There may be something in this - I recall in Wales, 50 years ago, Mum complaining that a local beekeeper fed his bees with sugar, and I recall that honey was set pretty hard. Where can we find a tame beekeeper to quiz? But certainly what I have heard from the beekeepers I've bought off and people who talk as if they know a thing or two is that the honey that sets has not been heated (overheated). R
http://www.capilano.com.au/education/facts-about-honey.aspx says Q: Why does honey go 'candied' or 'sugary' or 'lumpy'? A: Honey that has 'candied' is still in top condition. It has simply gone through a natural process due to many factors, such as temperature conditions and the ratio of the naturally occurring sugars in honey. All honey will candy eventually, but some will candy very quickly - some will even candy in the frame in the hive before the beekeeper is able to extract the honey - and some honey will take many years to candy. The exact composition of honey depends from which type of flowers the honeybee has been collecting the nectar. Q: What should I do when honey is candied? A: 1) Spoon honey into a microwave safe container or heat resistant bowl and place in the microwave. Heat the honey in 30 second increments on a medium heat and stir at each stage (ensuring you remove the spoon between mixes) (R says: Not happy about anything in the microwave, let alone honey) or 2) Place squeeze pack in a container or bowl of hot tap water until the honey becomes liquid again (make sure the lid is exposed out of the water to ensure that no water leaks into the pack). Q: Why does honey go 'candied' or 'sugary' or 'lumpy'? A: Honey that has 'candied' is still in top condition. It has simply gone through a natural process due to many factors, such as temperature conditions and the ratio of the naturally occurring sugars in honey. All honey will candy eventually, but some will candy very quickly - some will even candy in the frame in the hive before the beekeeper is able to extract the honey - and some honey will take many years to candy. The exact composition of honey depends from which type of flowers the honeybee has been collecting the nectar. Q:What is creamed honey? A: This is pure honey (with very fine grained crystallised or candied honey added) and is whipped which adds air bubbles. This gives the honey a creamy look and a smooth, velvety taste. Pure honey is the only ingredient - nothing else is added. It is the process of whipping that gives its unique texture. Creamed honey is thicker than liquid honey and is ideal for spreading on toast and crumpets. http://www.xs4all.nl/~jtemp/RawHoney.html note that (probably in the USA!) honey heated to 140 instead of 160 degrees is being labelled raw. with note added to post saying *In discussions on this topic with Honey Board Staff, it was determined that, indeed, no single definition for raw honey exists. For commercially raw honey, the standards are set between buyer and seller, and a standard minimum processing temperature does not exist. We agree that it is time to define these standards, and support any action by beekeeping organizations and others to do so. However, until such are in force, we do not believe that packers using the term on their labels are fradulent nor unscrupulous. Opportunistic may be a better term. Ed. . http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/?qid=20060627035558AAqYgmK - feeding them sugar will ruin the honey. If you've ever bought honey in a grocery store and after a month or two, you get a build up around the top, that's because sugar was fed to the bees. It does nothing but ruin the honey. Let them do their own thing. http://www.sugarindia.com/invert_syrup_honey_bee.htm interesting stuff about sugars that feed and sugars that kill bees. Mmmmm well all I can say is that Dad used to own 600 beehives, he always maintained that if your honey candied it wasn't, but he isn't alive now for me to ask him. I do remember that he always used to extract the honey when it was below a 20% moisture content, how he measured it I don't know. John -- The Silver List is a moderated forum for discussing Colloidal Silver. Instructions for unsubscribing are posted at: http://silverlist.org To post, address your message to: [email protected] Address Off-Topic messages to: [email protected] The Silver List and Off Topic List archives are currently down... List maintainer: Mike Devour <[email protected]>
