honey judging-competition lecture
TRANSCRIPT
QUALITY HONEY
PREPARING, JUDGING, & EXHIBITING
Whitney Long
Beekeepers Association of
Northern Virginia Bimonthly Meeting
May 22, 2012
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What is Quality in Foods? Product as represented? Health
Spoilage, food poisoning, adulterated?
Packaging and handling cleanliness, shelf life
Quantity as represented? Influence of production process (+ or - ) Aesthetics
flavor, visual appeal
Consistency
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History of Food Competitions
Now: USDA, FDA, states, regulate food preparation Then: Consumers were on their own County fair competitions:
Assisted consumers with an expert opinion Offered a way to rate and rank goods Educated producers on qualities consumers cared
about Encouraged producers to raise own standards Free-
market incentive: top $ for top product Entertainment No NSACAR on TV; Desperate
Housewives meant something else
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Honey Shows Today Pretty Much the Same Criteria
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Product as represented? Health
Spoilage, food poisoning, adulterated? Packaging and handling
cleanliness, shelf life Quantity as represented? Influence of production process (+ or - ) Aesthetics
flavor, visual appeal Consistency
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Honey Shows Today
Emphasis on fun and education Test yourself, check your quality Get honey moisture score – educational Bragging rights, personal satisfaction Experience a fair from a new, historic perspective
Appropriate for all levels Beginning beekeepers (learn good techniques
early) Advanced (an interesting challenge, take your
game to a new level) 5
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Rating Honey ONLY THINGS THE BEEKEEPER CAN CONTROL EXTRACTED HONEY CRITERIA
Density Absence of crystals Cleanliness (lint, dirt, wax, foam) Flavor (burnt, fermented, Bee-B-Gone) Uniformity & accuracy of filling Container appearance
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Rating Honey Level playing field
Anonymous (no labels; some exceptions) Same jar (Classic glass 1-LB honey jar) Honey color classes
100 point scale Standard Score Sheet Rules and criteria weighting vary slightly
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ADD PHOTO OF JAR
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Density Above18.6% moisture: honey can ferment
(grow yeast, bacteria) Measured as density, factor of sugar content Using “refractometer” (light refracfive index) Honey over 18.6% = disqualified ! Honey below 15% = “suspicious” Some judges dock points if +/- 16.5% What to do:
CAPPED HONEY ONLY –the bees know! Dry equipment Dry extracting day Hold super in dry location before extracting
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Absence of Crystals Crystals concentrate sugars: separated
liquid could be above 18.6% moisture (and therefore ferment) Evaluated using a strong light or polarized
light – shows crystals not visible in regular light What to do:
Warm Filter Watch out when using last season’s crop
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Clean Honey vs. Crystallized
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Cleanliness (of honey) Particles promote crystallization, suggest
poor sanitation Subscores for:
Wax Dust
Evaluate: same method as crystals Visual Polariscope Interfere with refractometer moisture reading
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Lint, hair, fiber Foam
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Cleanliness (of honey)
Worth a lot of points With customers In competition (30/100)
What to do: Minimize particulates at every step (including
in honey supers) Clean everything touching honey. While
drying equipment, avoid lint Lint free straining material Extra fine strainer (usually fabric) No pet hair !!! 13
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Polariscope (top view)
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Here and here: sheets of polarized film. Place honey jar between them in box
Light source in back – a standard bulb
View honey jar through window in front
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Shows residual foam - every tiny bubble shows. Microscopic crystals sparkle like stars in the sky
Polariscope box view Naked eye
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Cleanliness (of honey) Wax and foam float Dirt settles
Let honey settle before filling jars
Honey in center of tank is often cleanest
Remove as much as possible
Fill jar from bottom of source container (use honey gate/valve)
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Flavor Beekeeper errors create “off” flavors
Judge tastes sample (on toothpick or stick) Points off for flavors caused by beekeeper Flavor due to floral source not judged What to do:
Follow directions if using chemicals in the hive Avoid high moisture/fermented honey Avoid overheating honey Watch uncapping knife temperature (scorch)
Something’s really wrong if you don’t get full points here!
