The Great Honey Heist !

[Erichalfbee]

They have just about the most intense quality control procedures in the land. They practice very strict control on their processes and the avoidance of higher hmf is one of them.

A few seasons ago we sold some barrels of blossom honey to a smaller packer who claims the high ground on quality, and part of the batch went to Rowse. Hmf at time of the barrels leaving was 3...tested by the stockholder. After packing the Rowse stuff was fine (its not legal to sell at over 40) but the smaller packer had it at 57.

Guess what...all the habitual knockers of 'big boys' constantly say Rowse cook their honey.

They DO heat it to quite a high temperature for filtering but cooking of honey (which raises the hmf) is a function of both temperature and time. Their heating is brief.

Thanks for that....all in the sophisticated quality control after all.
I wasn't knocking anybody, by the way. It was a half-hearted punt at a joke.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

I'm €5 for 12oz and sold out a month ago
If someone buys a €2 jar of honey they are under no illusion of what they are buying
But they want something sweet to put on their porridge,I reckon if they made honey flavoured golden syrup at €1.99it would outsell the €2 stuff
If everyone bought only honey direct from beekeepers a lot of customers would get no honey
True honey lovers will seek out a beekeeper and will remain a customer as long as quality of product and price is maintained

 

[BrianO]

I'm €5 for 12oz and sold out a month ago
If someone buys a €2 jar of honey they are under no illusion of what they are buying

Disagree

Some know, a lot haven't the foggiest !

To a large percentage honey is honey, I guarantee you majority people buying well known branded honey would not be aware it us produced mainly outside EU

 

[pargyle]

Disagree

Some know, a lot haven't the foggiest !

To a large percentage honey is honey, I guarantee you majority people buying well known branded honey would not be aware it us produced mainly outside EU

They often only 'get it' when they are given the opportunity to taste real honey alongside the £1.29 Aldi stuff .... in side by side tests I've never come across anyone who preferred the cheap stuff. Once converted very few I've come across will go back to buying the cheap honey from supermarkets.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

I reccommend to my customers to buy the cheap supermarket honey if they are just putting it on hot porridge and keep the honey they get from me for eating direct from jar
What is the point of putting a premium honey onto porridge at 70/80 degrees or into tea at80/90 degrees
This year I sold 150 jars and I hope the hottest thing it was put on is a slice of toast

 

[Hivemaker.]

This year I sold 150 jars and I hope the hottest thing it was put on is a slice of toast

I don't really like the stuff myself, and am not worried what people do with it once they have bought it, i know some who feed it to their sheep.

 

[Finman]

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Once I gove a long advertising to a lady, how good aroma honey has this year. After 10 minutes she told that she gives the honey to her dog.

 

[Finman]

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I have some very good customers. Many of them said this year, that they have old honey enough, and they do not by this year. I have said to them, that are they willing to change the honey to new honey for free.

One customer had 30 kg, and I was happy take old stuff off. Last year honey came mainly from fireweed, and it was not very aromatic. This year honey was exceptionally aromatic. This year best customers have bought 80 kg per person and I do not want to loose them.

Good customer is such, who buys 10-20 kg. Very good are such which buy 20-40 kg. Rare are those who buy over 40 kg, but some are.

I sell my honey 20% under lowest marketing prices. So I am able to sell in big dosages. I can try to sell with higher prices, but then delivery costs will be much bigger. Drive here anf drive thre. Gasoline is expencive.

After all we have in Finland enough competition on honey markets, and it is biggest in capital city.
.

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[hallshoney]

I had a lady ring me last month asking me if my honey was "raw/unpasteurised " as she wanted to wash her hair with it

 

[Finman]

I had a lady ring me last month asking me if my honey was "raw/unpasteurised " as she wanted to wash her hair with it

You just tell that your honey will sterilize all bacteria and yeast from her head. Special!

For myself I am going to advertise still my honey with aroma. I am not going to hint to customers, that they have some hygienic problems and they need honey to kill their microflora.

