Dear Lloyd,
>
> I also hope that someone that has produced creamed honey  responds to
> this...an awful lot is produced!  In fact, in many European countries the
> only way honey is consumed is in creamed form.
 
That's not true to my opinion. We produce also some sorts of honey which
hardly cristllize such as honey of false acacia or fir-tree. Of course
there is a lot of honey consumed in the creamed form. By the way that
depends on the great amounts of blossom honey we are producing here.
This honey especially that of fruit trees cristallizes very hard with
large sugar-cristalls and within some weeks. It isn't easy to handle
(hard to get out of the glasses and containers). So it is very difficult
to get consumers for this kind of honey. Since several years it has
become the done thing here to produce creamed honey with rape honey as a
starter.
 
> My understanding, and I hope someone will confirm or deny this, is that
> starting with crystallized honey will not work.  I have always understood
> that to produce creamed honey one has to have a starter (much like to
> produce sourdough bread one needs a starter) and once that is put into
> extracted honey the remainder will cream.
 
To my opinion that is a very comfortable way to produce creamed honey.
But you can get also without a starter when you stir the honey during
the time of cristallizing in order to demage the larger cristals of
sugar. Some beekeeper here use this production method stiring the
cristalizing honey twice a day.
 
> I understand that after the
> starter is added a 60 pound paid will cream in 2-3 weeks at 60 degrees F.
> and that it will take longer at higher temperatures.
 
That's correct to my opionion. According to studies of Townsend
(1961/1970) the best temperatur for cristallizing honey is about 58
degrees F. Surely it will take longer at higher and even lower
temperatures. If you choose a temperature too high or low it won't
cristallize at all.
 
 
> However, I didn't
> respond the first time as I don't know the ratio of starter to liquid honey.
> I do think I understand that to get a starter one only needs to buy a
> container of creamed honey.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: McManus <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Sunday, February 22, 1998 1:20 PM
> Subject: Re: Creamed Honey
>
> >----------
> >> From: Paul Lacelle <[log in to unmask]>
> >> To: [log in to unmask]
> >> Subject: Re: Creamed Honey
> >> Date: Thursday, February 19, 1998 4:48 PM
> >>
> >> I've had lots of requests for creamed honey last year,can anyone help me
> >> out on how to make it?Thanks.
> >
> >
> >Hi Paul
> >        I'm new to the line so I hope this gets through. First I only go by
> what I
> >have seen and heard in beekeeping , that's why I signed on to bee-l. I have
> >been beekeeping about 7 yrs and now have 65 hives. Thanks to Roy
> >Nettlebeck, I have learned alot.
> >        My understanding on creamed honey is this; you have to use some
> >crystallized honey to agitate the honey when blending in the electric
> >blender. I hope it works, I've got to try it myself.
> >        If there is another way, than maybe someone will let us know.
> >
> >Joe McManus [log in to unmask]