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Comments/Questions/From
our Readers
Please Send In Recipes or Comments!
This is a sample of grape or honey recipes that our readers have
sent in. If you have a unique grape recipe, winemaking recipe, honey
recipe or any beekeeping or winemaking story or comments you would like
to say regarding beekeeping, honey or candles,
PLEASE CLICK HERE AND SEND THEM TO ME!
I would like to hear from you & reprint them in our newsletter.
To view past issues of our newsletter, please visit
our Newsletter
Archive.
Click
Here To See Comments From Our 2003 Newsletters
From our December 2002 Issue
From our November 2002 Issue
From our October
2002 Issue
From
our September 2002 Issue
From our August 2002 Issue
From our July 2002
Issue
From our June 2002 Issue
From our May 2002 Newsletter
Our 2001 Message Board
From
our December 2002 Issue
Click here to view the Newsletter
Melting beeswax, Beekeeping supplies,
Is the farm open to browse the items or is it just orders from the
Internet, Any stores in the West Palm Beach? Yellow jackets, different
qualities of 100% beeswax, Wine via internet?
11/22/02 - sldrn@hotmail.com
Good Morning, - Yesterday I ordered 5 pounds of bulk beeswax from you.
My question is about melting it. Can it be grated and melted in the
microwave? Should I melt it in a double boiler? Does it matter if I
have a gas or electric stove? Do I have to keep my beeswax melting pot
separate from my kitchen pots? I am making tea light candles. This is
going to be my first time. About how many tea light can I expect to
make from 5 lb. of wax? From everything I have read on the internet
beeswax lasts the longest, burns the cleanest and has a low melt temp,
correct? Do I have to add anything to the wax to make tea lights?
Thank you for your help, Shelly Sapp
- Thank you for your order, it will be shipped UPS
on Monday.
November 22, 2002 - jjhholden@comcast.net
I am interested in two things: glass jars for honey- hexagon shape plastic
bears foundation-type wax sheets to make roll-up candles. Do you have
a catalog?(paper) - Thank you
- I am sorry but we do not carry beekeeping supplies,
please check our resources page.
- Bill
11/22/02 - tug@acd.net
Is the farm open to browse the items or is it just orders from the Internet
that you take. If the farm is open, what are the hours? Thanx, Deanne
tug@acd.net
- Our farm is only open in September & October
- the rest of the year you must order on line.
Sometimes people have e-mailed an order to me and they have picked
it up on the porch, but we do not have a store front open at all
during the holidays. - Bill
11/21/02 - rebmdc@aol.com
Are there any stores in the West Palm Beach, Florida area that carry
your products? Rich Bigelow
- We are only local in Michigan - However our website
sells all over the country.
11/1/02 - mamu@sprintmail.com
Greetings. You probably won't recognize our names but you would know
us on site. We come and pick small amounts of grapes and fill our jugs
with honey every year. We noticed you guys have lots of yellow jackets
and were wondering if you could answer a question for us. We noticed
a lot of yellow jacket activity outside our bedroom window and realized
they were nesting inside our overhang, although we can't see them. We
didn't want to kill them so we let them be. Not that it is cold we would
like to find the nest and maybe move it if we can. Do you know if this
can be done? Should we just tear it out? What happens if we don't do
anything? We had several exterminators over that will spray them with
chemicals but we don't really want that. Any suggestions? Thanks. Mindy
McClure & Mark Udell
- They may die over the winter, but I would just
wait until the evening and spray them with hornet spray.
November 6, 2002 - joleh@bellsouth.net
Are there different qualities of 100% beeswax used for dinner candles--some
harder than others? If so, what do I ask for when ordering the hardest
type? Thanks, Janice
- All of our beeswax is 100% beeswax and all are
just as hard. (although some candles have a scent such as bayberry
added) We use no petroleum based waxes at all at our farm!
November 2, 2002 - gumshoe707@aol.com
Do you sell wine via internet?
- We do not sell wine at all - only fruit. Our vineyard
is for homewinemakers - u-pick, u-make the wine. - Bill
From
our November 2002 Issue
Click here to view the Newsletter
Interested in grape farm, scented beeswax,
white beeswax, October candle winner, green grape jelly didn't thicken,
I can't believe that we missed your season, I am looking for a place
to get married, canadice wine problem, beeswax for making skin moisturizing
cremes,heat source using beeswax?
October 30, 2002 - julius.fandi@lippobank.co.id
Hi... I'm from Indonesian,i'm so interesting with your grape farm that
is great . i love the grape fruit and my hobiis is to plant the grape
at my garden. sorry if my english is not good. I perhaps sometime can
be visiting your farm. or i working in your farm ,can i? ok.., this
my letter regards, fandy
- Fandy - Many people like to plant a few vines in
their yard after visiting our place. We will not be open until next
September but you will be on our mailing list & receive our
newsletter where you will see what happens here every month of the
year. We do not have any regular employment opportunities here,
just local high school youths.
See you next fall. - Bill
October 29, 2002 - VMPIN99@AOL.COM
PLEASE TELL ME HOW DO YOU PUT SCENT IN THESE CANDLES. WITH THE STRONG
HONEY SMELL THE WAX HAS. I KNOW WHITE BEES WAX IS VERY EXPENSIVE. DO
YOU SELL WHITE BEES WAX? PLEASE REPLY. VMPIN99@AOL.COM. - I AM INTERESTED
IN WHITE BEES WAX. LESS SCENT. WHAT IS THE SHIPPING ON 10 LBS. + 2LBS
PACKAGEING. ZIP 46222 INDIANAPOLIS, IN
- It is very easy to add scent to beeswax candles
and although the natural scent of beeswax is very nice the additional
scent just adds to it. We do not sell "pure white" beeswax.
This is wax that has been "bleach" by the processor. The
natural wax that is harvested by a beekeeper is usually a shade
of yellow gold. Visit our bulk beeswax page:
http://www.honeyflowfarm.bigstep.com/item.jhtml?UCIDs=731499%7C845145&PRID=650099
-
All of our wax products are un scented
unless otherwise stated.
Shipping 10 lbs of wax to your area
would cost about $11.75 - you can get more info from our shipping
page:
http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/shippingrates.htm
Thanks -Bill
October 31, 2002 - rosebud7188@cs.com
: I would just like to thank you very much for the gift of beeswax candles
that I won. I was very surprised that I won. - Rosemary Suzuki
10/21/02 - Sirs, If you have any info to
my problem, I'd appreciate a reply.
After preparing green grape jelly, the jelly didn't thicken. It's to
runny to be used even for syrup. The directions on the pectin product
were followed - so we don't know what the problem was. Do you have any
suggestions to re-do this jelly.
Thanks, Marlys - marlys@tingley.com
- I do not know what could of happened, we have
made jelly from green grapes many times. Try visiting the Ball Corporations
website: www.homecanning.com or call their Home Canners' Help Line
at (1-800-240-3340) for lots of information on canning, jelly making,
pectin & supplies. - Bill
Sunday, October 6, 2002 - ckfulk1@aol.com
I can't believe that we missed your season. We live in Oxford and to
make a long story short just found out about you. We were going to pick
grapes next weekend, and looked on the web site and this is it!!! It's
6:10 Sunday and your closed for the season. We even bought a special
pot from Finland to make juice and jelly!! Well I hope your season was
good and we will mark our calender for next year. Can I make white grape
jelly from grapes found at meijers?---our next plan of attack. Thanks---see
you next year:) Kelly
10/15/02 - amberlynnb@yahoo.com
I am looking for a place to get married and I've always wanted a vineyard
wedding...I was wondering if at all possible your vineyard might be
available, if not if you could suggest any other vineyards in the vicinity.
