Help with candle wick size, What seedless grapes do you recommend to plant, Grape juice, Heating with beeswax candles, pressing & concentrate questions, Storing comb honey, Where do you get your candle molds, Pruning concord vines, More candle wick questions, Burn times of votives & tea lites, Where can I buy vines, Black honey, Still enjoying your candles after 1 year, Pails of honey? Catalog? Raw honey questions, Bees & beeswax, Don't use pickle pails.

5/19/2009

Hi - I've been moving some beeswax around for about 20 years and I am
finally going to make tapers for myself with it, but I don't know what
kind of wick and what size of wick to use. All I want to make is tapers.
I have all my other supplies. Can you tell me what to get? Thank you.

Hello

We use a #2 square braid wick for our tapers and we get them from candlewic.com

Bill

5/18/2009 - Jane

Hello,
We live near Ann Arbor, and we're planning on planting a couple of vines in our yard to run over a trellis that we share with a neighbor.

Are there dessert grape varieties that you could recommend that are easy to grow.

If yes, where would you recommend we purchase the plants?

Thank you so much for your help!

Jane

My recent favorite white seedless is Marquis. It is quite vigorous & hardy.
I buy a lot of vines from Double A Vineyards...

5/13/2009 - David Schmidt

I am interested to find out if you sell any varieties of grapes in juice concentrate form. I am interested in purchasing a few different varieties of this and hope to hear back from you.

Sincerely, David Schmidt

We do not sell grape concentrate.

Thank you for your prompt reply.

Do sell the raw juice or must made from the grapes?

No - We are completely U-Pick - but we do have a crusher-stemmer set up so you can pick your grapes and take the must home (not a pressed-just crusher)

Bill
www.honeyflowfarm.com/grapepages/farminfo.php

5/6/2009 - bjorn eide

I would like the candle that pumps out the most heat for winter use, do those 3.5 inchers (wide) give off more heat or just take longer to burn down? Do they have larger wicks so they can flow more wax? Do the fatter candles burn down evenly or start to excavate a hole in the candle top? Please compare then to the standard tapered as far as heating/burn life. thanks so much!

If you want more heat, you want a larger wick size as in our 3.5 inch wide candles or better a multiple wick candle like our triple wick pillars. Any pillar that tends to burn down the center can be "hugged" - the top sides gently turned inward when they are warm.
Hugging info...
Triple wick pillars...

Bill & Pat

5/5/2009

Greetings,
I am a homebrewer in the Ann Arbor area. You are just what I need for this coming vintage. I would like to ask a few
questions if you find the time. I need to plan ahead because I have a bunch of guys who want to brew with me
this Fall. I plan on mixing 2/3 of your grapes with 1/3 California juice, to get the tannins and flavor from your grapes and
the sugars from the juice.

THIS IS A VERY GOOD IDEA

1) How does it really work? I assume that hordes of homebrewers will converge onto your vineyard in September
and get unripe grapes, on the idea that if they wait for the grapes to be fully mature they are not going to get any.
Sort of like squirrels or birds, I guess, but last September you sold out.

WE DO GET A LOT OF CUSTOMERS - BUT LAST YEAR WAS NOT TYPICAL - WE HAD A SPRING FROST THAT BURNED OFF 75% OF OUR CROP SO VERY LITTLE WAS AVAILABLE TO START WITH.

2) do you have a crusher and destemmer on site, that one can use? Immediate crushing makes the best wine. Can I
just show up with three clean trash cans (and cutters)? Same for the other guys who are with me?

YES - WE HAVE CRUSHER STEMMER AVAILABLE.

3) what is the typical cost per pound for fresh you-pick grapes?

THIS PAGE HAS LAST YEARS PRICES - THIS YEAR SHOULD BE SIMILAR.....

5/1/2009 - Don Ragan

My chunk honey crystallizes in a few weeks. I have a sample of your honey and comb and it's still nice and clear.

I'm a beekeeper in Croswell and have only been at it for a few years. I kept the comb honey in jars in the freezer and only add honey when needed. The honey from my bottling tank (120 degrees) remains clear in bottles but crystallizes quickly when added to comb honey in the jar. There appear to be some honey crystals in the bottom of the comb honey jar before I add the liquid; could that be the foci for crystallization? How hot do you warm the liquid honey before adding it to the chunks?

