the 2000 year old honey in king tuts tomb was still edible........http://www.honeylocator.com
Honey
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ive always never used a metal spoon to spoon honey due to the fact that Honey is slightly acidic in pH, so it may react with metal. Kind of a wives tale really, but i figure with such good honey why risk it!
anyone else do this?
anyone else do this?
All I have in the house are stainless or rather big wooden spoons, never had a problem, and I don't use the wooden spoons.
Phil
Phil
no, we have cheap-o stainless utensils, never a problem. But we don't leave the spoon in for any length of time. How acidic is honey?
-jim
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- #45
yea its not a real issue for sure as most people as the spoon doesnt sit for long. But i think if it was left in it it would perhaps affect flavour?
i use ceramic or wooden spoons for honey
The metal spoon and honey does have some truth in it,but for different reasons.It is probably from the ice cream and metal spoon theory,which has been scientifically proven to be true.If you must use a metal spoon to eat ice cream,always turn the loaded spoon upside down ,and the insert into the mouth.This keeps the taste buds from first getting the metallic taste of the spoon,and letting you enjoy the full ice cream flavor ,this must be true for the honey as well, it makes sense.
@bingeandpurge: Waldo Apiary is selling honey at their stand by Norton Ohio on Rt23 now. Friday, Saturday and Sunday weather dependent. This was the second weekend, she had Clover and Buckwheat. The buckwheat is a winter honey and rather strong flavored.
Phil
Phil
Waldo, eh? I'll have to look for next time I'm up that way.
I just picked a pound of unfiltered light amber honey made in Ashland at the Clintonville Community Market. Cost les than nine dollars.
I just picked a pound of unfiltered light amber honey made in Ashland at the Clintonville Community Market. Cost les than nine dollars.
I have a local farm around here that has hives. I like the idea of getting something exotic, but my money is better spent supporting the small business owner in this case.
For breakfast everyday for about the last 6 years I've eaten the same thing:
9-10 egg whites
16oz tea or coffee
2 slices wheat toast, one with the eggs, one covered in locally roasted (no salt, no sugar) crunchy natty peanutbutter.
I've missed this meal only once in that timeframe.
For breakfast everyday for about the last 6 years I've eaten the same thing:
9-10 egg whites
16oz tea or coffee
2 slices wheat toast, one with the eggs, one covered in locally roasted (no salt, no sugar) crunchy natty peanutbutter.
I've missed this meal only once in that timeframe.
Just bought some Dandelion honey looking forward to trying it.
If you can ever make it there, check out Jungle Jim's near Cinncinnati. They have the largest variety of various honeys that I have seen.
This is an interesting story on Virginia Beekeepers I'd like to share.
Virginia honey prices way up after decline in production.
By Spencer Dennis - 16 Apr 12
MIDDLEBROOK, VA — Behind his screen faceshield and beneath his white canvas jump suit, sweat was cascading down his legs and collecting in the white cotton socks inside his nondescript brown work boots. On some days, it must be at least 120 degrees inside 66-year-old David Pugh's beesuit.
"That's brutal. Those suits do not breath well," said Pugh, a retiree and artisan beekeeper in Middlebrook. "And trotting around naked in one is just not going to cut it with the local standards."
Beekeeping isn't exactly shuffleboard — for a hobby, it's hard work. It's also been a risky investment in recent years as entire colonies of honey bees have been mysteriously dying off from colony collapse disorder. But buoyed by record honey prices, a growing interest in local foods and the breeding of more resistant honey bees, there are indications that the bees, and the art of procuring their sticky, amber sweetener, might be making a comeback. In the 1970s, there were about 90,000 honey bee hives throughout Virginia, state apiarist Keith Tignor said. Today, there are only between 30,000 and 35,000 hives. At 40,000 to 60,000 honey bees per colony that's still about 1.5 billion honey bees in the state, but a fraction of historical numbers. The high mortality rate caused the cost of 'keeping to soar.
"It's not an inexpensive activity, especially when you're going up against diseases," said Pugh, who was down to a single hive several years ago despite shelling out for some of the vitamins, special feeds, chemical supplements and medications sold to combat the various threats to a hive. Many of the remedies sell for $100 or more, but success is not guaranteed. "I was down to one last shot," he said. "I was about to give up."
Many keepers did. Honey production in 2011 was down 16 percent in the U.S., according to the National Agricultural Statistics Survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, which only accounts for producers with at least five colonies.
In Virginia, honey production declined by 14 percent and the number of honey bee colonies fell by 20 percent in 2011, according to the survey. Virginia produced 160,000 pounds of honey in 2011, down 66 percent from 468,000 pounds in 2001.
Mike Tripp/The News Leader Dave Pugh of MeadowWalk Bees checks one of several hives outside his residence off Eidson Creek Road on Sunday, April 1, 2012.
