Author Topic: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own? (Read 12909 times)

bernsad · « **on:** July 03, 2012, 04:18:05 am »

I enjoy tasting different honeys other than the one I harvest from my backyard hive. Nothing wrong with my own except I like trying different ones. Is that considered sacriligious for a beekeeper to be buying honey?

On the weekend we spent the morning at the Queen Vic. Market in Melbourne where they have a nice little honey shop, I ended up walking out with a kilo of Blackberry honey from Tasmania and a small jar of Himalayan honey. The blackberry is delicious, now I just need to find a good patch that I can put a hive on for myself, and the Himalayan honey is interesting, not sure yet if I like it but it reminds me a bit of Golden Syrup, sort of a metallic, almost medicinal taste.

SerenityApiaries · « **Reply #1 on:** July 03, 2012, 04:41:05 am »

Lol. I find nothing wrong with ''sampling'' sweets from other keepers. I myself enjoy tasting the works of a variety. Had a friend go to Hawaii and I begged them to bring me back a bottle of raw honey. Sadly customs wouldn't allow it on the plane. Another friend went to Thailand and brought me back some. This way I can see if maybe I can add variety to my own. Enjoy the fruits of others and share yours equally. :)

Lone · « **Reply #2 on:** July 03, 2012, 04:45:48 am »

Quote

Is that considered sacriligious for a beekeeper to be buying honey?

Yes. It's the Old Melbourne Gaol for you, Berny. And a diet of capilano and beans.

Lone

bernsad · « **Reply #3 on:** July 03, 2012, 05:07:55 am »

Ohhh, not Capilano! That sentence is a bit harsh, after tasting real honey finally I'm not going back to that commercial muck.

prestonpaul · « **Reply #4 on:** July 03, 2012, 08:59:11 am »

Of course it's not, how are you ever going to know what other varieties are like if you only ever eat your own? I love Leatherwood honey, but there's not much chance of me getting any of that where I am so I have to buy it.
One of my favorites is coffee blossom honey, bought some at Byron Bay a few years back and it has a lovely jasmine fragrance and taste :th_thumbsupup:
How about we have a honey swap later in the year? We could open up a list for maybe 10 to 20 members (20 max I think), you get a pm with a list of the names and addresses of those members, you post each of them a little container of your honey and you get a container of everyone else's honey in return.

bernsad · « **Reply #5 on:** July 03, 2012, 10:21:09 am »

There's an interesting concept, a honey swap. I could be in that.

cowboygourmet · « **Reply #6 on:** July 03, 2012, 11:05:19 am »

What a novel idea: A honey swap or swingers club. Lol And no, on a more serious note, It is perfectly OK to try different honeys because they are not all alike and the experience is delightful. ;)

Lone · « **Reply #7 on:** July 03, 2012, 06:18:15 pm »

I paid $11 to send someone a jar of honey yesterday. This sounds like an expensive exercise to send 20 jars. Maybe 5 would be a fairer number? Not all of us are commercial producers or have sample jars handy.

Lone

prestonpaul · « **Reply #8 on:** July 03, 2012, 10:33:45 pm »

Hi Lone
I totally get where you are coming from. I am not a commercial producer either and don't have much of a clue about packaging :-D
What if we limited it to 10, and used the specimen jars you get from the chemist?, I would imagine they would be cheap, should not cost too much send and would give you enough honey for a couple of pieces of toast. I'll have a look into it and see if it's feasible. If I think it is a goer I'll start a new thread.
Paul.

Lone · « **Reply #9 on:** July 04, 2012, 02:59:58 am »

Hey..do you know how much prescriptions are?? haha Well you are talking about a real small sample there. That would probably work. And I won't have to eat my words, Berny, coz we wouldn't be buying honey :) We could test the theory that one's own honey always tastes better.

By the way, will the Himalayan beekeepers be in it too?

Lone

bernsad · « **Reply #10 on:** July 04, 2012, 06:16:45 am »

Quote from: Lone on July 04, 2012, 02:59:58 am

We could test the theory that one's own honey always tastes better.

