Fill jars now or fill later?

[Nyleve]

This is going to sound like a stupid question but I need to figure it out. Planning a wedding for next summer and we want to give out tiny (45 mL) jars of honey as a favour to the guests. My honey is liquid and easy to deal with now but it will crystallize. Which would be easier to do - fill the jars NOW and then re-liquefy them before the wedding? Or leave the honey in the bucket for now and then liquefy it (somehow) next summer before filling the jars? What would you do? Not sure how I would liquefy a full bucket of honey. Or, for that matter, 150 tiny jars.

This idea sounded so simple at the time. But of course nothing is ever simple.

[salvo]

Hi Nyleve,

Every year I have "Summer filled jars" carry over into the next spring. Last year Covid squashed all the fairs and most farmers markets. I had a ton of filled bottles into the spring and even summer,... cloudy and crystalizing.

An elderly cis gendered female beekeeper told me, years ago, that the best way to liquify crystalized honey was to 1. Park your car in strong, direct sunlight. 2: Put the jars on the dash or rear deck of your car. 3: close all the windows. 4: Leave it there.

It does get hot, but you can always say: *Warmed only by the sun.*

BUTTTTT! I uncap with a fork, which makes lots of small particles, that end up going through my strainer and into the honey. When it's new, it's uniform, and you can't see it in suspension in the honey. My honey looks great.(I took second prize at a big fair this year) However, after sitting and crystalizing a  bit, those microscopic bits of wax float to the top. Looks bad under the cap when it liquifies. I change the caps to get most of it out. Many of my regulars don't mind it though. I have a guy that WANTS all my cappings. Probiotic thing.

A pal-o-mine has a heating blanket that is made for a five gallon bucket. I've never asked him how it works. I would think it takes a lot of time to warm five gallons of honey.

I've also been told about a low watt lightbulb under the bucket, inside a closed box/container to keep the heat in. Days, and days, and days.

Also, I give a good, full pour. Sometimes the warmed honey expands and leaks out from under the cap, all over my dash..

I'd say, keep it in the bucket. Liquify it when you need to. Let that all settle in your gate bucket, and pour it then.

This heating honey is a tough subject. Let's se who else has an opinion.

Sal

 

[iddee]

I put my honey in quart jars and fill smaller ones as needed. Quarts are easy to liquefy.

[BeeMaster2]

Nyleve,
There are instructions here on BeeMaster for a honey heater box. They are not hard to make. For the thermostat just keep an eye out for an old hot water heater being thrown out. The thermostat in it is easy to set for 104 degrees which is what you want to set it at. If you can?t find one, your local hardware store has them.
If you are interested in making one I?m sure I can find the thread for it.
Jim Altmiller

[TheHoneyPump]

Suggest to fill the mini jars now. Re-liquify later close to the event date. This minimizes extra handling and transferring. Also takes one task off the loaded to-dos list as the date approaches.

[cao]

I made a box to heat honey that will fit a five gallon bucket if needed.  I have not put a bucket in it yet.  Instead with a shelf added, I use it with my jars(pints,  quarts and one pound squeeze bottles).  They are easier to re-liquify because the clear glass allows you to see when it is done.  I have even poured(scooped) heavily crystallized honey into quart jars and warmed them.  When done, I put them into smaller jars.  Like iddee said it is easy to do quart jars.

If you plan on having labels or ribbons or other decoration on your tiny jars then I would put your honey into quart jars for now and heat them up later to fill your small jars. 

[Ben Framed]

The diversified answers here once again show their is more than one way to skin a cat.😊 All good answers that will work.

Cao, Tim Durham, a few years ago, taught how to 'warm' honey in a 55 gallon drum by simply wrapping it with common electrified plumbing heating wire, used to heat pipes in extremely cold climates. Then covered with a blanket. I am wondering the same method can be used on 5 gallon buckets?

[Oldbeavo]

Hi Ben
Get an old chest freezer, a 1000w oil column heater with a thermostat, all now have one. And a good thermometer.
The chest freezer is well insulated and once the heater reaches 103 it will maintain the temp with out using much power.
We do 10 liter buckets, takes about 3 days, depending on the honey type.

[Michael Bush]

Mainly I just make sure not to put labels on them.  That way I can liquefy them by whatever means if needed.

[BeeMaster2]

Here is the link for part one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEvRAqP2eXY#
Jim Altmiller

[BeeMaster2]

I believe this has the rest of the instructions:
http://www.michiganbees.org/beekeeping/in-the-beekeepers-workshop/
Jim Altmiller

[Ben Framed]

Hi Ben
Get an old chest freezer, a 1000w oil column heater with a thermostat, all now have one. And a good thermometer.
The chest freezer is well insulated and once the heater reaches 103 it will maintain the temp with out using much power.
We do 10 liter buckets, takes about 3 days, depending on the honey type.

Great idea! Thanks Oldbeavo..

[JurassicApiary]

My 2 cents falls in line with posts above by Honey Pump and Michael Bush...

I would do it now as surely you will have many other tasks to do as the wedding approaches.

Nowadays I only affix the safety seal at the time of bottling.  I don't apply our apiary label until they sell at fairs or events.  This also keeps the jars ready for personalized labels (e.g wedding favors, etc.) anytime too.

[Nyleve]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I would very much prefer to fill the jars now and liquefy all of them closer to the date - you're right, I'll be insane with tiny jobs before the wedding. BUT with this freaking COVID we are still uncertain about any wedding plans for next summer and, having had a serious conversation with the bride and groom, I know they're very worried about it. I would so hate to end up with 175 tiny 45 mL jars of honey that I then have to re-bottle into larger jars because, let's face it, 45 mL is basically one breakfast. I think I'll wait and decrystallize the whole bucket at once, when we are more certain what will happen.

[Nyleve]

I ended up figuring out how much total honey I'll need for the wedding favours and bottled that into quart jars. Will be much easier to de-crystallize fill tiny jars next summer. All the rest was put into my usual assortment of honey jars, which can be liquefied as needed through the year. Labels will go on when they've been liquefied. Thanks for the help thinking this through.

[Ben Framed]

Glad you have come to a satisfactory conclusion Nyleve. Planning a wedding is a special project. I wish you a wonderful wedding and a lifetime of Love, Happiness, and Joy....

Blessings,

Phillip

PS Stay in touch with us here as beemaster. 

[Nyleve]

Thank you! It's my son's wedding, not mine, but I wish all of us a lifetime of happiness and love! I will definitely stay in touch on Beemaster - this is the way I learn things.

[Jim134]

      I personally would keep the honey in a 5 gallon bucket


                  BEE HAPPY Jim 134

[Acebird]

This idea sounded so simple at the time. But of course nothing is ever simple.

If you can freeze the bucket.  In Canada you could leave it outside.  This will pretty much stop crystallization.  What crystallizes will be at the bottom so you can ladle it out into the tiny jars about a month before the wedding reception.

[Nyleve]

Have decanted all of it into quart jars. This will be easier to liquefy when the time comes. I don't have a freezer big enough to accommodate a large bucket anyway. This will be fine. But thanks for the suggestions!