JANUARY 2002

Sol’s Space

Due to low turnout we did not have election of officers at the November meeting, so this will be on the agenda for the January meeting.

Please bring any unusual “artifacts” you may have related to bees and beekeeping for show and tell.

I will be surfing the web for some interesting information in cyberspace.

Best wishes,

Sol.

Brenda’s Buzz Line

Wind and rain and falling trees. None of my hives was hit by a tree, but some were having a bit of trouble with moisture. Lifting the top cover I found fanning bees and drops of water on the top of the lid. I put some sticks in to improve ventilation and a day later the bees were calm. Now is the time to check those hives that were light on stores going into late fall. Have they used up the dry sugar you gave them?

IPM workshop in the planning

Frank Whitton of the Capital Region Beekeepers’ Association is attempting to organize a weekend I.P.M. course early this year. If there is interest by our members and the Duncan club, he will plan the workshop in Duncan - the halfway point between Victoria and Nanaimo.”

Frank says they “have a lot of members that don't fully understand what all this Integrated Pest Management is and how to apply it.” Jacquie Bunse showed an interest in putting a course on if the island beekeepers were to organize it. (Jacquie is one of the professional bee inspectors working in the province).

If you are interested in this potential course let me know at the next meeting, by phone or email.

Brenda

Honey Judging – It’s not just about taste

I attended the Honey Judging course in Nanaimo in October to learn how to judge honey - what an eye opener for me. I thought we would spend a lot of time tasting and comparing honey, but what I learnt was that aesthetics and presentation together were considered more important than taste.

John Gates, Apiculture Specialist BC Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and Doug McCutcheon, long time beekeeper, honey judge and bee book seller provided the expertise and experience for teaching the course. They provided us with a brief history of bee product judging, the golden days of which have seemed to pass. “Sixty years ago at the Agricultural Fair in New Westminster (the forerunner of the P.N.E.) 11 – 500 pound exhibits of honey were displayed in the commercial class and over 150 entries in the various smaller classes and displays, an estimated total weight of honey of approximately seven tons.” (Training Manual for Honey Judges, Revised 2001) Many recent agricultural fairs have had few if any entries.

Perhaps with a little education, promotion and hype we can once again strive to reach the heights of our predecessors and have some competitions with many many entries. With this in mind, I would like to let you know what judges are looking for and how to succeed. If my jars had made it to the competition at the October conference, I would have been embarrassed after learning what I now know.

There are currently nine categories of judging; liquid honey, granulated honey, beeswax, comb honey, chunk honey, cut comb honey, frames of honey, observation hive and displays. The following will cover the requirements for producing a winning liquid honey entry.

Competitors need to know the rules for the specific competition which they will be entering. Most fairs have a “Fair Book” or “Prize list” with what is required for entries and any special rules associated with each particular fair. For example, how many jars are needed for an entry and what volume is required. Most fairs require six 1 lb. jars or six 500 gram jars for exhibiting honey.

Liquid honey is judged on the following criteria:

1.    Appearance and uniformity of containers
5 points

Containers and lids in the entry all need to be uniform. The glass should be bright, free from blemishes, cracks, marks, dirt, etc. The lids should be new, clean and without scratches and marks and all the same colour. Each lid will be tested for smell as occasionally a new appearing lid will have been used for pickles or have some other noticeable smell.

2.    Colour - 5 points

There are four categories of colour; white, golden, amber and dark. Higher points are given to the lightest honeys in each category. Canadian Colour Classifiers are used to distinguish if the honey is in the correct category. To use a classifier, a small amount of the honey is inserted into a thin tube, which is compared with tubes containing coloured liquids.

3.    Brightness - 10 points

The jars are placed so that light shines on the jar and the honey is then checked for cloudiness and suspended materials. Dark honey can have a brightness that equals if not betters a lighter honey.

4.    Uniformity of honey - 5 points

The judge is checking for uniformity of colour and density between the jars in the entry. Sometimes two batches of honey are processed to fill the jars, resulting in different colours. Also Two honeys blended will be of different densities and though the two may appear to blend at the time, the lighter density honey will sometimes rise to the top so the difference can be seen. As with two honeys with differing colours can produce streaks of different colours.

5.    Freedom from crystals - 15 points

A polaroid light is used and will show the tiniest crystals in the honey. Light will be reflected from the edges of any crystal just as light hitting a cut diamond.

6.    Freedom from foreign material - 15 points

Light shining through the honey will also uncover pollen, wax, lint, parts of bee anatomy, etc. and any other foreign materials present.

