Lloyd Spear wrote:

2. A person near here, who makes several thousand pounds a year using this
method, claims that only certain honey sources will produce an attractive
and smooth tasting product.

In the UK most honey sources will produce a good set honey.  The only real
problems occur with the very high fructose/low glucose honeys like Borage
(which also has an unhelpfully high level of sucrose!).  A good proportion
of Oil Seed Rape makes life a lot easier.

 We also produce several thousand pounds a year, but use the Dyce method.

I used to use  the Dyce method but the resulting product was still prone to
frosting if stored somewhere cold.  A better method in my opinion is as
follows:

I usually add 6-8lb of seed (fine set honey) to around 150lbs of liquid
honey at 75-80F.  Stir for 15 mins, 4 times a day (mechanical stirrer on
timer) until it is too thick to stir.  It can then be left until needed or
bottled immediately.  Warm and stir until it is sufficiently fluid to bottle
(varies from 95-104F depending on the honey), but be careful not to melt it!
One other point: when bottling, drop the honey into the centre of the jar -
do not run it down the side, as this will often cause a streak of frosting
later (don't ask me why! - but I have tested it many times, marking the side
of the jar where the honey was run down and it always frosts there).

Since using this method I have had no frosting and I have samples that have
been in the honey house for years that have still not frosted, despite great
variations in temperature.

Peter Edwards
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