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Uniformity & Accuracy of Filling When rules call for 1 pound honey: provide
exactly 1 lb of honey Classic honey jar ONLY for extracted honey
“Pint’s a pound world round…except for honey”
Evaluated against jar’s fill ring Look for the ring on each jar (below threads for
lid).
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Correct Jar, Correct Fill
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*Fill line
Threads for lid
* Fill line or ring is a continuous ring molded into the glass around lower jar mouth
Shoulder of jar
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Uniformity & Accuracy of Filling
What to do: Aim for the middle of the fill ring. Mind the meniscus Be precise: +/- 1 millimeter often the
difference between 1st prize and 2nd prize Judges differ. Do your best, the rest is luck
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Container Appearance
Immaculate, shiny, perfect jar suggests good sanitation and long shelf life
Sticky, smudgy, stained jar is unappealing, messy, attracts ants
Chipped jar, or scratched/dented lid, or re-used lid seal can affect storage life
Judged by visual inspection and same methods as crystals Some judges subtract points if the jar has been
tipped over (honey on the lid interior). Controversial. Be prepared for this possibility. Some people change the lid just before entering show
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15/20
8/10
8/10
28/30
9/10
20/20
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Container Appearance What to do about it:
Clean everything Choose most perfect jars and lids Watch out for water marks, soap scum, adhesive Learn to fill perfectly with no honey on threads or rim:
absorbs moisture from air and eventually runs down jar (sticky!); wiping can leave lint
Take precautions against finger prints on glass Overall presentation counts Mfgr’s ID# etched into jar is normal, no points off
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Judging Criteria Available Extracted honey Comb honey Chunk honey Bees wax (block; candles = craft) Honey cookery Fair theme (2012: “Live Green, Learn Green”) Other Frame of honey comb* Labeled honey or set of jars* Mead and specialty items* More….
* At larger fairs
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Grading Honey Color Standard colors
Water white Light amber* Medium amber* Dark amber Dark
Color standards exist but are not widely used (expensive and hard to find)
You may enter one tem per class Judge may rearrange entries (to make
more even distribution between classes)
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* Most typical in Northern VA
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Arlington County Fair August 9-12, 2012 (Thursday-Sunday) All BANV members eligible for honey
show regardless of residence Free entry
PLEASE ENTER! Fair needs honey and beekeeping product
entries to ensure show continues!!!
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Entering Arlington’s Fair READ RULES! Internet search “Arlington County Fair 2012 competitive entries” Drop off honey sample in 1 lb jar
Wednesday evening Thursday early morning
1) Stop at registration Fill out entry form (available online or at fair) Fill out hang-tag (available at Arlington libraries
or at fair; tie onto jar neck) 2) Carry sample to honey station
Check in with honey superintendent (that’s me) to be sure entry is recorded at station
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Arlington Fair Judging Judged late Thursday morning
No, you cannot watch if you entered Judges are arranged by Fair Board through
State Apiarist or VA Cooperative Extension Experienced honey judges or beekeepers
with judging experience (from another county)
This is a good “beginners fair” – competition is not fierce
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Arlington Fair Awards Results can be viewed in person Thursday
evening through Sunday afternoon 1st place – blue ribbon 2nd place –red ribbon 3rd place – white ribbon If there are enough entries: champion
rosettes, and grand champion rosettes (cash prizes)
Three kids’ age groups, adults judged separately
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After the Fair Pick up your entries Sunday afternoon Usually someone can help pick up yours if
you can’t make it
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BANV HONEY BOOTH BANV honey sales
booth runs concurrently.
Observation hive You can sell honey
or volunteer to be a helper.
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Observation hive at the BANV booth
Observation hive’s green commute after the fair Yes, the bees are still in there!
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More Information Honey Shows: Criteria and How to Prepare
Use search engine “Honey judging” and “Honey show”
Eastern Apiculture Society – new web page on honey competitions (“Resources” pages) http://www.easternapiculture.org/
U.K. sites have some detailed information and advice
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More Information Other Honey Shows
Maryland State Fair – has allowed VA residents to enter in past years
Eastern Apiculture Society – August 13-17, 2012 Vermont (different state each year)
For kids: 4-H Fair in Fairfax County Some local beekeeping associations sponsor
events in MD and VA Virginia State Fair (2012 cancelled)
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