The Candle & Honey Report
September
Candle winner: jerchiro@aol.com |
September,
2003 Vol 3, No. 9 |
Candle Safety Tips
National Candle Association (NCA) Web Site:http://www.candles.org/
Contact:hmilazzo@robinleedyassociates.com
NCA Tips: Burning Candles Safely
Candles are a safe product and only become a hazard when used improperly. The majority of fires involving candles are not caused by the candles, but by people using them in an unsafe manner. The National Candle Association recommends the following safety tips when burning candles:
-- Never leave a burning candle unattended. Extinguish all candles when leaving a room or before going to sleep.
-- Keep burning candles away from anything flammable, such as furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, flammable decorations, etc.
-- Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets. Do not place lighted candles where they can be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.
-- Trim candlewicks to 1/4 inch each before lighting. Long or crooked wicks can cause uneven burning and dripping. Keep candles free of wick trimmings, matches or any flammable material that might ignite.
-- Avoid putting candles in drafts to prevent rapid, uneven burning or sooting and excessive dripping. Drafts can also blow lightweight curtains or papers into the flame where they could catch fire.
-- Always burn candles on protected, heat-resistant surfaces specifically
designed for candle use. The holder should be big enough to collect dripping wax.-- Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room.
-- Discontinue use of a container or votive candle when 1/2-inch of unmelted wax remains. This will prevent possible heat damage to the counter/surface and
prevent glass containers from cracking or breaking. Extinguish taper and pillar candles when they get down to within two inches of their holders or decorations.-- Candles should be placed at least three inches apart so they don’t melt one another.
-- The best way to extinguish a candle is to use a special candle snuffer or candle quencher to prevent hot wax from spattering.
-- Do not extinguish candles with water. The water can cause the hot wax to spatter and some candle containers to break.
-- Flashlights and other battery-powered lights are much safer light sources than candles during a power failure.
-- Never use a candle as light when you go into a closet to look for things.
-- Never use a candle for light when fueling equipment such as a lantern or kerosene heater.
The National Candle Association also recommends the following tips on candle care and use.-- Clean and shine solid candles with a soft cloth or a piece of nylon.
-- Store taper candles in a cool, dark, dry place, lying them flat to prevent warping.
-- To prevent fading, never put candles in a window or directly expose them to bright outdoor light or indoor spotlights for long periods.
-- To remove wax from washable fabrics, scrape off excess wax and run boiling water through the material.
-- When cleaning a glass candleholder, avoid scratching with a metal object because scratching the inner or outer surface weakens the glass and could lead to breakage.
-- Votive candles will clean easily if you add a small amount of water to the glass before inserting the candle.
Source: National Candle Association (NCA), 2002
The Honey harvest is starting
Typical honeybee colonies with honey supers on top. This colony has comb honey supers on it.
September is the month that we begin to take our honey crop off. Most of what is harvested now goes directly to our sales stand or to road side markets. In October and November the rest of the crop is harvested and stored in barrels. The picture shows frames of honey going into our extractor. Click here for more extracting pictures.
Raw & Unprocessed Honey?
Unfiltered Honey?
Pasteurized Honey?
What's the difference?These questions were from an email that was sent us from Barbara in Michigan.
Q. Your label just states honey yet you claim to have raw and unprocessed
honey. How come you do not label it raw?A. Raw & unprocessed honey is available at our sales stand in the fall when we fill your own containers from our bulk tank. We fill this barrel with honey directly from our extracting barn and it is raw & unprocessed.
The wildflower/clover mix table honey that has been put in containers for wholesale or retail sales is not filtered or pasteurized! We warm our honey only to 130 to 135 degrees, cooler than most residential hot water tanks. This will retard granulation, a natural condition of honey for a short period of time. This low temperature warming allows us to lightly “strain” the honey through cheesecloth and pack it into containers. Any occasional honey crystals that may appear due to this more natural treatment may be melted by putting the jar of honey into hot water.
This unfiltered honey is not completely "raw" because it has been warmed slightly and therefore should not be labeled as such.
Q. If a label does not state raw then is the honey heated? Why would the honey need to be heated?
A. If the label does not state "raw" it most likely has been heated. Also very few raw honeys (with some exceptions) are liquid - raw honey will usually granulate within a few weeks.
Packers need to heat honey to retard granulation. Most customers in a grocery store think that granulated honey is a defect and will not purchase it. Large honey packers sometimes heat their honey to 160 degrees and filter it. This will keep it looking very nice on a store shelf but the taste may be degraded.
Q. I have seen some honey labeled raw and it is completely white. Does this mean it has completely crystalized?
A. Yes. Raw & unfiltered honey will granulate smooth and solid after a month or two.
When heated honey granulates the texture of the honey will be very coarse. These coarse crystals do not hurt anything but do not look as nice - This honey can be liquified very easily in hot water.