Thank you, and are you open in october? Sincerely, Amber
- That would not be possible at our vineyard, but
you could try:
Valerio Poliuto - Chateau Valerio Vineyards
39085 Moravian
Clinton Township, MI 48036
phone: (586) 709-8989 fax: (586) 465-6633
email: chateauvalerio@yahoo.com
October 18, 2002 - fsollars@aol.com
Hello! - I have made 5 gallons of wine from your canadice grapes picked
in September. It is a little too acidic and the finsih has a bite to
it. Is there anything I can do to soften it or make it less acidic?
Thank you, Frank Sollars
- If the acidity is high you could always "stretch"
it a little by adding about a 1/2 gallon of sugar water (1 lb sugar
in 1/2 gallon water) . You also may want to sweeten it to taste.
Add some sugar and taste it. Caution - it may start fermenting again.
If so wait until it finishes & do it again. You may do this
a few times. The yeast in the wine will continue to process the
sugar until the alcohol level is high enough to kill the yeast.
You could also try using some potassium sorbate (from winemaking
stores) to prevent refermentation.
October 14, 2002 - bob04005@yahoo.com
What is the weight of your largest 2-wick candle which you sell for
$27.95?? What would you recommend for a heat source using beeswax? -
Bob Faucher
October 7, 2002 - Pfrohlich@aol.com
Can I purchase beeswax alone for use in making skin moisturizing cremes?What
form does it come in? Thanks, Phyllis Frohlich
- We sell lots of beeswax in small cakes for smaller
amounts & 1/2 lb blocks that come in 5lb and 10 lb units.
Visit
our bulk wax page
From
our October 2002 Issue
Click here to view the Newsletter
Class trip, grapes for merlot and chianti,
batik dyeing, 6 bushels of concord grapes, candle-making for our
historical re-anactment, pick candles up at the farm, the juice
would be frozen, Are your prices in the newsletter retail or wholesale?
freeze concord and niagra grapes, shipping honey, recipe for Grape
Juice, hard time finding beeswax candles, third place award in the
Michigan State Fair, beauty treatments using honey, recipe for making
soap from beeswax, I wanted to know if those seeds from each grape
variety will grow, homemade sugar free jellies.
9/1/02 - Kevin_Cohen@fmo.com
I have a friend who is a 6th grade teacher and he asked me if he could
bring his class to your orchard for a class trip. They are studying
plant biology and he thinks that an active and productive vineyard would
be a fantastic learning experience. Since he does not have email he
asked if I could send this request to you. He has picked grapes at your
vineyard before.
He teaches from Monday through Thursday
and would love to make a field trip to your establishment. Can you accommodate
him?
We are not really set up for tours, but
if someone wants to come out on Fridays, Saturdays or Sundays that is
fine. We are not here monday to thursday. The children must be chaperoned,
as we have no additional people to escort them. Bill
September 2, 2002 - mjbonanno@wayne.edu
Would you tell me if you have grapes for merlot and chianti. Can you
make these into juices for purchase as well? What would be the cost?
Please let me know at your earliest convenience. Thank you.
- The merlot grape only grows in California. We
grow 3 red wine grapes at our farm, DeChaunac, Marechal Foch &
Baco Noir. Although we do sell juice, a much better red wine is
made from fermenting on the skins.
Since we are short of grapes this year, you are probably better
off coming out and picking them than ordering juice. Check
our vineyard page for details: http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/vineyard.htm
- Bill
- If I usually make merlot and chianti, which
of the grapes that you grow would you recommend to make a smooth
red with similar characteristics? Since I do not have a crusher,
would you be able to crush the grapes that I pick/purchase so
I can ferment them and press them later on? Please let me know
at your earliest convenience.
Thanks again.
- I am sorry but we do not have a crusher
available. Next year we plan to have crushing facillities
available for customers & also crushed frozen red grapes.
Foch and Baco are ripe for wine this weekend.
Bill
Monday, September 2, 2002 - hawnella@sd22.bc.ca
I really enjoyed your informative web site. I was looking for an explanation
of what rosin does when mixed with other waxes. I'm particularly interested
in a wax recipe for batik dyeing. Thanking you in anticipation, Allen
Haworth
- Thank you for your comments. I am not familiar
with rosin and batik dyeing. I will ask for comments in our newsletter.
Our readers are very knowledgeable. Bill
9/3/02 - joey@mennies.com
What are the chances of getting 6 bushels of concord grapes?
- I know there are a lot more than 6 bushels of
concord in the vineyard, but they may go very fast. You may want
to consider using Baco Noir, Foch or DeChaunac and possibly adding
some Buffalo for the concord flavor if we run out. We are first
come, first serve in the vineyard. It will be at least 2 weeks
more before concord is ripe. Check our Up dates at: http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/newsletterarchive/index.htm
See you in the vineyard! Bill
Tuesday, September 3, 2002 - programs@bchm.org
Thanks for a great website. I am the Program Coordinator of the Brazoria
County Historical Museum in Texas and am very interested in candle-making
for our historical re-anactment called Austin Town! Thank you! Sincerely,
Ace Filipp
9/7/02 - barkat@surfbest.net
I have been visiting your stand for the past few years. I am happy
now to have E-mail, and find out even more about your farm. I like
driving out to the farm and was wondering if I may request candles
on-line, and pick them up at the farm rather then having them shipped.
I use beeswax candles as part of birthday celebrations in my classroom.
Last year I decorated a taper with each child's class "symbol"
(each child had a different species of flower for a symbol) and presented
it to them for their birthday. I also light a beeswax candle each
day at the beginning of our story-telling time. I use a lovely verse
and the whole effect brings the children into focus before I tell
the story.
- Yes, it is a lot easier if you visit us on line
and then email me with the order.& you can pick up your candle
order at the farm on the weekend. We do not carry everything that
we have on our site at our small sales stand due to lack of space.
Also I will pay the Michigan sales tax when you pick them up at
the farm on the weekends. Just email your order to me.
Thanks - Bill
9/10/02 - OhWhyNot99@aol.com
Regarding my juice order. The 22nd would be fine or even a couple
of days later. Actually I would like a little darker color, maybe
I could come out if you actually press it on the 22nd and take some
of the skins with me. If not, that's fine too. Thank you, Bill McPherson
- What I do is get the grapes picked on some weekend
(I have kids do it if the weather is good - otherwise we must wait
till the next week). Then I press them & put them in a 5 gallon
pail with a plastic liner and put them in a freezer. I then call
the customer & he can pick them up on the weekend - they are
usually frozen solid so no unattended fermentation can begin. I
cannot give you an actual date of when they will be pressed. Bill
- Thank you for getting back with me. I wasn't
aware the juice would be frozen. With that in mind, and assuming
they would be picked and pressed before Saturday October 5th,
it would be good if I could pick them up then. Assuming they
would be ready. I know that's a little later than my original
date but it would work fine. If you think they could be available
by then please let me know. Also, would you like me to leave
my credit card number to hold them? Let me know. Bill McPherson
- October 5 would most likely be a good date
for pick up - I will call you when the are done anyway.
That is another good reason for freezing them - it gives
you more flexibility. Bill
9/4/02 - fngrtips@frontiernet.net
Are your prices in the newsletter retail or wholesale? On the 61/2"
tapers are your prices for one pair (since they are connected by the
wick) or $3.75 per candle and $7.50 for a pair connected? What quanity
do you consider volumn and what would the wholesale price be? 6 1/2
" (Same with votives) Thank-you Jan Mackie-Cobb
- Thank you for your inquiry. We do not sell wholesale.
