There will be mead

[British Red]

7 kilos of lime flower honey. Something we've been asked for a LOT and never filmed is mead making.

That's going to change

Lime flower honey by English Countrylife, on Flickr

 

[Tengu]

Hurrah!

(Something I enjoy and can no drink).

 

[British Red]

I'm debating a melomel as well as a mead since I have an abundance of honey. Perhaps even a metheglin. I do have plenty of blackberries & dome Madagascar vanilla pods....

 

[CLEM]

I’ve always liked you Mr Red, have I ever told you that lol

 

[Tengu]

One of the Cornish Mead companies do it in all sorts of different fruits; if you have plenty of mead something to experiment with.

 

[GNJC]

I'm debating a melomel as well as a mead since I have an abundance of honey. Perhaps even a metheglin. I do have plenty of blackberries & dome Madagascar vanilla pods....

Haven't come across the word 'metheglin' for years; wonderful stuff... if you get the mix right. I had an uncle who could do so without fail, my own attempts were hit and miss. Obviously it's all personal taste, but mead is such good stuff of itself that it's a pity to make mistakes with it.

Hard to think of an abundance of honey, sounds great; mind you I have a whole bullock in the freezers... if you find yourself down this way and fancy a trade, let me know.

 

[British Red]

Thanks - our freezers are groaning too. Mostly pork, lamb & chicken

 

[slowworm]

7 kilos of lime flower honey.

How did you stop the bees from foraging on other plants?

Seriously, does it taste much different than other plants? I don't think there are many lime trees around here for my bees to visit.

I must make some more mead this winter, I prefer something a bit sweeter than some and with a bit of flavour but found it can take an age to ferment out.

 

[slowworm]

Hard to think of an abundance of honey, sounds great; mind you I have a whole bullock in the freezers... if you find yourself down this way and fancy a trade, let me know.

Start keeping bees and have no desire to sell honey, I've got buckets of it.

And if the local farmers don't keep their cattle in I may end up with one of them in the freezer as well!

 

[British Red]

How did you stop the bees from foraging on other plants?

Seriously, does it taste much different than other plants? I don't think there are many lime trees around here for my bees to visit.

I must make some more mead this winter, I prefer something a bit sweeter than some and with a bit of flavour but found it can take an age to ferment out.

It is actually lime flower, some field bean, brambles and rosebay willowherb. It's a nice, light honey. Some I don't like. OSR can set like concrete. Heather honey can be be hard and strong flavoured. I once had some that had been on opium poppies!

 

[GNJC]

Start keeping bees and have no desire to sell honey, I've got buckets of it.

And if the local farmers don't keep their cattle in I may end up with one of them in the freezer as well!

Hmm... Mrs GNJC is keen on that, and she's been on courses with the local society, we also have a few resident colonies and they swarm now and then. But... we have a serious number of badgers around here and they have caused havoc for people with hives.

I have cattle and TB is a big thing here - West Carms - but we have always tested negative, so despite the damage to pasture etc. I'm fine with our local badgers staying put.

Home butchery of a cow is a serious undertaking, the biggest problem being the hanging, temp' and space; I shall watch your posts with interest to see how you get on.

 

[slowworm]

We've got badgers, despite being in a cull area. I am worried about them but no problems so far (more worried when we have long dry spells as they resort to digging up bumble nests in our woodland). I am just as worried about the escapee cattle so some hives have stock fencing around. (Nice rare breed cattle, but I'm a bit cautious when there's a stray bull, cows and calves in a family group in my back garden!).

Mostly joking about the freezer, not enough room for a start.

Back to the bees, I've known people keep them on flat rooves, and yet to see a badger climb a ladder. (Possibly because the badgers I have seen here have been very fat).

 

[GNJC]

We've got badgers, despite being in a cull area. I am worried about them but no problems so far (more worried when we have long dry spells as they resort to digging up bumble nests in our woodland). I am just as worried about the escapee cattle so some hives have stock fencing around. (Nice rare breed cattle, but I'm a bit cautious when there's a stray bull, cows and calves in a family group in my back garden!).

Mostly joking about the freezer, not enough room for a start.

Back to the bees, I've known people keep them on flat rooves, and yet to see a badger climb a ladder. (Possibly because the badgers I have seen here have been very fat).

Rooftops would be ideal, and I have a couple that would be suitable, but Mrs GNJC is very scared of heights...

So I guess I'll end up having to build something like decking, a few feet high and with lift-up steps and a badger-proof balustrade all around.

I'll probably be allowed to pay for it all too...

 

[FerlasDave]

How did you stop the bees from foraging on other plants?

I actually remember reading somewhere that bees can get addicted to certain types of flowers. I’m sure one of the main contenders was Himalayan balsam, which aids the plants invasive nature I guess. I think it’s something about when the bees come back to the hive they share information about the flowers they’ve visited. I’d be interested to know if anyone else has any more info about this?

 

[British Red]

I actually remember reading somewhere that bees can get addicted to certain types of flowers. I’m sure one of the main contenders was Himalayan balsam, which aids the plants invasive nature I guess. I think it’s something about when the bees come back to the hive they share information about the flowers they’ve visited. I’d be interested to know if anyone else has any more info about this?

Bees can certainly communicate the presence of food by vectors in relation to the position of the sun. This is the "waggle dance"

 

[TLM]

I actually remember reading somewhere that bees can get addicted to certain types of flowers.

Many Echinops genus flowers actually do intoxicate bees.