I'm slightly surprised to hear a beekeeper ask how to eat comb, since I thought
we all sample as we go, both in the field and in the honey house, so I gather
that we are looking for ideas that will appeal to the public, since beekeepers
are already converts.

> Actually, if the toast were hot the person would not even be aware (by taste
> or texture) that wax were being consumed as it would be melted and
> invisible.

Even if the toast is cold, the wax is not particularly noticeable in my
experience.  Buns, crumpets, bagels are all good with comb smeared on them, wax
and all.

In my experience, there is no right or wrong way to eat comb honey, but there
are some things to consider.

* Not all comb honey is the same.  Some is natural, some is on thin comb
foundation, some is on wired brood foundation, and nowadays, some is on plastic
sheet foundation.

* The best comb honey is either natural comb like from a top bar hive or
sections made with starter strips -- or full sheets of the finest comb
foundation you can find.

* Whatever foundation is used, it must be made from virgin wax and must be a
thin as the manufacturer can possibly make it if it is to be eaten by the
consumer.  Although comb foundation uses less wax per sheet than thicker
foundation, it may cost more.  We found Kelley's to be the best and always paid
a premium to get it, first through Tom, then through Lloyd. There are other
brands, but you want the best.

* If the midrib is thin, as it is in natural comb or the best man-made
foundation, then it is enjoyable to eat wax and all with your fingers, with a
spoon or any which way you can.

* If the comb is made on thick brood foundation or plastic, then the answer is
to use a spoon.  We have had customers over the years who bought entire frames,
scooped the honey off as they ate it, then returned the frames.  We then put the
frames back in a hive and repeated the process.

* If you have a market table or sell at your door, then, when extracting always
watch for the nicest frames, wrap them in Saran, and take them to the market
with you in a nice looking super.  You'll fetch a premium price for the honey,
and you can charge a deposit on the frame.  That ensures your customer comes
back.

* The sale of frames as described above is mostly small-time and for the local
trade, but the market for sections, such as RRs are nationwide and
international.  We sold well over 100,000 Ross Rounds into Japan back in their
good times.  Nonetheless, there is a Japanese buyer that buys wired standard
frames by the container load and uses electricity to heat the wire enough to
pull it out. The comb is then chunked and sold.

* Eating comb honey is a special treat that takes us back to a simpler time and
must be presented as such.  People who would not eat wax normally will then
usually accept the idea.

FWIW: Before the basic ingredient for bubble gum was discovered, beeswax was the
only popular chew available, and it is still pretty darn good -- if you enjoy
chewing gum.

allen
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A Beekeeper's Diary: http://www.internode.net/HoneyBee/Diary/