All tapers are sold by the pair. If the site says $7.00 per pair
- it means two candles connected together for $7.00. Sometimes we
give a slight discount for orders over $300 depending on what is
purchased. - Bill
9/12/02 - Please tell me if I can freeze
concord and niagra grapes in the fresh state, to use in baking at
a later date. Thank you very much. Pat Giering
- Yes. Grapes can be easily frozen. Quite often we
freeze seedless grapes for a frozen snack. I suppose they might
become a little soft after thawing. Try it! Bill
9/16/02 - frostypines@webtv.net
I want to know if you ship honey and price and a 800 number for ordering.
Thank you Dorene
- No 800 number, but we do ship honey - go to our
honey page: Bill
9/15/02 - mbruni@worldnet.att.net
Would you by chance have a good recipe for Grape Juice. I have an
abundance of Purple and White Concord Grapes for use. Thank you, Mary
Bruni Waukesha, WI
9/17/02 - tom48732@hotmail.com
when will be the best time to come down and pick concord grapes? do
you have any concord grapes? do you have white concord grapes?
- We are starting to pick concords this weekend.
We do grow Niagara if that is what you mean by white concord and
they are also ready this week.
Bill
Thursday, September 19, 2002 - gjfm@midwaynet.net
I have been looking for pure beeswax candles and am having a hard
time finding any. Are your's pure beeswax and if not what percentage
are they. Thank you. Judy
- Our candles are 100% pure beeswax, produced by
Michigan honeybees, made from nectar from Michigan flowers. There
is no paraffin (made from crude oil) used at all at our farm. Beeswax
burns cleaner and drips less than other oils. Visit our Candle
Shop for more info.
http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/candleshop.htm Bill
Mon, 30 Sep 2002 - SBoskovich@aol.com
Bill, Yes, I will gladly take the white juice! I am glad you were
able to get some white juice for me this season. I will come by sometime
this weekend to pick it up. Steve
P.S. By the way, I received a third place
award in the Michigan State Fair
this year for my 2001 Seyval Blanc made from your grapes and a first
place
award for my 2001 Marechal Foch. Thanks for such great grapes.
Friday, September 27, 2002 - mjmbee@msn.com
I was wondering if you have any recipes for home made beauty treatments
using honey. Thanks a lot.
- I do not have information on beauty treatments
using honey but I will ask our newsletter readers, they are very
knowledgeable. Bill
- ??? Does anyone have any info - if so please email
me
9/28/02 - Leeford@aol.com
We are a homeschool group that is doing a unit study on bees. We'd
like to know if you have a recipe for making soap from beeswax. Thanks!
- I do not have information on soaps using honey
but I will ask our newsletter readers, they are very knowledgeable.
I know there are many soap "rooms" on yahoo. You may want
to check there. I would like to work with soaps using honey &
beeswax in the future and possibly sell them on our site. Bill
Sunday, September 29, 2002 - putitout@surfbest.net
We are realy enjoying the grapes we bought at your farm. Thanks for
all the answers about my own vines.
9/26/02 - mkogrady@comcast.net
Bill,I picked some Foch and Baco a couple weeks ago, and finished
the first phase of the wine. It s now in glass. I wanted to know if
those seeds from each grape variety will grow if I plant some or will
a special root stock be required to allow the plant to adapt to our
soil conditions? Also I would appreciate some good links on grape
growing if you have any. I think I might be able to squeeze a few
vines in around my property, but have zero understanding of the care
and feeding of grape vines. Mike O Grady
- Mike The seeds that you collected will not necessarily
grow a Foch or Baco plant, but a cross breed between those and some
other vine that pollinated it. This is how grapes breeders create
new varieties. Grapes are propagated by making cuttings - pieces
of dormant wood about 3 to 5 buds long and then planted in a nursery
in the spring. There are many usefull links to nurseries and grape
growing info on our wine
info page at:
http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/winemakingresources.htm Good luck Bill
10/1/02 - phillman@diamondcs.net
Dear Honey Flow Farm,
I am looking for a way to make homemade sugar free jellies. By sugar
free, I mean no dextrose, maltose, corn sweetener, cane, invert sugar,
High fructose, sucrose, corn syrup, glucose, galactose, and artificial
sweeteners.
In the market place one can buy products called spreadable fruit,
they contain natural fruit juices, sometimes referred to as fructose
(natural fruit sugar). Can you please help me?
Thank you for your time, Pete Hillman
- Most jellies do contain sugar. There are some puree
recipes on our grape cooking page that might be usefull.
http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/graperecipes.htm
or our jelly
page: http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/jellymaking.htm
From
our September 2002 Issue
Click here to view the Newsletter
Wax dolls, Baco
Noir juice, What types do you have?
Making jelly and jam from purple grapes, More
Baco Noir juice
"honey powder" , Bees
wax for leather and timber, Pick
and hold 700 lbs of Concord, More grape
jelly
Candle-making classes? , Beeswax
to use making my lotions and creams, DeChanunac
and Cayuga White,
I am the august candle winner!!!!
Saturday, August 31, 2002 - Cathystrode@hawaii.rr.com
Thursday, August 29, 2002 - dnicley@createccorp.com
I have picked there for many years, and love your farm. I want to get
5 gallons of Baco Noir juice. It usually is picked by U-Pickers too
early, and then there isn't any lft when it should be picked. How do
I order the juice so I know I'll get some? - Dave Nicley
- Dave
I have booked your order for Baco Juice. The last few years have
been very challenging due to frosts. Last year was the very first
year for baco & there was not very much. This year the vines
are much stonger and I have a lot of them. The baco crop is not
as bad as others (spring frost this year) but it is still short
and I have had a lot of calls for it because it is new at our vineyard.
I can NEVER guarantee any juice order - I just hope I get to it
befor U-Pick customers do.
I will call you when it is available. - Bill
- 07:21 AM 8/30/02 -0400, you wrote: Thanks Bill,
if there's a problem with the Baco, I've made some good wine from
your Foch, that would be a good substitute. Do you let the juice
sit in the skins for awhile, or do you just press as a Rose'?
- Fine with the Foch if no Baco. I do let the foch
set a short while and also foch normally has a lot of color in its
juice compared to dechaunac or others. - Bill
Thursday, August 29, 2002 at 06:31:35 -
mgbrew@comcast.net
Hi, just moved to MI from Oregon, where I started maing wine from grapes.
Is there a way to reserve certain quantities of grapes come harvest
time? What types do you have? I live in W. Bloomfield now. Also, do
you have a crusher/stemmer onsite for customer use? - Thanks, Michael
Gonzales
Thursday, August 29, 2002 at 20:21:03 -
ebaker@capecod.net
I am interested in making jelly and jam from purple grapes that I have
grown.Can you help with a tart recipe ? Thanks a lot! Shirley
01:47 PM 8/29/02 - dnicley@createccorp.com
I have picked there for many years, and love your farm. I want to get
5 gallons of Baco Noir juice. It usually is picked by U-Pickers too
early, and then there isn't any lft when it should be picked. How do
I order the juice so I know I'll get some? - Dave Nicley
- Dave - I have booked your order for Baco Juice.
The last few years have been very challenging due to frosts. Last
year was the very first year for baco & there was not very much.
