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Author Topic: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?  (Read 12460 times)

Offline bernsad

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Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.

Offline SerenityApiaries

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.  :)
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Offline Lone

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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

Offline bernsad

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.

Offline bernsad

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« Reply #5 on: July 03, 2012, 10:21:09 am »
There's an interesting concept, a honey swap. I could be in that.

Offline cowboygourmet

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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. ;)
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Offline Lone

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.

Offline Lone

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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


Offline bernsad

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« Reply #10 on: July 04, 2012, 06:16:45 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.

Offline G3farms

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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?
those hot bees will have you steppin and a fetchin like your heads on fire and your keister is a catchin!!!

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Offline bernsad

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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. :)

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.

Offline squidink

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« Reply #14 on: July 04, 2012, 10:34:02 pm »
Sounds like a great idea! a honey swap!

Offline bernsad

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« Reply #15 on: July 05, 2012, 01:58:41 am »
in fact I stole it from a home brewing forum   :-D

I'd swap honey for homebrew! :-D

Offline prestonpaul

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« Reply #16 on: July 05, 2012, 03:34:29 am »
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:

Offline Geoff

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.
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Offline bernsad

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.

Offline the-ecohouse.com

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Re: Is it wrong to eat honey other than your own?
« 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.