 

[mbc]

I recoiled a bit the first few times I've been asked whether my honey is "raw", no need to though as it turns out it simply means not heated to over 40c therefore still complete with all its live yeasts ect. Nowadays if people want to be reassured my honey is "raw" I'm happy to do so, whatever floats your boat!
Flash heating honey to keep the hmf low while still giving runny honey a long shelf life takes it out of the raw category and also impairs the flavour imho.
Also, as to pricing, get what you can and good luck.

 

[Finman]

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No one knows, if you heat the honey to 50C and you tell that you do not heat honey. That simple.

I do not sell raw honey. They can go to such beekeepers who sells it. But no one has not asked it from me.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

I don't really like the stuff myself, and am not worried what people do with it once they have bought it, i know some who feed it to their sheep.

Not a fan of the stuff either but I like to have a product that people specifically look for
My method is to extract through double strainer and jar immediately,I realise there will be people aghast at this lack of filtration,settling etc.but I market my honey as just that.My description sheet clearly states "honey as the bees eat theirs"
I was given a jar of clear honey by someone who doesn't know I keep my own bees and doing a taste test side by side with my own found theirs to be so much thinner and so much sweeter, is this due to them heating their honey or due to forage area.I would have a lot of ragworth around me

 

[Hivemaker.]

My description sheet clearly states "honey as the bees eat theirs"

Bees dilute theirs with water to consume if not fresh.

I would have a lot of ragworth around me

I find the bees here avoid it if possible, need to be desperate to work on it.

With the ever increasing occurrence of ragwort on Irish waste and pasture lands, this project wishes to determine whether Irish honey is becoming contaminated with trace levels of PAs toxins from nectar collected from Ragwort. If these compounds are detected in indigenous honey, our recommendations will be to eradicate this plant to ensure the sustainability of indigenous honey production.

http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6164

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

Bees dilute theirs with water to consume if not fresh.


Hi HM
Define fresh
Does honey taste sweeter even if heated ?
Thanks

 

[Finman]

very many plants are poisonous, when they try to protect themselves against enemies. But when the plant invite insects with nectar, what idea is to poison pollinating insects?

Spring flowering plants are mostly poisonous. If not, it would be easy to eate their bulbs and roots, and their fresh leaves, which come up in early spring.

 

[Hivemaker.]

Bees dilute theirs with water to consume if not fresh.


Hi HM
Define fresh
Does honey taste sweeter even if heated ?
Thanks

Nectar, fresh from the flowers with a high water content, as opposed to sealed honey.

Not noticed any difference in sweetness after warming, but you may of noticed your friends honey being sweeter than yours, as yours could be bitter with the ragwort content.

If so, maybe instead of using your honey on their toast they would be better using yours for washing their hair, and use your friends or supermarket honey for eating.

 

[Tonyatcwfarm]

Thanks for that
I may suggest in future they mist their toast with san pellegrino before spreading with honey!Just to live up to my description
Apart from the sweetness the consistency was unusual,24 hours after jarring you could turn the jars upside down without any honey pouring out
Could a percentage of heather in the honey cause this

 

[For want of a better word]

Thanks for that
I may suggest in future they mist their toast with san pellegrino before spreading with honey!Just to live up to my description
Apart from the sweetness the consistency was unusual,24 hours after jarring you could turn the jars upside down without any honey pouring out
Could a percentage of heather in the honey cause this

Probably OSR!

All I know is that MY bees produce the best honey in these parts!

Nos da

 

[Thymallus]

much thinner and so much sweeter, is this due to them heating their honey or due to forage area.I would have a lot of ragworth around me

More likely due to foraging area and fauna. We see differences in the taste and sweetness from honey from near but different forage areas, like the Yorkshire Wolds vs Yorkshire uplands only 20 miles distance apart. Different colors as well. A lot depends on the weather and which plants are yielding nectar. This year my "summer" honey is characterless in comparison to last years. Still good though.