This year the vines are much stonger and I have a lot of them. The
baco crop is not as bad as others (spring frost this year) but it
is still short and I have had a lot of calls for it because it is
new at our vineyard. I can NEVER guarantee any juice order - I just
hope I get to it befor U-Pick customers do.
06:41 PM 8/24/02 - Cherie Casey - ccasey7@surfmk.com
Is there a recipe for making honey powder? I can't
seem to find one.
- I have heard of some developers experimenting
with "honey powder" but do not know of anyone producing
it. I would guess the problem with honey powder would be keeping
it dry - honey always wants to absorb moisture. Lots of peopl use
our honey & wax in cosmetics and lotions & I have had other
questions on honey powder. - Bill
05:45 PM 8/27/02 - bernardhellmann@optusnet.com.au
Hello and thank you for your reply,
The reason that I mailed you was that I was hoping to find out about
some recipies using Bees wax, respectively for leather and timber, could
you please at all help me?
Thank you - Bernard
- I am sorry but I do not have recipes using beeswax
in leather or timber - If you find some please let me know. - Bill
01:45 PM 8/26/02 - Kevin_Cohen@fmo.com
I 've been buying grapes from you for the past copule of years and was
interested in finding out if you could pick and hold 700 lbs of Concord
for me. It is difficult for me to get out to you on the weekends this
year.
Do you do any custom orders like this and if so what is your charge.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon. - Kevin
- I am sorry but we do not custom pick grapes for
people or reserve them either. Everything is U-Pick and first come
- first serve. Even grape juice orders are not really quaranteed
- Customers may get to the grapes before we do. This year the supply
of concord may be quite short due to spring frosts. It may be better
if you looked at a combination of Foch-Baco-DeChaunac. They seemed
to have survived the spring frost better.
Saturday, August 24, 2002 - ttrantham3189@cs.com
Comments or questions: I am trying to make jelly, but I can't seem to
find out what type of juice is needed to make grape jelly. Can you help?
Thanks
05:04 PM 8/21/02 - Vasudev Murthy <Vasu@renaissance-it.com
Hello - Could you tell me if you conduct candle-making classes? My wife
will be in the Rochestor MI area next month and is interested in enrolling
for a class if one is offered - Regards, Vasu
- I am sorry but we do not conduct candlemaking
classes. - Bill
10:50 PM 8/19/02 - mldy@charter.net
I am searching for a source to buy ground up beeswax
to use making my lotions and creams. Do you have this available?
- We do not sell ground up beeswax but many people
making lotions & creams purchase our small
beeswax bars:
or other bulk wax from our bulk
wax page: - Thank you - Bill
Tue, 6 Aug 2002 - achille2k@hotmail.com
Comments or questions: When are your winemaking grapes generally ready
to harvest? In particular I am interested in DeChanunac and Cayuga White.
Also, do you sell winemaking supplies and liquid yeasts? Look forward
to your reply.
- We plan to open on September 6 this year and we
will have DeChanunac and Cayuga White. We do not sell winemaking
supplies or liquid yeasts although we usually have some dry years
available. - Bill
Tue, 6 Aug 2002 - From: "R White"
<valkilmer@cox-internet.com
HOW EXCITING:) - I am the august candle winner...robsno1gal@cox-internet.com
- thank you so much!!!
-
Tue, 13 Aug 2002 - From: "R White" <valkilmer@cox-internet.com
- OH THANK YOU SO MUCH!! THE BEESWAX TAPERED CANDLES ARE ABSOLUTELY
WONDERFUL!!!
DARE I BURN THEM??? HA HA HA....THANK YOU FOR THE CATALOG ALSO!!!
GRAPES - HONEY - CANDLES AND ALL THE RECIPES HERE I WILL STAY!!
HAVE A WONDERFUL UPCOMING AUTUMN!!
THANK YOU AGAIN SO MUCH
DAPHNE WHITE:)
From
our August 2002 Issue
Click here to view the Newsletter
Spring Frosts
Large Candles
Grape Hull Jam?
Three Rivers, MI
Meadery in the Traverse City area?
800 lbs. of grapes last year
Moulds & Scents
July 15, 2002 at 10:14:19 - michael.o'grady@gm.com
Did the late spring frost (May 19/21) damage any of the red wine varietals?
You have a Pinot variety and another small-berry variety I picked last
year. (although most of the Pinot was gone already). See
you in September!
- The late spring frosts did a lot of damage (see
april-may-june newsletters) but the 3 red wine types, Baco Noir,
dechaunac, & Marachel Foch did pretty good. Make sure you are
subscribed to our newsletter (Monthly and the 4 week grape update
issues) Then you will get the most update information. - Bill
July 24, 2002 at 10:58:40 - LRuehlen@beaumont.edu
Have bought before. Interested in largest block/pillar candles for full
time burning in my home.
- Thank you for your recent candle order, you should
be receiving it soon.
Our largest candles are on our Pillar Page . You may be interested
in our 9 inch Hexagonal Pillar, Our 9 inch Cylinder Pillar, our
Lord's Supper Pillar, our Large Ball Candle, our (largest) 2 wick
Hex Pillar, or our new Cut glass Pillar (still on sale for $12.75
through August). (I know you have purchased some of these in the
past)
July 26, 2002 at 18:57:46
- su72525@aol.com
Do you have a recipe for grape hull jam? Thanks!
- I am not sure what you mean by "grape Hull
jam". Is it the same as regular jam made with the skins of
grapes.
We have
some info on our web page If you whave
some good recipes please send them to me . - Bill
7/22/02 - Allison4478@aol.com
I was wondering if you could tell me if there are any honey bee farmer
in the Three Rivers, MI area that takes care of honey bee problems in
peoples houses. We have bees that have made a home in the bricks of
our house and there are coming in side also. We heard that the honey
bee is becoming hard to find so we really don't want to kill them. Well,
we got them and if someone else wants them they can have them. Thanks
for your time - Allison
- Allison
I do not know beekeepers in that area.
-
It also may be difficult to get a beekeeper
to help you this late in the year. There is an old saying. A swarm
in may is worth a ton of hay, a swarm in June is worth a silver
spoon, a swarm in July ain't worth a fly. (There is not enough time
left of the year for the swarm to build up large enough to survive
the winter.) It is also very difficult to remove a swarm from a
building, the building has to be partially taken apart.
Most likely the bees will die over
winter due to varroa mites. If the bees are a nuisance it may be
better to call an exterminater. - Bill
Tue, 16 Jul 2002 15:17:07 - SANDRA STEWART
- harleygal_1@msn.com
Do you know if there is a Meadery in the Traverse City area? I was told
by a vendor at a show that she got her beeswax from a Meadery in the
Traverse area, I checked with the Mich. winery site, and they weren't
aware of one, told me to check with the Traverse Chamber of Commerce.
I thought perhaps you or your readers might know of it.
Thanks for any assistance, - Sandi
- I do not know of a meadery in that area, but I
will ask our readers for input. - Bill
Tue, 16 Jul 2002 15:29:00 - Bigmoe3272@aol.com
My cousin and I came up their last year to pick grapes I belive we picked
about 800 lbs. I have herd alot of stories about how the cold snap took
a toll on the grapes in Michigan.So tell me are the grapes plentyful
this year?Are they the same as last year? Thanks - Angelo
- The grapes suffered a lot of freeze damage this
spring but although the concord types are not too plentiful, the
red wine types, baco, foch & dechaunac look pretty good. Check
our may-june newsletters from our newsletter
archive and make
sure you are subscribed to our monthly and the grape update newsletters.
Then you will have the most updated information.
Bill
August 1, 2002 at 00:34:11 - char7023@msn.com
What kind of molds do you use to make your tapers?
