>250 jars with only friends for a market will leave you
with jars starting to crystallize.
I jar the honey within hours and days of extracting. As soon as we can. [Actually my wife does just about all the jarring these days.] I do not want the honey to sit in food-grade plastic buckets too long since plastic compounds act as pseudo-hormones in the human body.
I sell raw honey only. It's not heated and not even warmed up. It will start crystallizing in the jars - the spring honey is the last to do so. No big deal. My customers know that this is normal/natural for raw honey.
Sell all of your honey directly. Craigs list work great unless you are sitting on top of many barrels of honey. Eventually you will develop a good base of repeat customers. Farm stands in suburbs will move many cases each if you have extra.
>>If the market knows your honey is local and not over processed around five dollars a pound is not too high.
My direct price is $7. Wholesale to farm stand is $6, farm stands sell for bet. $9 and $10. Other beekeepers here in NY suburbia sell directly for bet. $9 and $16. Only some will fill their customers jars for $4. [All the prices above are per pound.]
Waldemar
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