As a result, honey prices reached record highs in the state and nation in 2011. Virginia honey retailed for an average of $4 a pound, more than double the national average of $1.73 per pound. Virginia honey was the costliest in the nation in 2010 but Hawaiian honey is now the nation's most lavish at $4.71 per pound. The high prices, coupled with a strong interest in locally-produced foods, seems to be driving a comeback."We are seeing a huge interest in beekeeping in the state and really in the whole region," Tignor said, adding that the state of Virginia as well as the USDA have had success with breeding programs using Russian bees that have resistance to imported mites called Varroa destructors."We've seen a three-fold increase in beekeeping groups in the state in the last decade," he said.
Membership in the Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers Association has nearly tripled in the last five years, said Sue McKown, treasurer of the 30-year-old, 100-member club. Membership has diversified, too, adding more women and young adults. Business is booming at the Valley Bee Supply in Fishersville, a small business that opened last August and sells everything from Italian honey bees to brew kits for mead making to molds for beeswax candlesticks, said owner Shane Clatterbaugh, 36. "This spring has really surprised me," said Clatterbaugh, who estimates that about half his customers are new beekeepers. "I never would have thought we'd be doing this much business."
Pugh is finding success too. He now has 22 hives on his 14 acres, and hopes to eventually have more than 30. He credits a new strategy of curbing disease that he chose when his single hive mercifully rebounded. "If the hive is dieing, let it die. If it survives, multiply," Pugh said in full gear, preparing his smoker with dry pine needles. "I expect a very high loss rate." "I stopped using the chemicals and the supplements," he said. "Because they didn't work." Last July he pulled 36 gallons from the honey-laden hives and sold 20 of them. The raw, additive-free, wildflower honey his bees produce commands a premium price of $9 a pint at three local stores and, starting this spring, at the Staunton/Augusta Farmers' Market. That's roughly $7 a pound.
"We sell quite a bit of his honey," said Terri Breeden, owner of The Meating Place in Staunton. "I think a lot of it has to do with it being so local."
"It's not that profitable yet," said Pugh, who has to check on his hives regularly at least eight months out of the year. "I started out with the idea of giving the honey as a gift to friends and family." "These things are stronger than sin," he said, pulling the top off of a swarming hive to be greeted by a boisterous, symphonic buzz. "Oh yeah, these things are going gangbusters," he said, surveying the progress of a hive, part of a stand a few hundred feet from the home he and his wife settled in after he retired from the United States Foreign Service.
"I always thought it should be a self-sustaining hobby, but there is so much to learn it's not easy to get there," said Pugh, who has taken classes, joined the beekeeping club and subscribes to the American Bee Journal. These days he is more worried about drought than a resurgence of colony collapse disorder. "What I've created, I hope, are survivor bees," Pugh said. "It's an art. There's a lot of science to it, and I study the science, but it's an art."
Bees Good for Business in Virginia
"The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams". Henry David Thoreau
Virginia honey prices way up after decline in production.
By Spencer Dennis - 16 Apr 12
MIDDLEBROOK, VA — Behind his screen faceshield and beneath his white canvas jump suit, sweat was cascading down his legs and collecting in the white cotton socks inside his nondescript brown work boots. On some days, it must be at least 120 degrees inside 66-year-old David Pugh's beesuit.
"That's brutal. Those suits do not breath well," said Pugh, a retiree and artisan beekeeper in Middlebrook. "And trotting around naked in one is just not going to cut it with the local standards."
Beekeeping isn't exactly shuffleboard — for a hobby, it's hard work. It's also been a risky investment in recent years as entire colonies of honey bees have been mysteriously dying off from colony collapse disorder. But buoyed by record honey prices, a growing interest in local foods and the breeding of more resistant honey bees, there are indications that the bees, and the art of procuring their sticky, amber sweetener, might be making a comeback. In the 1970s, there were about 90,000 honey bee hives throughout Virginia, state apiarist Keith Tignor said. Today, there are only between 30,000 and 35,000 hives. At 40,000 to 60,000 honey bees per colony that's still about 1.5 billion honey bees in the state, but a fraction of historical numbers. The high mortality rate caused the cost of 'keeping to soar.
"It's not an inexpensive activity, especially when you're going up against diseases," said Pugh, who was down to a single hive several years ago despite shelling out for some of the vitamins, special feeds, chemical supplements and medications sold to combat the various threats to a hive. Many of the remedies sell for $100 or more, but success is not guaranteed. "I was down to one last shot," he said. "I was about to give up."
Many keepers did. Honey production in 2011 was down 16 percent in the U.S., according to the National Agricultural Statistics Survey conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture, which only accounts for producers with at least five colonies.
In Virginia, honey production declined by 14 percent and the number of honey bee colonies fell by 20 percent in 2011, according to the survey. Virginia produced 160,000 pounds of honey in 2011, down 66 percent from 468,000 pounds in 2001.
Mike Tripp/The News Leader Dave Pugh of MeadowWalk Bees checks one of several hives outside his residence off Eidson Creek Road on Sunday, April 1, 2012.