- Our hexagonal bayberry scented tapers use a rubber
mould. All of the 6, 9 & 12 inch tapers are hand-dipped and
do not use a mould at all, just a wick on a special frame.
4/9/2002 -0400 - rnyingmapa@earthlink.net
Greetings; Our nuns from The Field of Flowers Nunnery, make bees wax
soap, they say it helps set the wool after spinning also after weaving.
Sorry, we use butter lamps in Temple.
Keep up your good works. Tshering (monk)
--- Acarya Von Thronsohnhaus
Thank you for the reply. Do you have any
good recipes for beeswax soap. I have been toying with the idea
of putting soap (mostly with beeswax) on our site. I have never
made soap but have been doing some reading on it, find it very interesting
& thought it would fit in with our beeswax candle stuff. Do
you really use butter in the Temple, I didn't think butter would
burn well?
6/18/2002 -0400
Greetings: Sorry Tsering is at one of our Monasteries, I, rLing
will try to assist. A nun gave me a basic recipe.1/2 cup Lye flakes
(red devil?) with 2 cups COLD water. Do this out doors, Fumes! Melt
1/2 cup of fat or oil-add melted bees wax 3-1/2 cups >heat &
mix 120-130 degrees F. Lye at 90-95 degrees F. (do not heat lye-let
cool to 90-95 F.)Mix in large bowl(NO aluminum)stirring often for
an hour. Meantime grease mold and line with plastic wrap. When soap
is consistency of pudding, add scents or colour you wish. Let soap
rest (overnight ?24Hr?) put on a cloth cut into bars-or just unmold.
leave 2-3 weeks turning occasionally. Age is the secret. We donot
use beeswax soap until its almost a year old.. Butter soap 3 months
, Cooking fat soap 2 months. I am on call til Tsering returns, I
will be speedy to your problems or questions. The monks are introducing
Buckfast bees (Queens)? to our mountain bees. Sourwood! is oncoming
I am told. Nuns are ga! thering herbs for Meds. Very busy, Sorry
about such a long delay. We do more than pray Walk one with nature
rLingWe are located Macon County outside
of Franklin NC . Yes we use Butter Lamps, burns not unlike olive
oil. - rLing
7/3/2002 -0400 - fngrtips@frontiernet.netHi
Bill;
I wrote a while back re: honey vinegar. Looking forward to replies in
your new section of the news letter. Now I have a new question re: creamed
honey. My honey crystals are too large this year and I am having a problem
grinding them down. Do you have any suggestions? Also could you send
me a receipe in kindergarden format of how to make it. I do about 7
lbs at a time and I'm not happy with how it is coming out. Also, exactly
what do you beat it with? I was using the whip attachment to my kitchen
aide and got so much air that I was having a problem with consistant
weight so I went to the larger beater that's a little better but now
it's nothing like the creamed honey you see in the store.....as a matter
of fact, it's creamer. Do you have any suggestions? How do I get smaller
crystals for my creamed honey next year?
Thanks for the info - Jan Mackie-Cobb - Fingertips
Sounds like you are making "whipped"
honey rather than "creamed" honey.
I add about 10% or so of fine crystal
honey that you can purchase and use as a starter or take a small
amount of creamed honey and grind it smooth with something. When
I make creamed honey I add about 40 - 60 lbs of "seed"
to a 450 lb tank. I DO NOT WHIP OR BEAT IT AT ALL. It is just smoothly
mixed in and then bottled & it will usually set up in about
a month or so at 60 degree temps.
Most raw honey will granulate naturally
with small crystals - the source of the honey sometimes influences
this. Star Thistle or clover honey usually granulates with small
crystals & some dark honeys granulate with coarser crystals.
Some people like the "whipped"
style with more air in it & it would be lighter in weight.
Good luck with your creamed honey -
Bill
July 2, 2002 at 11:55:43 - info@kikawaida.comComments
or questions: I am seeking "powdered honey" if such a thing
exists or "granulated honey" to use in a line milk & honey
bath & body products I am trying to create...Can you help me or
point me in the right direction, I know the value of honey in skin care
and I am seeking a form I can use in skin preparations without it being
sticky,prone to spoilage or bacteria etc. Any assistance you could provide
would be most appreciated. K. Johnson
I have heard of someone trying to develop
a "dried honey" but I don't think it is one the market
yet. Many people use honey or beeswax in soaps and body products.
Honey will always be sticky, I suppose it depends on how much you
add. Honey is not prone to spoilage at all. If fact, bacteria will
not grow very well in honey since the honey tends to suck the moisture
out of the bacteria. Honey has been used throughout history to cover
wounds to hasten healing until better things were developed. Honey
is also added to baked goods to prevent spoilage. - Bill
6/23/2002 - JOEY@MENNIES.COMHELLO
- I AM IN NEED OF 6 BUSHELS OF CONCORD GRAPES THIS FALL. CAN YOU HELP
ME? PLEASE REPLYTHANK YOU - JOE BOGGIO JR - HENNEPIN
IL 61327
Like many areas in Michigan our grapes
suffered a severe freeze this spring. Our concord supply will be
very short this fall. However it looks like we will have a slightly
better crop from our red wine grapes, Foch, Baco & DeChaunac.
Check our website in the fall for availability. - Bill
6/22/2002 - mckillopt@aol.com
Comments or questions: Does the scent you use in your
beeswax votive candles free of animal products? In particular does it
contain musk? I have allergies, but love having candles. Thanks
for any info, - T. McKillop
We get the scents from Pourette Candle
Co. & as far as I know they are vegetable based essential plant
oils.
We offer our votives in cinnamon, honeysuckle,
bayberry, Christmas Spruce, lilac, rose & natural beeswax. Bill
Cylinders, farm improvements,
Concords, Queen rearing, naturally granulated honey
Date: Thu, 09 May 2002 08:51:54 -0400
From: "Lawrence Ruehlen" <lruehlen@smtpgw.beaumont.edu>
Dear Bill,
Your products are excellent. I slid on in just now and thought I'd buy
some items but the specials have expired as of May 31 and have not been
replaced by new specials as of yet. We are big fans of Beeswax products
at our home and as a Seminarian I burn candles continuously at home
(24/7). Usually buy by the box and this gets very costly for 9 day cylinders
etc. My last order has long since been burned. Have a blessed day,
Dr Lawrence Ruehlen - Roman Catholic Diaconal Student
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 09:10:50 -0400
From: "rjmaloney" <rjmaloney@mindspring.com>
How about scented candles?? How about a map on your website each week??
How about publishing your store hours on your website??? How about a
soup and sandwich deal on weekends for those of us who would like to
take a little day cruise to your place from our place in Flushing??
Your enthusiasm is obvious,but how about some of these and other new
ideas?? Would be happy to see some more new ideas addressed!!!Bye for
now, from an old wine maker, and old wine drinker. Bob Maloney..
Thank you for your input. We do sell scented
candles & votive and we have directions to our farm in a link
on our navigation bar. What do you mean by a map each week? ?from
different locations? We are not open for walk in sales except during
Sept & October, but I think I need to make that more clear on
our main pages. That has been handled in the past through a pdf
copy of our mailed newsletter, but I think we need some improvement.
I don't know about the soup & sandwich thing - we are not really
set up for that, but we will think about it. Thank
you very much for the comments.
Bill
12:02 PM 5/9/2002 -0400
connie knie - CKnie23100@aol.com
My mother and I searched high and low two years ago and found your farm.
