# creamed honey: seed with other than creamed honey?



## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

You can use any smooth crystallized honey. If you don't have that you can grind some crystallized honey very fine and use that. I wouldn't add anything else as it would no longer be "pure honey". But anything with fine enough grain will make a smooth crystallization.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Fine sand?


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

Years ago when I started I bought a pound of creamed honey as a starter. Now I just keep enough to get started again the next year. So I will keep a pound of last year's creamed honey and start 10 (11 with the starter) lb of this years batch. In 2-3 weeks I start 110 (121 with the starter) and can keep going. So I would suggest on finding a good creamed honey for a starter. You only have to do this once unless you ruin a batch and can make creamed honey for the rest of your life with a starter from last years batch.


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## zippelk (Sep 1, 2010)

thanks for the advice everyone. I wasn't getting too excited about it not being absolutely 'pure' as it's just a starter and it's just for personal consumption.

I'll be sure to put a "Berninghausen" label on the ones with sand.


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## HONEYDEW (Mar 9, 2007)

Dadants I believe gives you a 1 pound bag of powdered sucrose as a starter in the kit they sell , not powdered sugar as that contains cornstarch....


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

The thing is that the quality of the creamed honey depends on the starter. The better the starter, the better the finished product. Although you can improve the product over time even if you start with a starter that isn't so good. I also started making it just for myself. I went to a store and bought the cheapest creamed honey that I could find. It tasted pretty bad. It kind of had a metallic taste (said clover honey) and the consistency was runny. I used a half a pound and made 5 pounds of creamed honey (I threw the rest away). Mine tasted a lot better. I did struggle with temperatures and mixing techniques to finally get a consistently good product. After a few years I decided to try to sell it. I was amazed how well it sold. Even though it is just for yourself, I would use a good starter. That way you know how good it can be and not make something that you swear that you will never do again.


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## nursebee (Sep 29, 2003)

DO NOT USE SAND!

I bought somebody elses creamed honey, made sure I was happy with crystal size.


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## Mbeck (Apr 27, 2011)

Is Sue bee creamed honey a high quality small crystal product?

What is the highest quality nationally available brand of creamed honey?

I would like to make some but don't see any value in doing all the work and starting with any thing but the highest quality American product.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Last year I bought 2 big jars of honey at Cranberryfest early October. They ended up staying in a very cold car while we visited relatives at the lake at a late night campfire. The honey stayed liquid, but at some point within two weeks, both jars turned to a very fine crystallized honey. It was so good! We were lucky. I have added honey to that partially used jar hoping to get more.


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

Mbeck said:


> Is Sue bee creamed honey a high quality small crystal product?


I'm sure that it probably is. The only sure way to tell is to put some on your tongue. It should be a firm consistency but you should not feel any "sand" or grittiness. As time goes by, the starter that you use the first time will be less and less important. But for the first batch it is important.



> I would like to make some but don't see any value in doing all the work and starting with any thing but the highest quality American product.


That's my feeling also. Why start with something that won't give you a good product and possibly lead you to give up unnecessarily.


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## Bee Bliss (Jun 9, 2010)

Is spun honey the same as creamed honey? Or, is spun honey more runny?


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## bluegrass (Aug 30, 2006)

Here is a good video I refer back to often. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLGE-7n0_Ko&feature=player_embedded

I would buy a good seed honey to start over using sugar.


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