Volume 1 -------------------- December 27, 2010 --------------------Number 3
Previous subscriber count: 63 Current number of subscribers: 92
To view our previous newsletter, click here.
Ask your friends to sign up for this newsletter FREE at http://www.honeybeesonline.com/ez.html
BEE SMART is free and comes right to your email inbox. We'll be relying on you telling your friends
about BEE SMART and passing it along to others.
How To Make Creamed Honey
by David Burns, EAS certified Master Beekeeper
It seems creamed honey is enjoyed by everyone because of its spreadable nature. It is much more
common throughout the world than liquid honey. It is so easy and enjoyable to make. Creamed honey
almost appears to have been mixed with butter or some other type of cream. But it becomes
creamy because of how it is prepared. Nothing is added. It is still only honey. Most raw honey will
granulate or crystallize. Creamed honey is simply a process where the granulation is controlled. Let's
take a look at making creamed honey and hopefully you'll jump in and try to make a batch.
First, we'll look at the simple and basic steps, then we'll examine a few steps that can be taken to ensure
the highest quality of creamed honey.
Step One: PREPARE YOUR LIQUID HONEY
Start with your liquid honey and heat it to no more than 150 degrees F. This will produce a much smoother cream honey because the heat will destroy
yeasts and dissolves larger glucose crystals. Strain the honey after it has been heated to remove foreign particles such as tiny particles of pollen or wax.
You may want to strain it several times. Larger or uneven crystals will form around stray particles.
Step Two: CHOOSE & MIX IN THE STARTER HONEY
You'll need to cool your heated honey below 75 degrees (F) before adding the "seed". The seed honey is often called starter honey. It is honey that has
already been creamed. Some people make their own starter honey by grinding it in a meat grinder. The smaller the crystals the smoother the honey.
For most, it is easier to purchase creamed honey and use it as the starter seed. Add 5%-10% of the starter seed to the liquid honey and mix it in.
This equals 1 cup of starter to 10 pounds of honey. When mixing, try not to mix in air. You simply need to mix the starter seed throughout the liquid honey
which only requires minimal mixing. Now, let the batch sit for an hour.
Step Three: PLACE IN CONTAINERS
Now, transfer your batch into the containers that you want the creamed honey to be in. Then, place in a cool room that is 57 degrees (F). Within 4-7 days
the honey will set up to a firm yet creamy texture and is ready to serve or sell.
Extra Steps For The Best Creamed Honey
The quality of your starter seed will determine the quality of your batch. If the starter honey is not finely granulated, it will feel more like sand. But, if you use a
finely granulated starter it will feel very smooth and creamy.
As the creamed honey granulates in your chosen containers, air bubbles will rise to the top. This will leave a white coating appearance on the top of your creamed
honey. Many people use a piece of saran wrap and place it on the top of the mix in each container before placing it into a cool room. All of the air bubble frosting
will adhere to the saran wrap and can be easily removed. Others place their containers upside down before placing them in the cool room. When the bubbles rise
they will be trapped in the bottom once the container has granulated and is turn right side up. However, it could be alarming to customers who get to the bottom and
see the white frosting and do not know what it is.
Have fun and make some creamed honey!
We will be offering a 2 hour short course on making creamed honey on February 4th from 6-8pm at our honey bee farm. Click here for more information.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN THE NEWS...
We all want to live longer. Now a recent studying using honey bees may help us understand how we can live longer.
Read more...
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Ask your friends to sign up for this newsletter FREE at http://www.honeybeesonline.com/ez.html
BEE SMART is free and comes right to your email inbox. We'll be relying on you telling your friends about BEE SMART and passing it along
to others.
.............................................................................................................................................................................
Bee Smart is a publication of
Long Laney Honey Bee Farms
14556 N 1020 E Rd
Fairmount, IL 61841
(217) 427-2678
www.honeybeesonline.com
Long Lane Honey Bee Farms is here to serve the beekeeping community with beekeeping equipment, 3 lb packages, nucs, queens and more.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Check out our FREE online Beekeeping Lessons