We live in Farmington. We came that year and got great grapes and made
jelly that got rave reviews. Last year we made the long drive only to
find there were absolutely no Concords and we were out the first week!
What happened and do you expect problems this year? We are planning
on calling ahead this time......We enjoy your
letter and your farm - connie knie
We hope to have plenty of concords this
fall. Last year we had a very small crop due to a frost and also
someone from Indiana came and picked a large amount and helped to
clean us out. I hope you also try adding other blue concord types
such as NY. Muscat, Buffalo, Price & Stueben to your jelly mix,
or try making white jelly with Niagara, Delaware, or GW-5.You
will get an email in the fall with ripening conditions. You also
could possible win a bushel of concords just for being on our mailing
list.See you in the fall - Bill
(Note this message was sent before
we had the bad freeze in mid May. It is now possible that we may
have some shortages of some varieties. So please check our website
and our recorded message.)
11:56 AM 5/13/2002 -0400
Tom Roberts - troberts@hrc-engr.com
I found your site very interesting. I'm
especially interested in your Queen rearing adventure. Have you done
this before? I took Sue Cobey's QR class last year and plan on rearing
some queens this year myself. I'd love to get together and talk bees
sometime. (Even by e-mail if need be since I'm very busy right now and
I expect you're quite busy too.) Looking forward to hearing back from
you, Tom Roberts Ortonville, Michigan
Tom
We run about 150 colonies and have been raising our own queens succesfully
for more than 10 years. We use the Jenter system of grafting which
works very good. If fact I was grafting queens this am & took
queens cells to bee yards in the afternoon. I usually just take
the cells a few days before they hatch out, put them in a special
"traveling nuc box" that I built and use them when I make
splits.
This year I am using the new SMR mite
resistant queen stock. The cool wet weather makes my yields somewhat
lower than usual but since I have 3 jenter boxes I can make up for
that.
Try your hand at queen raising. You
have much more control over you stock. I spent $100 on 2 queens
and hope to have about 50-75 new colonies headed up with the new
stock. 1-2$ a queen is not bad.
I have used russian carnies in the
past, tried to find hygenic queens & used them or sometimes
or just find a colony that performs good & used her as the queen
mother.
I start raising queens fairly early
since I want them to hatch out during my spring period. I also take
time off of work during this period so I have to have things timed
pretty close.
I will try to get some pictures of
the grafting tomorrow if I can & have them on next months newsletter.
Good luck with queen raising.
Bill
07:51 PM 6/4/2002
Christopher - BigCMac@gte.net
Hello,
I am interested in the 2 gallon pail (24 lbs) of unprocessed honey and
have a question. What does "naturally granulated when you receive
it" mean? I understand from your website that the honey is not
pasteurized or processed but am not familiar with "naturally granulated"
terms. Thanks in
advance. - Christopher
Well I am a first time mead maker
and am looking for bulk honey and you have it for an affordable
price. I am not familiar with the process of melting either, what
does this involve?
Christopher:
Raw honey such as in these 2 gallon pails can be melted by putting
them in a hot water bath (on the stove). Just do not heat the
honey over 135-140 degrees.
Or you can wait until September and bring a container and get
liquid raw honey from the barrel at our sales stand when we are
open. - Bill
From
our May 2002 Issue
Click here to view the Newsletter
Beeswax soap, botulism in beeswax,
ear candling, Honey Vinegar, melting honey, winemaking contests
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2002 23:7:46 -0400 Greetings;
Our nuns from The Field of Flowers Nunnery, make bees wax soap, they
say it helps set the wool after spinning also after weaving. Sorry,
we use butter lamps in Temple.
Keep up your good works. Tshering (monk)
--- Acarya Von Thronsohnhaus --- rnyingmapa@earthlink.net
4/12/2002
I was wondering if you could answer my question. I am
very concerned. I recently purchased some bees wax and I am told it
can contain botulism or bacteria. Can it hurt the person that is melting
the wax or the ones that burn it as a candle? Thank you very much -
totally concerned! - taylorrebeca@aol.com
I don't think you have anything to fear.
In the first place the flame in ANY candle will destroy bacteria,
and remember when a candlemaker melts the beeswax to make candles
the wax reaches at least 160 degrees. It is true honey can probably
can contain botulism spores - as can any raw fruit or vegetable
such as salads, carrots, broccoli, apples etc. Raw vegetables should
not be fed to children under 1 year old since their stomachs cannot
handle the slight amount of bacteria that exists in ALL RAW FOOD!
There is no hazard in beeswax candles - you should handle them exactly
as you would handle raw food - you probably would not let a tiny
baby chew on them. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF ANYONE GETTING BOTULISM
FROM BEESWAX!
Burn your candles in peace
(Probably the biggest hazard in candles is the flame) - Bill
4/5/2002
Hi!
I would like to know if you carry candles used for "ear candling"
??? They are made of beeswax, and rolled - yet hollow inside. If so,
please advise how much they cost?
Thank you so much. Lucy - brightidea@usa.com
I am sorry but we do not carry ear candles.
BUT .......... we will do some research
4/5/2002 - fngrtips@frontiernet.net
Dear Bill:
Steve and I are beekeepers in Hillsdale County. I have been looking
for a recipe for Honey Vinegar......just honey and water. The vinegar
making books use fruit juices and/apple juice or cider and are not very
clear. Do you know where I could find a recipe with exact amounts, time
schedule and ingredients (water and honey) for this item? A step by
step set of instructions. If you do or someone you know does would you
please let me know.
Steve and I enjoy your newsletter and find it chock full in good information.
Thank you for your time Jan Mackie-Cobb
Just off the top of my head I do not have
a recipe, but vinegar is just wine that has been infected with vinegar
bacteria and let it run its course. You would basically take mead
(some directions on page http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/meadmaking.htm)
(or try buying a bottle) and add some vinegar (with the "mother"
- the sediment) to it. I use a lot of Mrs. Braggs raw apple cider
vinegar & you could try adding that to the mead.
I know this may not help much, but your have given me a very good
idea about adding a section about wine vinegar & mead vinegar
to my site. If you come across some good info please send it to
me, I will also do a little research. ( I will put these new pages
on my "do list") Another comment
about Mead Vinegar from our readers:
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 - I can make a suggestion on that regard.
I would make a mead with 1-2 lbs of honey per gallon of water. Add
a champagne yeast with a low attenuation (one that leaves some sugar
behind). Do NOT use bread, Ale or Lager yeast. Ideally you want
6% alcohol when you are done. With lower specific gravities, this
shouldn't take too long to ferment. When it's done, rack it to a
new fermenter, leaving the yeast residue behind. Get a Cider based
vinegar culture from a wine shop. Typically the culture is enough
to convert the alcohol in 1 gallon of brewed material to vinegar.
Add the vinegar culture. Allow air to get into the mixture by covering
the opening of the fermenter with a light cloth - do not make it
air tight as vinegar bacteria need lots of oxygen to convert vinegar.
Let it sit in a warm dark place for 6-8 weeks or so. then bottle
and age it for a couple of months to stabilize and round off the
flavor. Be sure to run it through a filter like a coffee filter
when bottling to capture the goo that get generated. Also avoid
using the second fermenter that you've had vinegar culture in for
use in making mead or beer in the future or you'll get some interesting
brew! hope that helps!
From: "Dan Benson" <danielbenson@hotmail.com
Another comment about Mead Vinegar
from our readers:
Mead vinegar is made like apple cider vinegar. Check my site or
my book for more details.
