>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

****************************************************
* General Information About BEE-L is available at: *
* http://www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l/default.htm   *
****************************************************