As a result, honey prices reached record highs in the state and nation in 2011. Virginia honey retailed for an average of $4 a pound, more than double the national average of $1.73 per pound. Virginia honey was the costliest in the nation in 2010 but Hawaiian honey is now the nation's most lavish at $4.71 per pound. The high prices, coupled with a strong interest in locally-produced foods, seems to be driving a comeback."We are seeing a huge interest in beekeeping in the state and really in the whole region," Tignor said, adding that the state of Virginia as well as the USDA have had success with breeding programs using Russian bees that have resistance to imported mites called Varroa destructors."We've seen a three-fold increase in beekeeping groups in the state in the last decade," he said.
Membership in the Shenandoah Valley Beekeepers Association has nearly tripled in the last five years, said Sue McKown, treasurer of the 30-year-old, 100-member club. Membership has diversified, too, adding more women and young adults. Business is booming at the Valley Bee Supply in Fishersville, a small business that opened last August and sells everything from Italian honey bees to brew kits for mead making to molds for beeswax candlesticks, said owner Shane Clatterbaugh, 36. "This spring has really surprised me," said Clatterbaugh, who estimates that about half his customers are new beekeepers. "I never would have thought we'd be doing this much business."
Pugh is finding success too. He now has 22 hives on his 14 acres, and hopes to eventually have more than 30. He credits a new strategy of curbing disease that he chose when his single hive mercifully rebounded. "If the hive is dieing, let it die. If it survives, multiply," Pugh said in full gear, preparing his smoker with dry pine needles. "I expect a very high loss rate." "I stopped using the chemicals and the supplements," he said. "Because they didn't work." Last July he pulled 36 gallons from the honey-laden hives and sold 20 of them. The raw, additive-free, wildflower honey his bees produce commands a premium price of $9 a pint at three local stores and, starting this spring, at the Staunton/Augusta Farmers' Market. That's roughly $7 a pound.
"We sell quite a bit of his honey," said Terri Breeden, owner of The Meating Place in Staunton. "I think a lot of it has to do with it being so local."
"It's not that profitable yet," said Pugh, who has to check on his hives regularly at least eight months out of the year. "I started out with the idea of giving the honey as a gift to friends and family." "These things are stronger than sin," he said, pulling the top off of a swarming hive to be greeted by a boisterous, symphonic buzz. "Oh yeah, these things are going gangbusters," he said, surveying the progress of a hive, part of a stand a few hundred feet from the home he and his wife settled in after he retired from the United States Foreign Service.
"I always thought it should be a self-sustaining hobby, but there is so much to learn it's not easy to get there," said Pugh, who has taken classes, joined the beekeeping club and subscribes to the American Bee Journal. These days he is more worried about drought than a resurgence of colony collapse disorder. "What I've created, I hope, are survivor bees," Pugh said. "It's an art. There's a lot of science to it, and I study the science, but it's an art."
Bees Good for Business in Virginia
"The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams". Henry David Thoreau
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I, too, love honey. I have never souced honey from overseas, but I do prefer a honey that is darker and has a richer flavor. Tupelo honey is quite tasty, if somewhat mild.
I am currently using honey I bought at a farmer's market in Richmond. This is local honey, from bees that utilize mostly wildflowers. It's quite delicious, and 100X better than the clover honey available in supermarkets.
I am currently using honey I bought at a farmer's market in Richmond. This is local honey, from bees that utilize mostly wildflowers. It's quite delicious, and 100X better than the clover honey available in supermarkets.
Randall:
...the Mrs. & I also bought honey from the farmers market on 17th street in Richmond. Like you said, wildflower honey is like 'night & day' over store bought
clover honey.
"The keeping of bees is like the direction of sunbeams". Henry David Thoreau
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In high school I used to be a part of the bee keepers club... I love the lighter honey my favorite is locust blossom honey. It is almost clear.
(I grew up in the WV mountains, so I had of mix of hobbies)
(I grew up in the WV mountains, so I had of mix of hobbies)
Mine as well. It does not crystallize very easily.
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- #57
i recommend you guys try some fine wild rata honey if you havent.. INCREDIBLE taste..
Most supermarket honey is blends from unknown sources, including overseas. Just read the labels. They don't tell you the source, just where it was packaged. And they are heavily filtered, which removes the good stuff, such as pollen, out of the honey.
Where, oh where is that post?
Ah! Here! http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/260059-Honey-No-it-s-not
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To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee,
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.
Emily Dickenson
Hello,
I was wondering if there are any other honey aficionados in the house? Im personally a fan of high end Yemeni Honeys that i source directly from Yemen, such as Sidr, Sumur, Mara'ee . Other than those i also enjoy the infamous Manuka honey but only from a few reputable brands.
I personally enjoy these specific honeys daily for both their medicinal value and delicious taste! The yemeni honeys are the most spectacular in the world IMO. still done the same way for centuries, its in a sense "beyond organic". There alot of websites (in arabic however) that describe how to use their various honeys to cure certain diseases and such..
Any other honey lovers?
+1. I'm only running 2 hives now though. Just enough to pollinate the garden and some honey for my son and I. SWMBO and the Jr. SWMBO don't care for it.
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