Honey Swap?

[UtahBees]

Anyone interested in swapping honey from this year's flow?

Maybe a bunch of us could get the smaller 2" or 3oz jars and make a fair swap between one another somehow. I'd be neat to taste the blackberry or wildflower honey for me. Or the white kiawe honey from Hawaii Wink

Anyone interested or have a good idea on how we could pull this off? Anyone interested in tasting honey from Orem, Utah!? LOL

UtahBees

[UtahBees]

I should have put this into the Honey Swap forum! I never knew it existed

Sorry to muck up the board like that.

UtahBees

[Dane Bramage]

BOARD MUCKER UPPER!  j/k!

I'm down for some honey-swappage.  We should attempt to standardize on a size.. and make it as cheap and easy as possible so more could participate.  As far as sizes, how about those 2oz spice jars?  Those are fairly common.

Here's the copy on the three varieties I harvested this year: July 2007 Harvest | Blackberry, August 2007 Harvest | Wildflower and September 2007 Harvest | Wildflower (all pictured below, from right to left in 1st image)

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Oh, and I've honey-harvest coordinated pollen collections as well:
July (this was when I first started collecting, so was a bit late and you can see the purple-loosestrife (dark) pollen mixed in with the blackberry (gray)):
<a href="http://i18.tinypic.com/4xwz7kx.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank" target="_blank">[/url]<a href="http://i18.tinypic.com/63kaeex.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank" target="_blank">[/url]
August:
<a href="http://i20.tinypic.com/2en6gdi.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank" target="_blank">[img width= height= alt=" border="0]http://i20.tinypic.com/2en6gdi_th[/img][/url]
September:
<a href="http://i22.tinypic.com/2hrj3nm.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank" target="_blank">[img width= height= alt=" border="0]http://i22.tinypic.com/2hrj3nm_th[/img][/url]

& here's one of the August and September pollens side-by-side (right to left, respectively)

<a href="http://i24.tinypic.com/r8usys.jpg%22%20target=%22_blank" target="_blank">[/url]

I think having taste reports/critiques would be fun as well.  Can be such a challenge attempting to qualify tastes and aromas with words!

Cheers,
Dane

[UtahBees]

Dane -

Beautiful photos. The small 2oz jars would be nice to standardize on. That way shipping isn't too much either.

If there is any interest besides just us two, then I think it'd be more fun. But heck, I'll swap with anyone right now.

I need to learn to harvest during certain flows like you did. Also, do you sell your pollen (or what do you do with it all)?

UtahBees

[Dane Bramage]

Thanks UB,

Ya - no reason to wait... send me a PM and we can swap addys and honey.

Depending on the nectar-flow timing, it's a bit difficult harvesting for flower-specific honeys.  One has to have sequential (as opposed to concurrent) nectar sources, place and pull supers all at once.  With the blackberry here they filled so fast it wasn't an issue but the supers that weren't capped were left for next harvest, creating a blend. 
The pollen collection is just for me (& the bees, spring supplemental) but collecting it is a helpful indicator of what is flowing and when ~ provided you can ID your pollen!  heh.  Mine went from 98% gray (blackberry), to 98% black (purple-loosestrife), to all mix of yellows, oranges ("wildflower") and I was able to pull and replace my supers in synch with this... for three separate harvests.  I'm fortunate in the staged nectar flows in my locale.. though that purple-loosestrife is definitely immediately following the Blackberry.  Anyways - it sure is an enjoyable enterprise!

Cheers,
Dane

[kathyp]

dane, if you are ever coming to the east side and have some honey to sell, i would buy some.  maybe if i wave it in front of my hives it will remind them what they are supposed to be doing!

[Cindi]

Dane, again, I gotta say, those are pretty nice looking honeys and pollen pictures.  You look like you got it all right!!!!  Have a wonderful day, best of our great life.  Cindi

[Dane Bramage]

Thanks Kathy ~> I'm actually overdue for a visit to Eagle Creek, but you don't have to buy any if you would like a sample. 

Thanks Cindi ~> Now all I have to do is SELL this stuff eh? hahaha  I didn't have any luck on EBay (just tried one listing), did better with Craig's List (popular here) but what I really need to do is get my paperwork in for some of the local Farmer's Markets and set up a booth. Bzzzy bzzzzy!

Cheers,
Dane

[kathyp]

eagle creek is right down the road.  let me know when you are coming around.  i would be very happy to pay for your honey.  you did well this year.  you deserve your financial reward 

the gresham farmers market is a big deal, but last i was there some folks were selling honey.  they  have a place on kelso rd, but i have not found it yet.  guess the sandy farmers market will be moving.  just drove through town and they are cramming a building into that lot.  my little town has been overrun by the outward migration of the SUV driving urbanites. 

[UtahBees]

Dane and I swapped honey the other day. It took me a while to get my honey out to him (traveling a lot), but I didn't know how much of a treat I was actually in for.

Dane's honey came in a wonderful glass bottle which radiated a beautiful golden color (see his photos above) and had a great label I'd like to copy. I received the Blackberry honey, and enjoyed on freshly made, hot Belgian waffles (with my wife and a son). The bits of floating wax were a great surprise, and the taste was a long-lasting sweetness that screamed "This stuff's for real!" It is delicious!

The whole family's still enjoying every last bit and I hope we can do this again next season.

Thanks Dane!

Scott

[Cindi]

Scott, consider yourself a lucky man!!!!  Yeah!!!!  I remember what Dane's honey pictures looked like and they were simply marvelous.  Good that you guys got to do the trade thing.  Have a wonderful and great day, Cindi

[Dane Bramage]

Hey - sorry for the delay replying - been away and also almost forgot this thread! 

Yes ~ UtahBees & I had a successful exchange ~ woohoo!    It's nice trying different honeys for sure and Scott's blend is very good.  It's interesting in tasting honeys, I've found, it is sometimes challenging on the palette.  At first I just noted a nice mild, sweet taste w/out any identifiable "notes".  Then, after sampling some vetch honey (from Cali, also very good) and trying some more - a little celery flavour came across.  What did you say were the nectar sources for your honey again?   

Glad you liked the blackberry!  That's still my favourite for the year as well.  The August Wildflower harvest is nice, fresh and light with a lot of flavour but all very delicate.  The September Wildflower is darker and has a more robust flavour, not overpowering but a bit of a sour & buttery note mixed in.  Thanks so much for the kind review and your honey!  You are definitely on for trade next season! 

Kathy ~> I didn't forget about you.. sadly, we've just have not had the time to make it to Eagle Creek as yet.  Ever make it to P-Town?

Thanks for the kind words Cindi!  I'm still game for an international honey exchange if you are. 

My surplus is heading out retail style now... Here's a pic of a local grocery store's shelves (can you spot my honey? hehe)



been a fun first year!

Cheers,
Dane

[kathyp]

Ever make it to P-Town?

not on a bet!! 

i was in Beaverton for TOPOFF, but since the schedule was events driven, i had no idea what i'd be doing, or where.  not to worry about the honey.  just let me know if you are ever out this way.  at the moment, i am home drying peppers and making pumpkin bread.  after that....hibernation!

[UtahBees]

Wow Dane!! That's great that you have your honey in stores. Very nice work!!

Scott