I guess that's part of the reason I asked the original question, and is your own honey always the best. I like my honey for sure but I also like trying different ones.

Don't know about the Himalayans, perhaps we'll have to drop them an email.

G3farms · « **Reply #11 on:** July 04, 2012, 12:39:44 pm »

I would like to get in on this myself, is there room for a good ol' boy in this swap meet?

bernsad · « **Reply #12 on:** July 04, 2012, 08:50:32 pm »

I suspect we might run into problems sending or receiving honey overseas, the quarantine service would have something to say about it, particularly since we are talking about untreated honey. Hell, we can't even send honey from the eastern states to Western Australia.

If you're interested perhaps you could arrange something a bit more local to you. Pity though, I'd be interested so see what you've got. :)

prestonpaul · « **Reply #13 on:** July 04, 2012, 08:59:50 pm »

I agree with Bernsad, Australia only at this point. Way too many issues with customs plus the cost of international postage would make it difficult.
Do feel free to start your own honey swap though, I don't have a patent on the idea, in fact I stole it from a home brewing forum :-D
Paul.

squidink · « **Reply #14 on:** July 04, 2012, 10:34:02 pm »

Sounds like a great idea! a honey swap!

bernsad · « **Reply #15 on:** July 05, 2012, 01:58:41 am »

Quote from: prestonpaul on July 04, 2012, 08:59:50 pm

in fact I stole it from a home brewing forum :-D

I'd swap honey for homebrew! :-D

prestonpaul · « **Reply #16 on:** July 05, 2012, 03:34:29 am »

Quote from: bernsad on July 05, 2012, 01:58:41 am

Quote from: prestonpaul on July 04, 2012, 08:59:50 pm
in fact I stole it from a home brewing forum :-D

I'd swap honey for homebrew! :-D

Haven't done a beer brew for a good 6 months, I did however do a batch of cider a while back, but I'm trying hard not to touch that untill summer :evil:

Geoff · « **Reply #17 on:** July 05, 2012, 06:00:50 am »

Honey tasting is just like wine tasting Bernsad, you have to drink the bad ones to really appreciate the good ones. As to the price of posting or freighting samples around Australia a trip to Mississippi for Bud 5 would probably be an economic proposition and the greatest experience. Honey tasting extrordinaire.

bernsad · « **Reply #18 on:** July 05, 2012, 06:09:45 am »

Marina Marchese, in her book "Honeybee: Lessons from an accidental beekeeper" describes it exactly like wine tasting. I think she even produces tasting notes for her honeys.

What is Bud 5? A cursory Google only came up with rubbish.

the-ecohouse.com · « **Reply #19 on:** July 05, 2012, 12:13:18 pm »

ohhhhh i Just LOVE Bush honey from the Northern territory and i'd love to do a trade with someone in the north how has some tropical bush honey.

....and if anyone knows these guys Jungle Juice i'd love to get a hold of some coconut honey.

Geoff · « **Reply #20 on:** July 05, 2012, 07:27:01 pm »

Bernsad, Bud5 is hopefully another meeting of beekeepers in Macon, Mississippi. I managed to make it in 2011 and enjoyed the hospitality of Bud and many other beekeepers besides learning one hell of a lot about beekeeping.

VID00011.MP4 Just a link of Bud, Beemaster and myself at Meridian airport. When you bring up that video it should lead you to lots of others under Bud3. Lots of serious stuff and some good laughs.

Joe D · « **Reply #21 on:** July 06, 2012, 01:56:48 am »

You fellows come on over to Bud 5. I am a new beek and was going to Bud 4 but had to have a stint or 2 put in, plan to make to 5. I'm about 100 or some miles south of Bud. There are lots of different flavors of honey. A friend use to have 6 or 7 different honeys from different crops. Try to see you then. I had a buddy back in the early 70's in the Aussy navy. The Aussy, Canadian and Us navys played war games in Hawaii during the month of sept. every year. Can't remember his name right now.