Thanks in advance for any advice you might be willing to give.

Don Ragan

Don

We normally bottle our honey at 135 degrees. If you fill your chunk comb containers with warmer honey it will last longer until in crystalizes. It is always a problem with chunk comb because the honey from the comb will cause it to granulate quicker. Mine still granulates sooner than I would like also.

Bill

4/4/2009 - Becky Hogg

We enjoyed your web site. It is very well done.
Your candles are beautiful - do you ever give out information on
where the molds can be found.

Thank you for your time.

Becky Hogg
Monticello, FL

Becky

Thank you for the comments. We get a lot of supplies from candlewic.com but most of our molds came from Pourette co. which is no longer in business.

Bill

4/5/2009 - Suzie

Hi there,
I was using your site to figure out how to prune my concord grape vines. These are old vines that have been here for many years prior to our buying this house, and we have lived here for 5 years without pruning. I already pruned a lot of the old dead wood away, but as I got down to the primary main vines (old wood) I stopped to ask you this:
How far do I cut them back? The old wood big vines are still about 10 feet long give or take. There are still many nodes on them. I don't want to over do it and kill the vines, though I am not terribly fond of concords as a rule. I just don't know how far to go with them. In order to cut them like yours I would have to cut into wood that is an inch or more in diameter. I realize that this time of year is not optimal for pruning but I don't mind losing some grapes this year, as long as I can get the vines in better shape. I have pictures of the vines and could send them if you would like so you can get a better idea as to what my problem is. If you'd like to see them let me know and I will forward them on to you.
Also, is it possible to graft other types of grapes onto the old wood so I can have some variety?
Thanks Ever So Much,
Suzie

Here in Michigan (I do not know where you are) the vines are still dormant and it is the perfect time to prune vines - In fact this week (the week before Easter) is when we have a crew of high school youths to help prune our vines.

Yes it is possible to graft onto the old wood - but you need to have the correct scions to graft on the old wood and it is not very easy or successful for the back yard grower.

To prune your concord vines keep 2 things in mind:

1 - The older canes with bark on them produce no fruit and they are kept only for structure - think of them as 2 x 4 's to support the vine.
2 - Grapes ONLY GROW FROM BUDS FROM LAST YEARS WOOD!!! This pencil size wood is much lighter in color with no bark on it.

I like to have a T shape with most of our vines - 1 or 2 trunks going up to a top wire area and then going horizontally across a top wire. Coming off of these trunk you can leave spurs (1-2 feet pieces of last years wood) or canes (longer pieces of last years wood 3-4 feet). The whole idea is to leave only about a hundred or so of last years buds (the small buds on the spurs/canes) on the vine. It does not matter where they are - but I like to keep them on the top.

Even if you just have large trunks left - shoots will grow off of them for next years crop. You most likely have a LOT of old trunks to remove.

Good Luck - Bill

3/6/2009 - Brenda

Your website is very informative. I live in Oklahoma and I'm very interested in making beeswax candles. I tried a 3" pillar, but the wick I used was too big. Can you please tell me what size wick I need to use for 2" pillars, 3" pillars and tapers.

Thank you for your time and information.
Brenda

I get most of my wicks from candlwic.com. You have to experiment to get the best results. I use a #4 square braid wick for our 3.5 inch pillars - so try a #3 or #4. I use a flat braid 15 ply wick for our 2 inch pillars and a #1 or #2 square braid wick for our tapers.
Bill

Thank you so much for the information. Why do you use the flat braid for the 2" pillar? Will it self trim? Does the square braid really self trim like I've heard?

I appreciate that you got back to me.

I got started using the flat braid a long time ago & it seemed to work. EXPERIMENT!! The flat braid seems to be a nice smaller wick to use in our figurine candles where no wick will make them burn perfectly due to the irregular size & shape.

Bill

3/3/2009 - Peggy

I have just registered with your company and I have a question already. Sorry! I am recently new to beeswax candles and placed my first order with Blue Corn Naturals as I had no experience with any. The votives do not last as long as they stated and the tealights do not burn up totally or evenly. Please say this is just their faulty products and not across-the-board for beeswax candles.

