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  • From: kawayanan <kawayanan AT gmail.com>
  • To: "Orange County, NC Beekeepers" <ocba AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [ocba] refractometer
  • Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2008 12:06:20 -0400

tom wright wrote:
kawayanan wrote:

Hello everyone,

I harvested a small amount of honey over this holiday weekend, and since this is my first time I am a little paranoid about it being to high in moisture. I would hate for my first small crop to spoil. Does anyone in the group use a refractometer to measure the moisture content of their honey?

Sean Palmer
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If the honey was capped, there should be no problem with fermentation. When you have a frame with some (not a lot) that is not capped, do the "shake test" before extracting.Hold the frame horizontally and vigorously shake downward over a sheet of paper. If nothing comes out, it's OK.

Of course, you can always Pastuerize after it is bottled. Put in a hot water bath and heat slowly. Not sure of temp but think it is 140F, you can check on that. Purists say that it degrades the flavor.

Tom
Thanks everyone for the replies. From most of the "rules of thumb" I've heard, I think I should be ok.

Just because I like gadgets and I was able to find one at a reasonable price, I went ahead and got a refractometer. My honey turned out to be about 18.4-18.5% moisture. After asking around and a bit of research, I guess the FDA limit for grade A honey is 18.6%. Anyway, everything should be good. If anyone needs to check their honey, I have a refractometer now. :)

Sean



  • Re: [ocba] refractometer, kawayanan, 06/02/2008

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