Not so Creamed Honey

[Anybrew]

Hi out there, I have tried to make some creamed honey but I think I have just got cloudy honey so I will explain what I did and any recipe or advise would be great!!

*I had about 5 kilograms/ 12 lbs ish of honey which was  just starting to crystallise so I decided to cream it.

*I brought  the container inside to warm it up a bit near the wood fire, which it did. (The honey has never been heated and is about 2 months old and had been stored in my shed)

*I had a commercial creamed honey and used this as a stater by mixing it through my honey.  I mixed through over the next 2 days and then placed it in small 500 gram containers 1 lbs ish.  It looks like creamed honey but is quite viscous.

*I placed the containers in the frig/icebox where it has been sitting now for a week. At the present time I can still pick up a container and it ever so slowly will move around so its still viscous.

*I took some out of the frig and placed in the kitchen and it appears almost to be turning back to honey or even like it is separating   but it taste great.

Any tips would be great appreciated.

Kampai
Steve

[tillie]

In my experience (I've only made creamed honey once!) it took more than six weeks for the honey to become creamed honey in the fridge.  I used the Dyce method which it sounds like you sort of followed, but the method involves holding the honey at a certain temp for a specific length of time - then you leave the honey in a cool place for WEEKS to finish the product.

If you check on it in the fridge, you can watch the crystals gradually form in the honey.  Keith Fielder referenced in the post below said that the type of honey makes a difference - some honeys crystallize more easily than others and the quality of the seed honey makes a difference.

http://beekeeperlinda.blogspot.com/2010/06/making-creamed-honey.html

The method turns out good creamed honey - I won the blue ribbon for mine at EAS and a red ribbon at Young Harris.

Linda T in Atlanta

[Anybrew]

Thanks for the reply Linda, I did like you said kinda followed the dyce method except for the heating process.
Also thanks for the blog link too it was helpful.

I think next time I try it I will heat the the honey up first. For some reason though I am not that keen to heat honey up, and I am not sure how to heat up say a 20 litres/5 gallon plastic drum of honey to the correct temp

Cheers
Steve

[tillie]

At Young Harris, four of us who had all taken Keith Fielder's course on creamed honey in 2010 entered the honey contest in 2011 with creamed honey.  The Welsh honey judge for the contest took the opportunity to comment on the fact that so many more people are making creamed honey these days.  In fact we only represented three good friends who did it after taking the class and one other person who also took the class.

However, more people may be trying creamed honey.

I am like you in that I don't want to heat honey, ever.  But honey that is crystallizing on its own needs something to rescue it and you are either going to set it in a hot water bath to stop the crystallization (heat) or make creamed honey by the Dyce method (heat).

Linda T

[Anybrew]

I think your right about having to heat the honey to rescue it, I don't think I have much choice but to heat.  I might have to purchase some type of immersion heater perhaps.

Everyone I talk to loves creamed honey and to be honest there is only one brand available on the shelf to purchase at the SuperMarket and its a home brand one

Cheers
Steve

[Michael Bush]

The target for optimum creamed honey is 57 F.  Much warmer than the fridge.

[Mardak]

Use a bigger plastic or steel container(rubbish bin) put ya 20 litre container in and pour warm or hot water down the side to about 2 inch from the top. Shove a temperature thingy  in the honey and watch what happens. Works real wonderful, very controlled by you lifting the 20 litre bucket if ya reckon its too warm.

[Anybrew]

Ok, 57F yeah much warmer than the frig thanks, I might move my cloudy honey back to the shed.  Good idea about the bin I have a brand new wheelie bin the  the Good ole Council gave me.
I still think I will get some type of immersion heater to heat the honey to de crystallise and to kill yeasts.

Cheers
Steve

[Michael Bush]

I never heat the honey.  I seldom use bought seed.  I use some smooth creamed honey I have, or I grind some in a flour grinder to get seed.  I add the seed and put them on the window sill in the late fall or winter.  They crystallize quickly and smoothly.  If I was more serious about it, I'd get a fridge and adjust it to 57 F

I heard Bud Diehnelt speak (Honey Acres) about creamed honey.  Back when he was a kid Cornell was still trying to enforce a patent on making creamed honey (the Dyce method) and a trade mark on the term "creamed honey".  So since his dad sold "Candied Honey" and it was obviously the same as "Creamed Honey" the lawyers showed up one day from Cornell to inform him that he would be sued.  He could see how worried his dad was.  But his dad made the case that you couldn't patent a natural process that had been taking place since time immemorial.  The lawyers asked to see the thermostat for the room where he crystallized his honey.  His dad looked confused and asked why.  They said the law suit would hinge on the temperature setting on the thermostat.  If it was 57 F then he was using the "Dyce method" and would owe royalties.  He saw the relief rush over his dad's face.  His dad walked them into the back room where the honey was crystallizing.  They looked around and asked how he controlled the temperature.  He said when it got too hot, he opened the window.  When it got too cold he lit the wood stove.  They left without another word.

[tillie]

Fabulous story, Michael.  I have to put mine in the refrigerator in Atlanta - it doesn't get down to 57 degrees consistently until late November, early December at best!  I understood that I would never need to purchase seed honey again after my first batch of creamed honey because I could use my own honey (the creamed honey) as a seed going forward.

Linda T in Atlanta

[VolunteerK9]

What kind of flour grinder are you using? Im thinking of a grist mill type like I have at the barn.

[Anybrew]

Thanks guys, I love the sharing or information I find here.  I think its true that Beeks are nice people all over the world. It must be something the Bee's do to us when we watch them at work in our gardens.
Cheers
Steve

[Michael Bush]

I have a hand flour grinder that will make fine flour.  You have to grind it very fine.