Joe

bernsad · « **Reply #22 on:** July 06, 2012, 02:43:29 am »

Have you tried the coconut honey eco? How did you stumble onto that one?

bernsad · « **Reply #23 on:** July 06, 2012, 02:53:54 am »

Geoff,

Thanks for the link to the Bud videos, looks like a whole lot of fun.

the-ecohouse.com · « **Reply #24 on:** July 06, 2012, 08:46:21 am »

Quote from: bernsad on July 06, 2012, 02:43:29 am

Have you tried the coconut honey eco? How did you stumble onto that one?

yes stumbled across this guy, while looking for the guy i bought honey off in the cook islands, his palm honey was extremely white and delicious, obviously only consumable while in the cook islands though :(

Wonga · « **Reply #25 on:** July 07, 2012, 12:11:48 am »

Like a winemaker has to taste other vineyards' wine, Bernsad, a Beekeeper has to taste other honeys.

at our place we currently have the following honeys going, to satisfy all family tastes:
1. Leatherwood Honey of course, from the westcoast of Tasmania, "the Rolls-Royce of Honeys" haven't tired of this honey ever, still like a drop in tea, especially herbal teas.
2. A "Matured Stringybark' honey made in 1952, from Coolah, specifically, along the Coolaburradundy River, this honey got stored by an irate beekeeper when the then State Government put on a two penceper pound tax on honey. Its still tasty, thick and dark, treacle like.
3. Some Glen Innes Iron Bark honey - excellent.
4. Honey from a producer in the Blue Mountains - creamed honey for those who like that sort of thing.
5. 'Sugarbag' honey from native bees, sourced from North Queensland, -runny, expensive, clearish, tasty, has to stay refrigerated.
6. Good old home grown honey, can't beat it.

regards,

SerenityApiaries · « **Reply #26 on:** July 07, 2012, 03:57:15 am »

Wonga, you have an amazing talent for sizzle words. I'm especially intrigued by the 1952 stock. I can imagine that like a fine wine, some honeys just get better with age. I wonder if there could be a market for matured honey. I would definitely be interested in giving it a shot. "perhaps a nice vintage 2011 blackberry honey for the toast and a teaspoon of delicious 2010 fireweed honey for the tea" as to be said in 2025. Lol

bernsad · « **Reply #27 on:** July 07, 2012, 06:04:49 am »

Wonga,

A few months ago I had about 6 varieties on the go myself and I'm the only one in the house who eats honey regularly. The missus was complaining about the amount of room taken up on one shelf of her pantry so I steadily demolished them all until I was down to about 2, then I bought another 2 last weekend. The funny thing is, we were out driving today and stopped at a roadside fruit stall which also advertised a range of honeys, I can't believe my wife asked me if I needed any honey. :roll:

OzBuzz · « **Reply #28 on:** July 12, 2012, 01:15:49 am »

I, as odd as it sounds, actually enjoy collecting honey from different producers around the country... at the end of the day honey is like a wine! you're never going to get exactly the same product and each batch is going to have some unique tastes to it... i don't think there's anything wrong with it at all...

squidink · « **Reply #29 on:** July 19, 2012, 09:43:25 am »

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5Qz2Qz8Izo

This bloke is on the right path..

squidink · « **Reply #30 on:** July 19, 2012, 09:45:43 am »

Oops was ment to be under this thread... Stupid iPad!

http://forum.beemaster.com/index.php/topic,37263.0/all.html

Wonga · « **Reply #31 on:** July 21, 2012, 09:45:52 am »

Well,

thanks Serenity,

it sure is all about the the honey, after all, although I like the beeswax and and the insect communal mind/hive life too. I mean, its the honey, right? I love the hive open, smelling sweet, bees huzzing and frames all clustered in the autumn sun, and that first cuppa tea at dawn before going to work, sitting next to our hives, but its all about the honey, too, hey. Dog agrees.

like wine sure, different tastes and smells and textures, even honeys from the same hives and trees taste different year from year,sure beats sugar.