cost!

The frame must be great for getting the dreggs out too. I end up balancing the honey ripenener on a jar, whilst I scrape round with a spatula to empty it....bit of a delicate situation....I'll put a frame on my to do list, a long with solar wax extractor, honey for sale sign etc.

 

[oliver90owner]

As per Victor, except that the last very few jars are skimmed later after the bubbles have all come to the top if possible.

RAB

 

[mbc]

I use a little baffle cut from a honey bucket for the last few jars - leaves only one bubbly one for home use

 

[taff..]

I use a little baffle cut from a honey bucket for the last few jars - leaves only one bubbly one for home use

could you expand on that please, I'm curious but dont quite understand what you mean

 

[victor meldrew]

The frame is a good idea, but probably not so easy if you have to keep moving things around....working in the kitchen, and having to move everything to cook and feed everyone! Looks like you have a special purpose honey room, somrthing I'd like, but more cost!

The frame must be great for getting the dreggs out too. I end up balancing the honey ripenener on a jar, whilst I scrape round with a spatula to empty it....bit of a delicate situation....I'll put a frame on my to do list, a long with solar wax extractor, honey for sale sign etc.

The frame is a recycled infants school chair, sturdy construction , back rest fits ripener snuggly when in 'tilt' position .
All I had to do was reduce leg length by a couple of inches , mainly to remove the damage of years of scraping on stone floors and a little rot courtesy of Mrs Mops of long ago.
John W.

 

[Norton]

Take a damp cloth and place it on the froth. leave for a few minutes then peel it off and all the froth comes away stuck to the cloth.
Best regards
Norton.

 

[mbc]

could you expand on that please, I'm curious but dont quite understand what you mean

A honey baffle is a device to hold back either the top ( to eliminate floating debris or bubbles ) or the bottom ( to eliminate sinking debris ) portion of honey and let the clean bit go through.
The baffle I use for potting the last few jars from a big container of honey is a bit of plastic cut from a foodgrade honey bucket that will let a cm or so of honey through the bottom but holds back the bubbles on the top. When the level of the honey being potted nears the top of the tap I tilt the potting vessel and insert my baffle, taking care to push all the bubbles to the outside of the baffle while insering it, this lets me pot almost all the honey minus bubbles.

I hope thats expanded enough to increase your understanding and satisfy your curiosity.

 

[Cazza]

A honey baffle is a device to hold back either the top ( to eliminate floating debris or bubbles ) or the bottom ( to eliminate sinking debris ) portion of honey and let the clean bit go through.
The baffle I use for potting the last few jars from a big container of honey is a bit of plastic cut from a foodgrade honey bucket that will let a cm or so of honey through the bottom but holds back the bubbles on the top. When the level of the honey being potted nears the top of the tap I tilt the potting vessel and insert my baffle, taking care to push all the bubbles to the outside of the baffle while insering it, this lets me pot almost all the honey minus bubbles.

I hope thats expanded enough to increase your understanding and satisfy your curiosity.

Any chance of a photo for Mrs ThickyMcthick of Thicky Town, Suffolk?
C THMcTh.

 

[oliver90owner]

Cazza,

He mailed it last week, in anticipation of your post on here this week. Has it not arrived yet!

RAB

 

[Cazza]

Cazza,

He mailed it last week, in anticipation of your post on here this week. Has it not arrived yet!

RAB

Funnily enough - NO.

Vvv good.
C

 

[oliver90owner]

Must have been the wrong addy!

RAB

 

[melon]

Think I'd like to see a picture of the honey baffle too, as I can't quite understand it, despite the lovely description, and can't quite comprehend where you locate it...actually over the tap hole?, and how do you support it, whilst allowing honey to get under it.

 

[Ruary]

Think I'd like to see a picture of the honey baffle too, as I can't quite understand it, despite the lovely description, and can't quite comprehend where you locate it...actually over the tap hole?, and how do you support it, whilst allowing honey to get under it.

I use a wedge to tilt the ripener when it is about 3/4 empty ( any earlier and the ripener is liable to over-turn) and I partially open the honey gate when I get to the last few jars. I this means that the clear honey folows through the laower part of the gate. As soon as bubbles start coming I use the jar (it is usually only one) for my own use. The bubbles will rise to the top overnight but I do not bother to spoon them off.

Ruary