Creamed honey advice

[Occam]

What is seed? Crystallized honey that catalyzes the other honey to start crystallization a well? How does one go about making it? Also, does the honey used have to be a certain clarity or other process before the creaming process?

[Lesgold]

Seed honey is just crystallised honey with very small grains. It is made by taking some honey that is crystallised and grinding it up until it is smooth to the taste. I used a mortar and pestle to do this for the first batch of seed honey that I made. As the crystals are crushed, the honey changes to a white colour. This is then used to mix with a larger batch of pure, uncrystallised honey. Lighter honeys make the best creamed honey.

[Occam]

Right on thanks. So using unfiltered crush and strained may yield creamed honey just not the best grade.

[Lesgold]

If you warm the honey and let it sit for a few days, the honey will be reasonably clear with much of the wax and pollen floating on the surface of the honey. You will still need fine grained seed honey as a starter. Some people buy a good quality jar of creamed honey and use that as a starter. One of Nigel?s jars would be perfect. Lol.

[Michael Bush]

The only problem with not using seed is just the unpredictability.  Sometimes you get smooth crystallized honey and sometimes it's coarse.  It all tastes fine but the mouth feel is better if it's fine crystals and smooth on your tongue like butter.  Also if you keep it the right temperature it crystallizes faster and that is usually smaller crystals. 

https://bushfarms.com/beesterms.htm#c

Creamed honey = Honey that has undergone controlled granulation to produce a finely textured candied or crystallized honey which spreads easily at room temperature. This usually involves adding fine "seed" crystals and keeping at 57? F (14? C).

I don't have good temperature control.  I just put the jars on the window sill in the winter and it works well.

[Terri Yaki]

What is the 'science' behind seed crystals in the process? It's not like they're living creatures, are they?

[Michael Bush]

Professor Elton J. Dyce patented the process for making creamed honey and gave the patent to Cornell University.  He wrote his dissertation on it.

"Fermentation and crystallization of honey"
https://digital.library.cornell.edu/catalog/hivebees7194746

Then Cornell went around the country defending the patent and suing anyone who made crystalized honey.

[Occam]

Then Cornell went around the country defending the patent and suing anyone who made crystalized honey.

Gotta love the freedom loving institutions of higher education where you can do and say anything.... as long as it agrees with said freedom loving institution

[Ben Framed]

I am subscribed to "Dyce Lab for Honey Bee Studies" I do not know if it is related to the above.. Here is an example of some of the things you will find there.

Phillip


"Oxalic Acid Vaporization"
https://youtu.be/lXPgYO5lZTw?si=zzRwitRq6BeM8gQf

[Michael Bush]

The lab is at Cornell and is named after Elton J. Dyce.

[Saiyancent]

Making creamed honey for your grandkids sounds like a sweet idea! For a really creamy texture, try using a small amount of finely crystallized honey as your "seed honey." This will help kickstart the crystallization process and create fine grains.
Make sure your honey is well mixed before seeding, and keep your fridge at a consistent 50?F for optimal results. And don't forget to give it a good stir every so often to encourage even crystallization.
If you're still on the lookout for bee-related tips, I found some helpful info on how to keep bees away. Check out https://www.mklibrary.com/how-to-keep-bees-away/ for more details.

[BeeMaster2]

Salyancent,
Welcome to Beemaster.
Jim Altmiller

[Bill Murray]

I posted this somewhere else but this looks like the place for it.

I get a froth on the top when I use a mechanical means to mix. personally I love it, but it looks bad in the finished product. No matter how much I scrape there is always more. Is there a way to remove this?

So I just watched the lyson vid. I am assuming the machine itself rectifies this air issue. Correct?

[Bill Murray]

So Nigel My assumptions The machine mixes the seed into the honey. and then the creaming takes place in the jar or tub, without the froth because it will still be in the machine. correct?

[NigelP]

Not quite bill.  Its a 2 part process, as the "seed" crystals cause more crystal to form  then some of these aggregate together. The paddle turns quite slowly (no froth at all) which mixes everything together and more importantly the friction of crystal aggregates rubbing against other aggregates breaks them down into the very fine crystals you want. It's best done somewhere cold. I do mine in the winter in my honey room where temps are around 4-5C,.The friction generates heat, and inside the churn it ends up around 21C. Virtually all the setting takes place in the machine over 2-3 days. When its white its done. I then heat to 30C overnight to make it easier to pour into jars and that's it.
Just don't let final set honey get too warm for too long as it will separate.
I do it in winter because if I do it in summer it never goes to almost white, you get a soft set but just not as good