LJD
Lawrence Diggs aka The Vinegar Man
Vinegar Connoisseurs International
The Grand Central Station For Vinegar Information
Roslyn, SD, 57261, USA http://www.vinegarman.com
February 20, 2002 - the_descoll@hotmail.com
I have a rather large jug of honey that has started to get very thick
and difficult to pour. I know that one can microwave it to thin it out,
but I find that this also causes crystals to form. Can
you offer a more permanent method of thinning honey that will keep it
less viscous over a greater period of time. I would prefer a method
that does not require me to heat the honey in the microwave or in hot
water every time I want to have honey on my morning toast. Thanks
very much for your time and attention! - Mike Pettinger
Try warming the honey in a hot water bath
on the stove. Stir it occasionally to get it heated evenly &
all the crystals are melted. (Getting ALL the crystals melted is
the key) Heat it to very hot tap water temp (about 130 degrees).
This should completely liquify the honey for at least 3-4 months.
A microwave can also work good, but with caution. No metal lids
of course. It must be rotated many times or one side will get too
hot (& burn the honey) & the
rest not melted enough. If the honey is not completely melted the
remaining crystals will cause the honey to re-granulate quicker.
The microwaving action by itself will not cause crystals, it is
because of the incomplete melting. You may want to split the honey
into smaller container.
Good luck - Bill
At 01:10 PM 4/16/2002 -0400
Dear Mr. Schnute, I was wondering if you had
any info or website referrals to the Michigan State Fair Amateur Wine
Making contest for this summer. I made some tasty Seyval Blanc and Marechal
Foch with your grapes from last fall, and would like to enter them in
the annual wine judging. Pictures on your website indicates that others
have been sucessful with your grapes in competition.
I contacted the Michigan State Fair directly
as well as scoured their website, but no luck. I think the contest is
held in Lansing each July. If you have any specific information regarding
this event, I would be grateful.
Thanks in advance and see you at harvest.
Steve Boskovich
sboskovich@aol.com
Steve: I sent an
email to some people that won last year & will soon get a reply
When I do I will send you the info & also put it in our newsletter.
I think more people should enter. Bill
From: WCPaetzIII@aol.com
Date: Mon, 22 Apr 2002 19:40:09 EDT
Subject: Re: State Fair Amateur Wine Making contest
Dear Bill,
It was great to hear from you! Life is really exciting and changing
fast! Regarding your query on the Michigan State Fair all entries
would be welcomed. Here is all that needs to be done: Write Michigan
State Fair and ask for a copy of the Community Arts and Crafts Premium
Book. This has the
rules, schedule and premium list. In this book is Department III
canning and preserving: Section 8 is wine. To obtain this book and
the entry information:
Write to: Michigan Department of Agriculture
Michigan State Fair
1120 West State Fair Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48203-1040
or:Call the office at:313-369-8260 or Fax: 313-36-8499
or: www.michiganstatefair.net
.
Please note that only wines made with produce grown in Michigan
are eligible for entry in this competition. Such as grapes or honey
from Honey Flow Farm. The time to submit entries is in late July
with Judging in August. (The deadlines are published on the cover
of the Premium Book) This is one of the friendliest and most exciting
programs an amateur wine maker can get involved in. It is very gratifying,
fun and educational. Please do all you can to increase the number
of contestants. There is no better way to spend an exciting summer
day then to watch the judging of this wine tasting and then see
the many compelling exhibits and thrilling events of the Michigan
State Fair.
Last year the judges included Mr. David
Creighton who is a Promotional Specialist with the Michigan Grape
and Wine Industry Council and Linda Jones who is the Program Manager
of the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council. They both possess
sophistication, class and a grape sense of humor. Everyone in the
audience enjoyed their comments and learned the elements of judging
first hand. I know that one of my wines, a Niagara with high acid
and intense flavor had the most incredible facial expression from
all of the judges, this
was followed by a smile and the comment "This is a very very
interesting wine." There were no derogatory remarks made about
any of the wines so no one should feel intimidated. Once the judges
rendered their decisions for each class everyone could understand
the elements they were looking for.
If you enjoy making new friends, the
subject of wine, or have a need to know....Don't miss this fun event.
It is held in doors in the Arts and Crafts Building. Starts early
on a Saturday morning and lasts about two hours depending on entries.
Warm and Sincere Regards from an Old Friend.
W C "Sandy" Paetz
Tue, 2 Oct 2001 - oreo2@prodigy.net
Thanks so much for your recipes for grapes! My neighbor's
father grows grapes and had an excellent harvest this year so we received
more than we could just eat. None of my cookbooks really had any suggestions
even for how to make a pie with them. Fortunately I found your web site.
Thanks so much! Sincerely, Mrs Brenda J. Gurney,
West Webster, New York
Mon, 10 Sep 2001 From: vjcphoto@wans.net
I began my first batch of wine with Concord Grapes
by picking through them, heating them on the stove for a few minutes
and then putting the mixture through a sieve. I came up with about a
gallon of juice (without skins) and placed it in the refigerator until
I begin the fermenting process. I am thionking of not using any yeast
and fermenting the juice in a glass gallon bottle. Do I need to put
the juice through a cheesecloth to extract some of the precipitate?
Do I need to add water to the juice?
What temperature does the juice need to sit at
in order to ferment properly? How long? How often do I decant the sediment?
thank you! - Vincent Cianni
Vincent - I hope your wine is fermenting
by now. You have done a few things that are not usually recommended.
Heating the must is not usually a good thing - it
usually will kill the yeast and the must will not ferment unless
you add a cultured wine yeast. If you want to extract color, the
fermenting process will do that for you. Most people crush the grapes,
remove many of the stems, and let it ferment on its own yeast or
add a wine yeast. After a few days let the wine run through cheesecloth
and press it lightly. Some people add water & sugar to the original
must, but many people just ferment the grapes alone.Putting the
mixture through a sieve is sort of drastic. If you crush too many
seeds, you will impart a very harsh taste in the wine. Check
out the following links for winemaking info:
http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/homewinemaking.htm
http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/articles/index.htm
http://detnews.com/wine/columns/990916winemake.htm
Wed, 29 Aug 2001 19:10:00 -0400 - From:
"mkogrady" <mkogrady@home.com I
am normally a home brewer but want to take a stab at some wine this
year. Hown many #'s of grapes needed for 6 gallons of must?
The red grapes - what type of wine will they make (other than "red").
Is it light, heavy, merlot-like, pinot-niorish....????
Reply - Home wine making is quite easy.
Use about 2 bushels (80 lb of grapes) for 6 gallons. Foch grapes
make a little heavier wine & Dechaunac makes somewhat lighter
wine when fermented on the skins.
Sat, 1 Sep 2001 09:50:58 -0700 (PDT)
- jamesstegner@home.com
Have the juices you sell for wine making rested
with the grape skins? I know Michigan grapes are high in acid and resting
helps. Thanks, jim stegner
Reply -To make our juice, we crush the
grapes & immediately press them. Unless you are making red wine,
where the skins are left in for a few days, most people immediately
press them, unless your are using a pectic ensyme pressing agent
& then you may wait a few hours before pressing. The acidity
in Michigan grapes is higher than California grapes, but it usually
is an advantage. California grapes are sometimes so low in acid
that they taste flat, the acidity in Michigan grapes help retain
flavor.
Wed, 22 Aug 2001 19:11:58 -0700 - HoneyBee52000@yahoo.com
I stumbled across this website on accident...
and I am so glad I did! The pictures were wonderful and the information
I've received is amazing! Thank you for making such an easy site to
follow!
