Hello Bob D. & All,

I always say do whatever works for you and your business. I have supplied
the area health food stores for decades and every one let the suppliers use
heat to 120 F. if needed. I have explained my methods for crystal free raw
honey before on BEE-L but will again at the end of the post.

 By this time it is starting to crystallize and does so in
> the jars.

Creamed honey which basically is honey with small crystals (Dyce method) is
easy to remove from the container. Properly done the honey is heated to 150
F. to remove all the large crystals and then seeded ( usually 10% by volume)
with crystallized honey with small crystals produced by grinding the large
crystals smaller. placed in a frig at 57F for usually eight days and if
enough seed is added you get creamed honey.

Honey which crystallizes with large crystals (typical) is almost impossible
to remove from most containers. Perhaps Bob D. produces a honey which
granulates fine but here in the Midwest most honey which granulates with
large crystals is almost impossible to remove from the jar without heating.
Especially queenline jars.


 I realize some honeys are slow to granulate and others granulate fast. I
also sell a unprocessed honey from July through end of the season at my
market for those wanting  unprocessed honey.

What I find funny when talking to producers of so called raw honey is they
use a hot heated knife to remove the cappings. Does not a hot knife hot
enough to remove cappings from both sides heat the honey? I think so which
would make the honey not raw.

My method involves a processing area which is maintained at 90 F. day and
night. We have summer days in Missouri when the outside temps are 100F but
do usually drop at night. I still believe that 90F. does not harm honey. In
fact I have read the first thing killed by heat are the yeasts and it takes
a 100F. to kill the yeasts.

My pumps will easily pump honey over 80F. I use no heat on the raw honey
sump. I use a Dakota Guiness chain flail uncapper. NO HEAT. I pump first
into a 300 gallon tank to settle. Then into a 210 gallon tank. No heat.
Before starting the process:
I flush the entire system with 170 F. water to remove all crystals. I remove
the bottling valve before each batch and place in boiling water to remove
any crystals. I then pull from the middle of the tank the honey into 55
gallon drums which  I have washed with 170F. water and like I do all my
drums :
important point:
When I place a drum in service I fill the bottom crack where the coating
does not penetrate with food approved epoxy. If you do not crystals hide in
the crack and provide seed for the raw honey. I do ALL my drums like this.
My drums do not have the crack but look and fell like a window chalking.

Usually the drum is not solid the next spring but does have swirls in the
honey. I slowly heat to remove swirls or remove crystals. I always tell my
customers wanting raw honey the amount of heat used to produce a product
which will remain clear for approx 30-60 days.

The honey I sell to bakeries or in drums to other beeks is done like all
other commercial beeks. I use 120F. heat on the sump and usually 120 F. heat
in the settling tank and pump into drums. I still use a flail uncapper on
all comb and drums with the epoxy seal in the bottom. I store ALL honey in
an unheated building allowing the honey to drop to a temp of around 35-40 F.
over the winter. Most is not solid in spring. I have seen beeks try to store
drums in a building heated to around 57F all winter. The exact temp at which
honey crystallizes the most. Duh!

My extractors leave the comb very dry. I also place the supers on the bees
before the flow starts so the bees remove all the cappings left by the
Dakota and clean the cells of any crystals. I purposely do not feed my bees
for  weeks before adding supers so the bees move into and clear the supers
of crystals quickly. I have found putting supers on too late after a strong
flow has started the bees will not always remove all crystals before
filling.

When I find crystals in the settling tank I have to pump out , wash out with
170F water and boil the valve and start over.

bob

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