Q. Do you dilute your honey with water? Reason I ask is that I know of a beekeeper in Europe and he says that the standards for honey here in the States are different. Also, the honey in Europe is much thicker because supposedly the beekeepers ARE NOT allowed to dilute it but in the US they can.
A. NO REPUTABLE HONEY PRODUCER IN THE USA WOULD ADD WATER TO THEIR HONEY! Besides it being illegal it would cause the honey to ferment and become unsaleable. Honey does not remain stable if the moisture content is too high. Anybody who would say that US beekeepers routinely do such a thing is either uninformed or has a political agenda.
Many Europeans love to bash the USA. It is true the standards in the USA are different - They are much higher. With all the different governments in Europe there are no uniform regulations - every country does whatever it wants. The USA has very strict food & drug laws. Many treatments to honeybees that are used in Europe are not legal in the USA.
Recently, China was caught using an illegal antibiotic and it was found in their honey. This honey did not pass our standards and was not allowed to enter the US.
The thickness or density of honey can vary with the flower source. Since many honey producers in Europe are small (like we are), possibly they can sell their honey with less processing.
Q. I have purchased your honey at a vegetable stand in Romeo. It was labeled as just plain honey so that means it was heated to 130 or 135 degrees. Do you plan to sell your raw unheated honey at these stands? I have been to your farm to pick grapes (these are wonderful) but I did not purchase the honey as I had a jar at home from Romeo at the time.
A. We do sell raw honey at these types of fruit markets in 2.5 lb containers - they are usually marked as "creamed honey".
Q. Is the raw unprocessed honey at your farm higher in cost than the slightly heated honey?
A. The raw unprocessed honey sold from our bulk tank and poured directly into a container that you bring to the farm will cost much less. (This year $1.55/lb) When we sell honey to roadside stands we must add in warming, bottling, labeling and delivery charges.
Q. I have heard that honey can be liquified in a sunny window. Is this a good idea? Any chance that the sun can damage the honey?A. Yes, that can work, although you should make sure it does not get too hot. Remove it from the window when done. Many people re-liquify honey by putting the honey in hot water bath.
Q. Do you plan on introducing other types of flowers so that you can have different honey? For example, some of the beekeepers in Europe use the flowers of the linden tree. The honey is almost green and the taste is very good. Also, the scent of the flowers is heavenly.
A. Since we are also very active in our vineyard operation we do not have the time to separate many of the different types of honey. We start taking our honey off in September and most of it is sold at our farm or roadside markets. When the vineyard closes in October we return to the beeyards and the rest of the crop is removed. I applaud the beekeepers that bottle honey from different flower sources.
Thank you for answering all of my questions. Looking forward to picking grapes this year and loading my jars with honey. I have tried many honeys in the area and I think that next to Europe's honey, yours has the best texture and taste.
Barbara in Michigan.
Mead Makers are preparing for the fall honey harvest.
I have just heard from Rex Halfpenny at Michigan Beer Guide and he is planning to do an article on mead making in his next issue. (Watch the cover - some of the pictures are from our website.)
His website is at www.michiganbeerguide.com
Rex Halfpenny
Michigan Beer Guide
PO Box 648
Leonard, MI 48367
248-628-6584**********************
Plan to Attend the International Mead Festival
Savor the largest collection of commercial meads for tasting ever available at the Meadfest (www.meadfest.com) in Boulder, Colorado, October 24 and 25, 2003.
**********************New Book on Mead Making Available
The Association of Brewers announced the release of its newest book, The Compleat Meadmaker. Authored by master meadmaker Ken Schramm of Troy, Mich, the book features photos from the National Honey Board
**********************
Other good mead sites:
The Honeyflow Farm mead page
Honeywine.com
AboutMead.com
GotMead.com
The Mead Hall
The Mead Maker's Page
September Honey recipe
Rose Oil & Honey Facial Mask
Rejuvenate and replenish your skin. Sweet almond oil, which is light and easily absorbed, softens and nourishes skin. Honey as a natural humectant, moisturizes, leaving even tired skin incredibly smooth.
2
Tablespoons honey
2
Tablespoons sweet almond oil
5
drops essential oil of rose
1
drop vitamin E oil
Mix honey, sweet almond oil and essential oil of rose.
Massage onto clean face and neck with fingertips. Relax for 15 minutes, then rinse off with lukewarm water. Gently pat dry to reveal a fresh, soft complexion.
From Honey.com
Do you have a great honey recipe - please and we will put it in our newsletter.
Last Months Newsletter - August, 2003 |
Honeyflow
Farm
4939 Mill Rd. PO Box 275
Dryden, Michigan 48428
(810) 796-2344 (Phone & Fax)
Comments or questions concerning Honeyflow
Farm
should be addressed by clicking on the link: