# creamed honey



## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Bjorn, it's great to have that happen. I always save those buckets and use them as seed for my batches of creamed honey. I've had no sucess in bottling it in this state because even if I warmed it just enough to pour into jars still crystalized it would slump. Once creamed honey slumps it tends to start to seperate (water/sugar) and is never quite right and sometimes ferments.


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## BjornBee (Feb 7, 2003)

Thank Joel. I had wondered what kind of product it would make, and whether it would start to seperate once heated to normal room temp.


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## Fernhill (Dec 30, 2004)

Bjorn,

Getting ready to try my hand at making some myself. According to the Dyce literature it's a 3 step process. You need a source of 'seed' honey which it sounds like you already have. The key to a smooth final product is to start with seed that's extremely fine-grained. You can obtain this from commercially available creamed honey or by running your own granulated honey through a meat grinder.

Starting with a 1 lb jar of clean liquid honey raise the temperature to NO HOTTER than 125 and then rapidly cool it to 100. Stir in 1 tablespoon of seed and mix thoroughly. Try to incorporate as little air as possible while stirring as this creates a layer of "scum" when the air bubbles rise to the top. Place the jar of seeded honey in an area where it will remain as close to 57 degrees as possible for 2-3 days. On the third day, stir again (will be very stiff) until it's in a fluid state and leave for another 2-3 days. After that it should be ready to eat or to seed a larger batch.

If you find the final product has a texture that's too course (ie. like sand) it happened because your seed wasn't fine enough. Reheat and start over with a finer seed.

Hope this helps.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Fernhill, you'll be Jim's new best friend for posting the Dyce Method although he would have ground his honey 1st. with a mortar and pestle to get the finest possible seed.  

If you multiply your amounts by 60 and do it in a 5 gallon pail with a gate you can make 60lbs in the time it takes to make 5, one at a time. We leave out the 3rd day stir also as it adds about a ton of air, is too much work if you're doing any amount and makes it difficult to make a good looking end product, at least in a glass jar.

The best I've had is made from either Basswood or water White Canadian Clover Honey. We're going to try Buckwheat and Bamboo this fall to see how it does.

[ October 20, 2005, 11:08 AM: Message edited by: Joel ]


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

Since we're on the topic....

I've never bought creamed honey, but am making some. So far it looks pretty good, but I am not sure of the most desirable consistency, by which I mean how thick/runny should it be? Somewhere above slumping was mentioned...how runny is it when it slumps?( or slouches?)

thanks


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Premium creamed honey should be solid enough that it takes pressure to make a finger indent and if you tipped the jar upside down it would maintain it's place. The grain should be so fine you have trouble detecting the crystals. If it is allowed, once set, to reach temps of around 95 it will soften to a consistency like butter. At that point it will continue to deteriorate. If re-chilled to 57 degress it usually will not set up properly. Also after a period of time it will start to seperate. Liquid honey moves towards crystaliztion, crystalized honey moves toward liquid as the solids and water seperate.


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## Fernhill (Dec 30, 2004)

That's an interesting idea Joel. Think grinding up the seed in a mortar and pestle would be worth the trouble? I've bought some creamed honey to use as seed for a small batch. No plans yet to sell what I make. Just gifts for friends and family.

Mike


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I use a hand flour grinder for grinding seed.


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