7.    Freedom from air bubbles either in suspension or as froth - 15 points

Judges will check for froth floating to the surface and clinging to the jar. Light will also show up the presence of air bubbles suspended in the honey and around the edges of the top surface, the sides or the bottom of the jar.

8.    Flavour and aroma - 10 points

Flavour is a matter of personal preference and therefore cannot be judged fairly on the basis of a flavour personally preferred by the judge. The judge should suspend preference and judge on a lack of objectionable flavour and the compatibility of the flavour with the type of honey.

9.    Uniform level of fill - 5 points

The air space in the jar should not be visible under the edge of the lid when the jar is held level and conversely the honey should not be right up to the top of the jar. About a quarter of an inch from the top of the jar is about right.

10.           Density - 15 points

A refractometer is usually used to measure honey density. Honey with 17% or less moisture receives full points. A half point is deducted for each 0.5% moisture increase. In the absence of a refractometer, the judge may use the piling method (a toothpick dropping honey back onto the surface to see how high the honey will pile and then smooth out) or the bubble method (how fast the bubble moves through the honey when the jar is inverted).

As you can see, there is a science to producing a winning entry and there are even tricks for achieving these “Standards of Perfection”. Perhaps I will cover these in a future newsletter, or better yet, we could have someone more experienced speak on a club night.

Bee Potions

Substituting honey for sugar

In a previous newsletter I advised substituting honey for sugar on a half as much ratio as honey sugars have more sweetening power than cane sugar (1/2 a cup of honey substituted for1 cup sugar and reduce liquids). A 1972 BC Honey Producers Association publication distributed at the Bee Conference in October stated that “honey sugars have approximately 25% more sweetening power than cane sugar.

Contrary to my advice the brochure suggests replacing sugar with honey on a one-to-one ratio.

 “If one cup sugar or syrup is replaced with honey, reduce the liquid by ¼ cup to allow for the natural moisture in the honey.

Sample:

If a recipe calls for            Substitute:

1 cup brown sugar                        1 cup brown sugar

1 cup Granulated sugar   1 cup honey

no liquid                            no liquid

½ cup sugar                       ½ cup honey

½ cup milk                                    ¾ cup milk

1 ½ cups sugar                  ½ cup sugar

½ cup water                      1 cup honey

¼ cup water”

The same brochure had more advise for using honey in the kitchen.

1.      “Use the lighter coloured honeys for baking [they are less acidic].

2.      When using more than 1 cup honey add ¼ to ½ teaspoon baking soda to neutralize the acidity. When sour milk or buttermilk and honey appear together it is not necessary to add baking soda.

3.      Reduce baking temperature by 25°F when substituting honey for sugar in a recipe to prevent over browning. [temperatures higher than 350°F will cause honey to burn].

4.      Add honey to shortening slowly in a fine stream, blending well for better volume and texture. If using creamed honey add a tablespoon at a time.

5.      Add 2 tbsp. Honey to a cake batter to prevent crumbling and to keep cake fresher longer.

6.      Remember honey products are more flavourful the next day.

Cantonese Chicken (from the 1972 BCHPA publication)

1 large broiler fryer, cut up or breasts or pieces

½ cup ketchup                    3 tbsp. Honey

3 tbsp soy sauce                  2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp cornstarch                2 tbsp water

Arrange chicken pieces in single layer, skin side up, in 9x13” baking pan. Mix together ketchup, honey, soy sauce and lemon juice and pour over chicken. Let marinate for 2 hours or longer. Cover pan with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.

Uncover pan, baste with sauce and continue baking for 30 minutes longer until chicken is tender. Pour off pan juices and bring to boil. Mix cornstarch and water and stir in, cooking until sauce is thickened. Arrange chicken on dish and spoon over sauce. Serves 4.

Do you have any good recipes to share? I would like to print them here. Contact Brenda.

Theo’s Field days

You are invited to join Theo Fredrich every second Saturday of the month for a field day at his place. Theo will be working his (and the club) hives and encourages interested members to come. Meeting time is 10:00 am at 2798 Cedar Road. To confirm, Theo’s number is 245-4214.

Bee Swap

Do you need something? Do you have something for sale? List here for free! Contact Brenda.

Address changed?

Canada Post has been busy updating the rural route system. If your address has changed, please let me know. Thanks - phone and fax 247-2078, email jagreid@island.net.

New Location

Forth Wednesday, January 23, 2002 at 7:30 p.m., at Fairview Community School. Located at Second street and Howard Avenue.

Room is located off second street parking lot. Two doors down from the Gym.