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Author Topic: "kosher" bottling of honey  (Read 4038 times)

Offline tillie

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"kosher" bottling of honey
« on: October 05, 2008, 03:30:17 pm »
I met a lovely man down the street and while our dogs were playing together, we were talking about my beekeeping.  He said he'd like some honey but it would need to be in a kosher jar.  (I live in a neighborhood across from an Orthodox temple and school). 

My jars are run in the dishwasher as they come out of the box and then are filled with honey from buckets that have only held honey - what else would need to happen for them to fit kosher stipulations?  I guess maybe I would need a rabbi on hand to make sure I didn't bring non-Kosher products in contact with the jars - I'm confused.

Linda T

Offline rast

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #1 on: October 05, 2008, 05:12:29 pm »
 Do an internet search on kosher and you will find what you need to know about your utinsels used during the bottling process and the inpection process. Cuiosity made me look it up, I knew Orthadox Jews are not allowed to eat any swarming insect or parts thereof or their secretions, but honey was eaten through out the Bible including by Jesus.
Fools argue; wise men discuss.
    --Paramahansa Yogananda

Offline DayValleyDahlias

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #2 on: October 05, 2008, 05:17:52 pm »
I read where it is okay for honey to be consumed by Jews who eats Kosher, as the honey isn't actually a part of the bee ( the bees stores the nectar, the nectar isn't a bodily fluid of the bee ).

I am guessing all the tools one uses to extract have to be used in the Kosher method.

Interesting stuff...I am sure there is a whole lot more to it

Offline Understudy

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #3 on: October 05, 2008, 06:27:54 pm »
The jar must not come into contact with anything that is not considered kosher(So no filling it with pork fat). It could not have contained a dairy product previously. Milk can be kosher but you should not reuse the containers for different products. Milk jugs for milk and honey jars for honey. A previously unused jar is best. However if the jar has been used before, the jar has to washed with something that contains no animal by products(think sterilized). Check your soap ingredient list. All insect parts must be removed from the jar. While honey itself is kosher the bee is not. The process which most beekeepers use to produce honey is kosher but as a rule it must not come into contact with any other animal product. In order for you to label the jar of honey kosher the process has to be observed and approved by a Rabbi with authority to do so. However most jews even Orthodox will accept honey provided you can reasonably assert the status of the jar and honey. Over the Rosh Hashanah holiday honey is a big part of the ritual involved. So presenting honey is an excellent gift.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

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Offline johnnybigfish

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #4 on: October 05, 2008, 06:36:25 pm »
Sheesh Brendan, You seem to know something about everything!
 I'm not kiddin' either! Is all this kind of stuff in your head all the time or do you see these questions and look on the web for answers ?  I even noticed this before the solar stuff came up! I bet you'd be great on jepoardy!

your friend,
john

Offline Understudy

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #5 on: October 05, 2008, 06:48:45 pm »
I do presentations at orthodox Chabads. I also have friends who keep kosher. I do okay at Jepoardy. Because most of the knowledge is applied not trivia. So I am okay with certain things and just fried on others.

I sent an email to a rabbi friend for specifics when he gets back if there are more details (and there usually are) I will fill in the rest.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

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Offline tillie

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #6 on: October 05, 2008, 09:46:12 pm »
The guy seemed most worried about the jar and not the honey.  He said he'd bring down a jar for me to use. 

I told him all of my honey was already jarred this year, but I would harvest Memorial Day next year.  I did come home and look it up and it seemed like new jars straight out of the box and then straight out of the dishwasher with the honey plastic filtering bucket never used for anything else that he would be able to have my honey from this year.  Although maybe my dishwashing detergent is suspect?????

I may take him some anyway and let him deal with it.  The dogs were having such a great time - he has a golden lab and mine is a terrier mutt mix and they literally were rolling around and down a hill together, having such fun.

Linda T in Atlanta

Offline asprince

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #7 on: October 05, 2008, 09:55:24 pm »
It could be a new market for your honey. It could fetch a premium price.

Steve
Politics is supposed to be the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resembalance to the first. - Ronald Reagan

Offline KONASDAD

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #8 on: October 06, 2008, 03:30:43 pm »
Your house is not kosher, therefore your honey isnt either. You cant have pork products, have to keep meat and dairy items seperate(even the dishes you serve them on) and your dishwasher isnt kosher at this point either. It would need to be sterilized at this point.

I would take the man up on his offer of using his jars, or sell him the frame itself for his own crush and strain honey.

If you want to have your honey legally labeled as kosher, you will need to have a rabbi certify your production facilities. It is illegal to call anything kosher w/o this certification. This costs money. I sell much of my honey for the Jewish high holidays(last week) and considered having it certified, but it was way too expensive. Kosher laws are byzantine and can easily be violated.
"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".

Offline greg spike

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #9 on: October 06, 2008, 04:33:23 pm »
Your house is not kosher, therefore your honey isnt either. You cant have pork products, have to keep meat and dairy items seperate(even the dishes you serve them on) and your dishwasher isnt kosher at this point either. It would need to be sterilized at this point.

I would take the man up on his offer of using his jars, or sell him the frame itself for his own crush and strain honey.

If you want to have your honey legally labeled as kosher, you will need to have a rabbi certify your production facilities. It is illegal to call anything kosher w/o this certification. This costs money. I sell much of my honey for the Jewish high holidays(last week) and considered having it certified, but it was way too expensive. Kosher laws are byzantine and can easily be violated.
From what I've read, I belive thats true,but does not apply to raw products, only packaged or processed ones. Selling or giving him a fresh frame of honey shouldn't apply. But don't take my word for it, I'm no Rabbi. I have read a lot about Hebrew logic, but never really made a study of their diet.

Offline Understudy

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #10 on: October 06, 2008, 05:22:46 pm »
Your house is not kosher, therefore your honey isnt either. You cant have pork products, have to keep meat and dairy items seperate(even the dishes you serve them on) and your dishwasher isnt kosher at this point either. It would need to be sterilized at this point.

I would take the man up on his offer of using his jars, or sell him the frame itself for his own crush and strain honey.

If you want to have your honey legally labeled as kosher, you will need to have a rabbi certify your production facilities. It is illegal to call anything kosher w/o this certification. This costs money. I sell much of my honey for the Jewish high holidays(last week) and considered having it certified, but it was way too expensive. Kosher laws are byzantine and can easily be violated.

That is true the house is not kosher. I did not even think of that. I try to be understanding of my kosher friends when they are here to eat. But I never planned on having a Rabbi come to the house to certify it kosher.

Sincerely,
Brendhan

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Offline tillie

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #11 on: October 06, 2008, 10:09:04 pm »
Oh, well, all I wanted to do was give him a jar of honey to say thanks for letting my dog play with your dog.  I'll wait until next year and let him come down to fill his own jar!

Linda T in Atlanta

Offline KONASDAD

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Re: "kosher" bottling of honey
« Reply #12 on: October 07, 2008, 10:55:00 am »
Oh, well, all I wanted to do was give him a jar of honey to say thanks for letting my dog play with your dog.  I'll wait until next year and let him come down to fill his own jar!

Linda T in Atlanta

I still would. Just tell him and if he is using the higfhest standards of kosherism, he will politely decline. It wouldn't be the first time some one who practices kosher laws would decline. Honey is in and of itself kosher. just be your typical honest self. Tell him how you bottle it etc. The choice will be his to make.
"The more complex the Mind, the Greater the need for the simplicity of Play".