Thanks,
Peggy J Foley

Peggy

Regarding votive burn time - it is like very hard to quote burn times (we rarely do ) it depends on ambient temperature, wick size, drafts and many variables. I do not know much about Blue Corn products. Our tealites have a flat bottom on the wick tab that keeps the wick straight up until the wax is consumed. If you have any problem with their candles, please do not blame the beeswax. It is an extremely good wax for candles.

Here is a link to our burn time info...

Bill

3/2/2009 - Scott

Hi all you busy bees,

Where can I buy a Delaware Grape plant? Mail order? Can you send me some un-rooted cuttings?

Thanks, Scott

We do not sell vines - but here is a listing of nurseries.
www.honeyflowfarm.com/links/partners19.htm

Bill

2/27/2009 - Cathy Wheat

I have a recipe that calls for Black Honey which I have not found. Can you help I know nothing about black honey, do you carry or is there another name for this?

Cathy Wheat
President
Leather Angels Chapter
Women in the Wind

It could be buckwheat honey which is very dark and strong tasting. Either way we do not carry it.

Bill

02/21/2009 - Renee Haas

I just wanted to let you know that we are still enjoying our candle purchase from you more than a year ago. We use our pillar candle for dinner every night and it is now almost gone. Your candles are so wonderful, I won't buy them anywhere else. Thank you and take care 

hello,
i was wondering if you might have 60lbs buckets of bulk honey you would be selling . i live in owosso mi so i could come and pick them up. could you please write me back and let me know either way. thanks a million. making mead and am out of honey..

You can order pails of honey through our website at
www.honeyflowfarm.com/qs30/products.php?detail=1&pid=57and pick them up from our garage when they are ready. Bill

2/15/2009 - Vanessa Lipfert

Do you have a printed catalog that you can mail to me?
Vanessa Lipfert

We do not have a printed catalog, but you can download one from our site at.....

Bill

2/16/2009 - Pommy Grewal

Hello,

I checked your website when looking for raw unfiltered honey. I am confused and need your help. The 5 lb plastic bottle that you show on your web „looks like it is filtered honey (otherwise it has to be thick). Please help me see what I am assuming wrong.

Also please advise which of your products I should buy if I want raw, unfiltered and unheated honey.

Thanks,

Pommy Grewal

Hello Pommy

NONE of the honey we sell is filtered - all we do is strain it slightly if at all. (We don't even own a honey filter) The honey in the 5lb containers has been warmed to 135 degrees to retard granulation. The thickness of honey has more to do with how warm it is. ALL RAW HONEY WOULD BE GRANULATED COMPLETELY SOLID (LIKE OUR CREAMED HONEY) BY NOW - OR A FEW MONTHS AFTER HARVEST.

Here is more info on our honey...

Bill

2/10/2009 - Carol Beard

Dear Honeyflow,
I am trying to find out some information on beading using beeswax as a foundation to press beads onto. I was recently in Arizona, and there was artwork where beeswax was finely put on statues, skulls, metal and wood carvings. Then the beads were pressed on to the wax and designed in all sorts of beautiful ways. I would love to know what this art is called. Also, exactly what kind of beeswax, pure or mixed. The only information I got is that Indians from Mexico do this artwork and the reason they use beeswax is that it never gets hard, so the beads never break off. If you have any information on this art, I would appreciate the information. Thank you. Yours Truly, Carol Beard

I do not know anything about beeswax beading - however this may work in warmer climates by beeswax can get very hard & brittle in colder areas - probably fine in Arizona (I hear it gets kinda warm there)

Bill

From: Steven Dimitruck

About using pickle pails for grapes/Honey.
I would not use them.
You can get used food grade buckets at bakeries that were used for fruit filling that have virtually no odor.

Take care, Steve

2/4/2009 - Melissa

Dear Honey Flow Farm -
I've looked at your sight often for inspiration and information. We're small time beekeepers selling at the local farmers' market here in North Carolina (I'm from MI originally).
Anyway, I would like to make some votives to go with our tapers but the #2/0 wicking I tried using is too big and made the votive burn too fast. If you don't mind me asking, what type of wicking have you found success with and where could I get it?
Thanks!
Melissa

I buy wicks from candlewic.com and use a "rrd-40" wick for votives & a "rrd37' wick for tea lites. I use their wics that they custom make and you can order as small as 500 - or you can buy small rolls & the metal bottoms and do it your self (although they do not sit as flat in the votive)

Good luck - Bill

From our Winter 2009 Issue
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