Fun with Crystalization....

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

So, some of you may already know this and I did to an extent just didn't know to WHAT extent. Sugar crystalizes right? I've seen Honey do it plenty as I use it regularly. I have my pure maple syrup shipped in from a farm in Vermont (because, why not? that's where you get maple syrup RIGHT?!). I had made waffles weeks ago and keep my gallon jug in the fridge, but I use a little handmade pottery vessel that holds a little bit at a time. I usually use the syrup before the end of my weekend but I hadn't then and it was only protected by plastic wrap. As I said it was weeks before I felt like waffles again and.....

I mean...those are some pretty crystals and they are NOT small. Nature is pretty awesome. 

[Flumpweesel]

Wow cool colours, and how interesting. You now have maple hard candy.

[Brandon p]

Coming from a family beekeepers, since they family came from Germany in early 1800s the amount of moisture in the Honey is what causes it to crystallize. A little heat fixes the Crystallization . At one point in the United States to Sell Honey at the best price we would have to heat the honey to just warm enough to evaporate the water but not change color or tast. Color of honey is important to price and heat will darken it an cost you money. Now most pure honey comes from China in Brazil. Which may or may not have other sweet stuff from corn in it. ( sorry for the tangent) crystallization is awesome

[Odd Duck]

On 3/12/2022 at 5:43 PM, Brandon p said:

Coming from a family beekeepers, since they family came from Germany in early 1800s the amount of moisture in the Honey is what causes it to crystallize. A little heat fixes the Crystallization . At one point in the United States to Sell Honey at the best price we would have to heat the honey to just warm enough to evaporate the water but not change color or tast. Color of honey is important to price and heat will darken it an cost you money. Now most pure honey comes from China in Brazil. Which may or may not have other sweet stuff from corn in it. ( sorry for the tangent) crystallization is awesome

Yes.  Always buy local honey when you can.  Better for you and theoretically, raw honey can help reduce allergies by desensitizing you with low grade exposure.

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Brandon p that's very interesting information thanks! I hope to keep a hobby hive at some point in my life (likely after retirement) for now I buy my honey from a beekeeping shop in 4lb jars (I'd buy bigger but they don't sell bigger- though I can bring a jar and they'd fill it from a tap and charge me by weight). Usually before the end of the jar I'm having to set it in hot water to decrystalize it. But that brings a question to mind. Is that the best way to do it?

[Brandon p]

It was my job through high school. My family was one of the biggest beekeepers in Florida. We sold honey in 55g drums by the semi load. Sometimes honey will never belies crystallize. They have found honey in Egyptian tombs that is still good. I’m not sure who the gave that job to.  Did they say@hey Joe, taste this”?

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Yes @Brandon p I was totally fascinated by the honey found in they pyramids when I was a kid, let alone the mummification process (I totally want to be mummified when I die). 

It is funny what humans have tried to eat, you always have to think, who started that?? But what some friends of mine often refer to as "bee spit" is a much more palatable concept than "chicken periods" IMO 🙃

Edited March 13, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Katherine]

On 3/12/2022 at 7:00 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

But what some friends of mine often refer to as "bee spit" is a much more palatable concept than "chicken periods" IMO 🙃

Isn't "bee vomit" a closer approximation?

[Odd Duck]

On 3/12/2022 at 6:48 PM, Brandon p said:

It was my job through high school. My family was one of the biggest beekeepers in Florida. We sold honey in 55g drums by the semi load. Sometimes honey will never belies crystallize. They have found honey in Egyptian tombs that is still good. I’m not sure who the gave that job to.  Did they say@hey Joe, taste this”?

That’s a LOT of honey!  How many hives does it take to produce a 55 gallon drum?

Poor Joe!  Maybe that’s where the mummy’s curse came from.  What’s a little botulism between friends?

On 3/12/2022 at 7:00 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Yes @Brandon p I was totally fascinated by the honey found in they pyramids when I was a kid, let alone the mummification process (I totally want to be mummified when I die). 

