Honey - How Much Faffing

[MarkR]

Hi All,

I am a small scale hobbyist beekeeper, selling a few hundred jars a year.
Last week, I had an order for a couple of dozen jars. My remaining stock is sat in a cold room and the honey looks a bit cloudy (nothing too bad). Do I bung them in the oven (low heat) for a couple of hours to clear them? I know they will be going to a cold shop where they may well set anyway.

So I put them in the oven and they come out nice and clear....except some now have a film or "foam" layer on the top. Again, nothing too bad - but should I spend yet more time clearing off the film?

Is it worth doing the extra faffing? I've seen some jars for sale in shops that look awful.

[Steve 1972]

There is a bit of a Taboo where heating honey is concerned but here is what i do when in the same situation as you..and it works well for me..
In previous years i used to put the jars in the honey warming cabinet and set the thermostat at 62 'C for 1hr this made it crystal clear however i still got the odd stubborn one that needed another 30 min's..i have recently been told by a knowledgeable forum member to warm the clouded honey to 50/52 'C for 24Hr's which i have done and all the jars in the warming cabinet came out perfect..
Regarding the layer of scum i would have to remove it not that i have had it happen..i know it is a faff on but if you lay a bit of cling film on the surface of the honey and gently peel it of all or most of the floating scum is removed and will look much more presentable..

[NigelP]

My thoughts are simply it's your honey and hence your reputation.
How much faffing/care you take to produce a good produce that has customers coming back for more is up to you.

[Alfred]

The cobblers shoes.
The general public is so pampered everything has to be aesthetically perfect or they think it's diseased

[Patrick]

The clingfilm trick is a good one but obviously you need to check it’s still at weight afterwards. I’m not sure a few bubble on the surface is an issue but anything approaching froth I would attend to.

I too have seen what I consider poor examples of local honey for sale, occasionally with really amateur presentation. Personally I feel that undersells the time and considerable commitment that has gone into getting that honey to the shelf.

[NigelP]

As the general public are your main customers then it's a good idea to sell them what they want rather than some cloudy scummy semi crystalline honey.
Just my 2 pennyworth.

[MarkR]

Ok - I do end up spooning off any froth that might appear as it does not look good. The clingfilm idea is not really practical in a jar and pulls off too much honey.

I find 40 - 50'C for 2 - 3 hours does the job to clear. I would not leave it for 24 hours due to HMF concerns.

[AdamD]

The time taken to get back to the runny state can depend on how quickly the honey heats up. A 20 kg bucket takes ages to heat through, as does a lot of jars closely packed in a warming cabinet with an insufficient heater. (Mine). Honey in a water bath heats through much more quickly.

[Steve 1972]

Here is a batch i have done today and i used the same method as i stated in a previous reply..this was a set solid 32lb bucket of none OSR honey..the scum was removed from the surface with cling film and then put into jars...my warming cabinet is heated by a slow cooker with two 12v computer fans placed inside..it gets the job done pretty effectively..

[NigelP]

I find 40 - 50'C for 2 - 3 hours does the job to clear. I would not leave it for 24 hours due to HMF concerns.

24 hours at 50C is absolutely fine regarding HMF levels which take between 4-10 days to rise to 30mg/kg at that temperature.
40mg/Kg is the critical level.
Interesting thing is this is not even toxic to humans but is to bees. HMF levels are solely used as a measure of the age/heating history of honey.
I melt all my honey at 50C for 24hours, this ensures there are no crystals left. Also because you are starting with a 30lb bucket of set honey it isn't held at 50C for 24 hours due to time for it to melt etc.