Hello All,
> We never dried any of our pollen.  We ran it through a seed cleaner and =
> then picked it clean with tweezers.  It went directly into the freezer.  =
> We vaccuum sealed it and sold it to the local Hawaiian health food =

Thanks to Mark for sharing his methods. Many have put down the dried pollen
as being inferior. Can any proof be shown?  In remote desert areas pollen is
automatically dried in the traps as the recommended drying temperature is
95F..
In desert areas the pollen is collected, run through a seed cleaner, hand
picked and then frozen or vacuum sealed.  I see a move by certain elements
to say the dried pollen is somehow inferior.  Dried pollen has been the
accepted method for pollen production in the world since the start of
commercial pollen collection.  I am sure there are cases of overly dried
pollen but most I have seen has not been bitter tasting and not overly
dried.
In Missouri we get a red pollen in our honey supers which is VERY bitter and
will ruin comb honey.  If you trap pollen every week in Missouri you will
see a steady change in the color as the floral sources change.  Only the red
pollen from a source unknown to me is bitter.  pollen trapping can only be
profitable when you figure out the right time to trap for your area.
Something which might take several seasons.
I would like to see proof that drying pollen at 95 F. and then freezing (as
recommended by the desert pollen collectors) is less of a product than
simply freezing.  Even yeast is not killed at a temperature of less than
100F. and the honey is certainly not harmed. When removed from the freezer
and placed in jars the recommended shelf life is one year in a sealed
container for the 95 F. dried pollen ( according to the desert pollen
collectors).  Vacuum packing can give a longer shelf life.
Keeping the not dried pollen froze in a baggy is a hassle and makes the
product hard to market at farmers markets. Although there seems to be two
methods in use I can't see the justification in condemning the dried pollen.
Sincerely,
Bob Harrison
Odessa, Missouri
Ps. The desert pollen collectors paid a 200,000 U.S. fine years ago for
making claims about their pollen which couldn't be proven ( desert viagra).
Pollen collection has been around for a long time. Tainted pollen is a
reality is certain areas. I would never consider selling pollen retail
myself without product liability.