It is funny what humans have tried to eat, you always have to think, who started that?? But what some friends of mine often refer to as "bee spit" is a much more palatable concept than "chicken periods" IMO 🙃

I’m pretty sure that animals are smarter than us when it comes to food, or at least have better noses, and led the way to many delicious “discoveries” by humans.  😆 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

On 3/12/2022 at 5:10 PM, Katherine said:

Isn't "bee vomit" a closer approximation?

Well still rather that than the other implication. Vomit implies something negative, they're just storing it and regurgitating it for us. Like a mother bird! 😄

On 3/12/2022 at 5:11 PM, Odd Duck said:

I’m pretty sure that animals are smarter than us when it comes to food, or at least have better noses, and led the way to many delicious “discoveries” by humans.  😆 

Oh guaranteed we saw some animal trying it before we did most of the time but there are some questionable things I'm not sure even animals have touched. I think of bears with the honey thing every time. 

Edited March 13, 2022 by xXInkedPhoenixX

[Odd Duck]

On 3/12/2022 at 7:13 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

Well still rather that than the other implication. Vomit implies something negative, they're just storing it and regurgitating it for us. Like a mother bird! 😄

Oh guaranteed we saw some animal trying it before we did most of the time but there are some questionable things I'm not sure even animals have touched. I think of bears with the honey thing every time. 

Yep, bears and honey or berries, for sure.  If we watched animals better, we’d probably eat a lot more grubs and bugs, though. 😆 😂 🤣 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

@Odd Duck yeah.....we know other cultures definitely have bugs in their diet and if we're being honest they are a good source of nutrients- likely have no qualms about it if I'd grown up in that atmosphere but even the thought of using cricket flour makes me 🤢

[Odd Duck]

On 3/12/2022 at 7:29 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

@Odd Duck yeah.....we know other cultures definitely have bugs in their diet and if we're being honest they are a good source of nutrients- likely have no qualms about it if I'd grown up in that atmosphere but even the thought of using cricket flour makes me 🤢

I’m not quite to 🤢 as long as I don’t think about it, but as for actually using it . . . . . ?????  That’s a tough one.

[Brandon p]

On 3/12/2022 at 8:11 PM, Odd Duck said:

That’s a LOT of honey!  How many hives does it take to produce a 55 gallon drum?

Poor Joe!  Maybe that’s where the mummy’s curse came from.  What’s a little botulism between friends?

I’m pretty sure that animals are smarter than us when it comes to food, or at least have better noses, and led the way to many delicious “discoveries” by humans.  😆 

Not as many as you think 55 gal drum honey Who is about 675 lbs.one box of honey full is about 50 lbs full. One hive can produce 2-8 boxes depending on the crop.  We had 2,500 hives at one point but I think they had more but that is about all 3 or 4 people can handle.  That’s on the best times. 

Edited March 13, 2022 by Brandon p

[Odd Duck]

On 3/12/2022 at 8:02 PM, Brandon p said:

Not as many as you think 55 gal drum honey Who is about 675 lbs.one box of honey full is about 50 lbs full. One hive can produce 2-8 boxes depending on the crop.  We had 2,500 hives at one point but I think they had more but that is about all 3 or 4 people can handle.  That’s on the best times. 

Very interesting.  I didn’t even think about how much honey weighs.  Just looked it up and it’s about 12 lbs per gallon.  Water is about 8.25 lbs per gallon.  Table sugar (honey is a mix of sugars) is a bit over 7 lbs per gallon.  But the interaction of water and sugar together makes it much heavier than either since they fill up each other’s spaces.  Essentially like filling a jar with pebbles, filling the spaces with sand, then filling the rest of the space with water.  Same overall volume, but heavier together.  Sorry, nerd moment.

[Torrey]

On 3/12/2022 at 6:29 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said:

@Odd Duck yeah.....we know other cultures definitely have bugs in their diet and if we're being honest they are a good source of nutrients- likely have no qualms about it if I'd grown up in that atmosphere but even the thought of using cricket flour makes me 🤢

This makes me grateful I grew up in a multicultural family. As long as i don't have to look it in the eyes, I can eat anything. I am pretty sure this is part of how I escaped early identification of autism. I learned how to make great eye contact with everyone at the table so I didn't have to see what anyone was putting in their mouth, and I *definitely* didn't need to look at my plate. Made global travel easier, too.