Sat, 18 Aug 2001 09:15:32 -0700 (PDT)
- lll46902@yahoo.com Hi my cousin and I have
been making our own wine for 10 years now.We have been picking grapes(concord)
on a small farm in barrensprings Michigan.The farmer told me that this
year is a bad year for grapes and it wouldnt be worth our time to pick
this year.Do you have the same problem?If not how much do you charge?
We need around 1000 lbs.Yes we make alot of wine.Please let me know
soon and if you dont have any grapes this year maybe you might know
somebody that does.Thanks alot Angelo Liali
We have lots of grapes - for red wine
we have Foch, Baco Noir & DeChaunac + lots of concord types
- please check our grape list at http://www.honeyflowfarm.com/vineyard.htm.
We have 6 acres of grapes that are sold U-Pick to winemakers. Download
& print a copy of our newsletter for prices. Prices are .35/lb
for 1000lb or more. Most of these grapes will be ripe by mid September.
(Many grapes in Michigan had a problem with frost
in May & also cool temps that greatly affected berry set - although
we had some of these problems, they were more severe in the western
side of the state) - Bill
Monday, June 25, 2001 8:40 PM - MARCO
GODOY - mgodoypr@yahoo.com I am enthusiastic
about michigan-made wines.I would appreciate,if possible,to provide
me information about your wines and some others that are produced in
your state via the internet. Thanks, Marco Godoy
We do not produce wine but sell more than
20 varieties of wine grapes to home winemakers. I encourage you
to start making you own wine, it is not difficult.
Sun 6/24/01 5:25 PM - mbnimrod2@aol.com
do you sell the sludge from your processed honey and
if you do how much? thx. mark
We do not sell slumgum (the sludge remaining
after extracting honey) - After cleaning our wax melter (during
the extracting process) we pour the hot slumgum into newspapers
and roll it up and then use it for fireplace fuel. Usually it is
somewhat difficult (must use a hot wax press) to remove the useful
wax. What would you use it for?
Wed 6/13/01 3:56 AM - gygantus@aol.com
I'm looking for cherry blossom honey for cherry mead,
Any ideas where to get the honey or if it even exisits. Thank
you.
I do not know where to get cherry blossom
honey. I have bees in orchards during cherry bloom and most of the
nectar is both mixed in with apple blossom nectar and usually consumed
by the honeybees during their spring build-up period. Cherry
blossom honey is also very light colored and has very little "cherry
flavor" if that is what you are after. If you want
cherry mead, I suggest making mead
with standard high quality honey with some cherries added during
fermentation. Bill
Wed 6/6/01 4:59 PM - Eugenica - eugenicak@hotmail.com
I am interested in learning how to hand-roll beeswax
candles. Do you know of any classes in the Boston area or perhaps a
craft book that would include this subject?
Thanks in advance, Eugenica
Sun 6/3/01 10:28 PM - Ayse Blackley -
ayse@sausage.com Hi I live in australia and am
making red wine for the first time. Can you pls forward your newletter
to me?
Tuesday, May 15, 2001 9:37 AM - Melissa
- mscipriani@lemelange.com How does the beeswax
that you sell in 10# quantities arrive? 1 lb. blocks or what? Is it
filtered and ready to use? Thanks! Melissa
Reply - Our
10 lb packages of beeswax is the same grade of refined beeswax
that we use in making our candles and is ready to use. We just pour
it into small rectangular bread molds - the size varies from 1/2
lb, 1 lb & 2 lb. The 10
lb package is a combination of these.
Mon 4/23/01 - Jeffrey Sanda [jsan@plex-sys.com]
Hi, Just wanted to let you know that I have already made
a big dent in the 2 gallon pail I purchased on Friday. I put 14 pounds
into a 5 gallon batch of mead. It took ages to get out of the pail,
but the honey seems to be of very good quality and tastes great! The
mead is already fermenting nicely and I hope to bottle it in a few months.
I already have plans to use the rest in a 3 gallon batch of mead. That
is, if I don't use it in all of those wonderful recipes in your flyer!
Many Thanks! Jeffrey Sanda
Wed 4/4/01 - tritten@msue.msu.eduHi
Bill,
Thanks for the note that you have updated/greatly
modified your website. It looks great. Hope your spring goes well. Bob
Tritten MSU Extension
Wed 3/28/01 - jkollins@columbus.rr.com
I live in Ohio and was just browsing around and found
your site. Very nice products in your store!
Tuesday, January 30, 2001 - marvin lafrinere
- mjoe35@hotmail.com Dear Bill: I was surfing
the net for information to find a vineyard to purchase grapes for this
fall wine making. I would like to try making a different kind of red
wine instead of the concord grape. My question is what variety of grapes
do you have at your vineyard. The other question I have is would you
know what grapes are used to blend DAGO RED WINE and would the grapes
you grow make a good dago red wine. I enjoy a good red wine and all
I can remember about the wines that where called dago red always had
a smooth taste and a good fruity or grapy flavor.This is the kind wine
I would like to make even if it isn't called dago red. If you could
help me out with any information I would appreciate it very much and
would like to visit your vineyard and do some business with you. Thank
you! Sincerly, M Joe LaFrinere - Cheboygan,Michigan
Response -We sell dechaunac, foch and
baco noir red grapes for red wine. you can blend them all together
or use them separately. Dago red is just a name for home made red
wine (often from grapes purchased from california) You can find
dechaunac, foch or baco in some stores or them may sell it as a
generic michigan red wine.
12/18/2000 - Chuck Could
you tell me if honey bees are able to obtain nectar from grape flowers?
Response: Honeybees can get nectar from
grape flowers but only when there is nothing else around and they
are really desperate. Everyone thinks I raise bees to pollinate
the grapes, but not so. I rarely see bees in the vineyard when the
grapes are in full bloom, only one time when the weather changed
the time of the bloom in respect to the bloom time of the wildflowers
did I see honeybees in the vineyard. When I work my bees in an apple
orchard during full bloom, there are bees on about every flower,
but not in the vineyard (at least my vineyard, other areas of the
country could be different)
Bill
10/09/2000 - W C Paetz - Rochester Hills,
Mi. - wcpaetziii@aol.com
Dear Bill, Barbara and Pat, We started the year
with some of your New York Muskat (10 Gallons, the following week we
did some Horizon (10 Gallons) and then some Concord (ten gallons). This
past week end we picked some Canadice Grapes. This should be an incredible
year for wine. It is truly exciting to harvest the grapes and then cull
the individual berries trying to get the greatest vintage for our wine.
The change in seasons is very invigorating. It was summer when we began
to visit Honey Flow Farms and last week end it actually hailed on us
while we were in the vineyard. Looking forward to an incredible wine
year. Although we did have to chaptalize some of our must the saccharometer
was as high as 15% on our recent grapes this is almost unbelivable for
Michigan. I measured the acidity at .65% - to .60% on all varieties.
If the flavor is as intense as it was at harvest we will be enjoying
these wines for years to come. Finding your vineyard was the coup of
the year. In the past we have relied upon concord grapes from my backyard
and orchard fruit for most of our wines. Any one can make wine from
a kit, but your grapes allowed us to experience the total experience
of wine production. I hope we can win you some medals with our wine
at next years showings. Warm Regards and Best to You and yours,
W C Paetz
09/29/2000 - Michael Fiore - emailfiore@home.com
- Berkley, MI Comments: Bill - My father and
I love picking grapes every year!! It is a much better experience to
pick Michigan grapes to make wine with than to buy grapes shipped from
California. We are lucky to have your farm in Michigan.
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