[Tanked]

On 3/12/2022 at 7:48 PM, Brandon p said:

It was my job through high school. My family was one of the biggest beekeepers in Florida. We sold honey in 55g drums by the semi load. Sometimes honey will never belies crystallize. They have found honey in Egyptian tombs that is still good. I’m not sure who the gave that job to.  Did they say@hey Joe, taste this”?

They said "give it to Mikey he eats everything..."   Do you happen to remember what a 55 gallon drum of honey weighs?

[Brandon p]

650-680 The less moisture (water) the honey has the more it weighs.  Gallon of of honey weights about 12 lbs/ gal

[Patrick_G]

@Brandon p, that’s an interesting fact about the water content of honey and how it relates to crystallization. My family has a couple of hives as a hobby and I’ve always been confused as to why some batches crystallized and others didn’t. 

[Brandon p]

Its not the only factor but it is the biggest. Some plant nectar has more water than others. we are in south Fl and it seems like Brilzian pepper would crystalize the fastest then orange honey. Palmetto honey seemed to never crystalize. Cold does help but we had a big aluminum building with temp being 90-98 degrees in summer and it would still crystalize.

Love the pic of the tank!

[Minanora]

So neat!

@Brandon p Have you kept hives recently? Your information is very interesting. I've been thinking about starting some horizontal hives on our property to help with the local bee populations.

[Brandon p]

No not in years. I would give it a try and not let it bother you if they fail at times. There is a lot of info and most states have and ext. program to help educate new beekeepers for free. I liked it it would be fun when its not a business like a lot of things. if you do start i would start with 3 or 4 hives if able even if that's all you ever have. 

[Minanora]

On 3/13/2022 at 8:24 PM, Brandon p said:

No not in years. I would give it a try and not let it bother you if they fail at times. There is a lot of info and most states have and ext. program to help educate new beekeepers for free. I liked it it would be fun when its not a business like a lot of things. if you do start i would start with 3 or 4 hives if able even if that's all you ever have. 

I did the course at Davis.

I have 83 acres... I can't legally do what I'm planning... but I don't really care. If someone trespasses and calls me out, then fine. But otherwise, I just want wild bees to help the local flora. Honey is a bonus if the hives get overburdened. But I want to make sure they can survive the winters and be stable. ^_^

[Brandon p]

On 3/14/2022 at 12:41 AM, Minanora said:

I did the course at Davis.

I have 83 acres... I can't legally do what I'm planning... but I don't really care. If someone trespasses and calls me out, then fine. But otherwise, I just want wild bees to help the local flora. Honey is a bonus if the hives get overburdened. But I want to make sure they can survive the winters and be stable. ^_^

I can have 3 hives and The lots bare 145’x 90’( I think). I can park a truck in my driveway in my town it has to be in the garage, but bees ok. Most places don’t care unless you are making money and they aren’t getting there cut. 

[Minanora]

On 3/13/2022 at 9:59 PM, Brandon p said:

I can have 3 hives and The lots bare 145’x 90’( I think). I can park a truck in my driveway in my town it has to be in the garage, but bees ok. Most places don’t care unless you are making money and they aren’t getting there cut. 

Well, my property is behind the gate of a private community that I have easement access to a lot of their community..... They don't like us very much which is funny because if someone else bought the land it would have been developed. I bought it to protect it and the resources around it. Our locale in our area in California want to fight over everything even if it's good things. It's rather silly. The "I'm better than you so my word is law" thing is a real deal with this particular group. We have yet to have a fruitful dialogue with them. It's exhausting and depressing. We'll win their respect at some point I hope. But we're not throwing money at them so they are resistant. Maybe bee's will help. I can throw bees.  Truly.

 

 

Edited March 14, 2022 by Minanora
typos!