Question: How to crush to extract honey

[Jerrymac]

And we do wash our hands several times during the process.

While maintaining a firm grip on the spatula that you never set down.  That's a pretty good feat :-P

Just kidding Jerry..... have a good day.

Notice the "we" and "a" spatula. Never gets put down just handed over.

[Sean Kelly]

They sell it at the local health food store, in small 500 gram packages for $5.00, so I am wondering too this.....what do humans do with brewers yeast in their bodies?

I know what I do with it.......  everytime I swill the last drops of beer from the bottle!!!  lololol

Cindi, you make your own wine right?  When you rack to a secondary fermentor, isnt there dead yeast at the bottom?  Couldnt you dry that and use it?  Hmm... Curious....

Sean Kelly

[Cindi]

Sean, oh brother, you are making me think, that is not a good thing, hee, hee.  So, that sludgy stuff in the bottom after racking is dead yeast?  I don't get that.  The yeast that I spread on top is only about a teaspoon or so (whatever amount is in the packet), how could it get to be like 4 cups or so.  Anyways, that yeast is permeated with the colour of the wine, dark red, I don't think that I would want to use it for making pollen patties, it would look pretty ugly.

I have a 20 kg pound bag (think that is about 50 pounds, it is pretty heavy) of brewers yeast, $30.  That will last me for years and years, I am set, now to figure out how to freeze the big bag.  Think I will have to put it into the largest ziploc bag that I can find, I know that Glad now makes an extra large one.  I really like Glad products, they are strong.  I have tried to use some cheaper no name bags for freezing and nope, not going there again, the quality and food preservation is just not there.  Have a wonderful and best of this day, lovin' life.  Cindi

[Sean Kelly]

Cindi,

Yeah, it's dead yeast and other sediments.  Amazing how fast yeast grows and dies in the brewing process, how a couple teaspoons turns into several cups!  Thats what you're seeing during the primary fermentation when the airlock is boiling away and it looks like the must is churning.  It's the yeast consuming sugar, pooping out Co2 and alcohol, and making tons of babies.  We kinda forget that yeast is actually a live animal and not just another ingredient.

Who cares what color it is.  I'm sure the bees wont.  :-)  I'm sure the brewers yeast your getting is leftovers from beer, not wine which is why there's the color difference.

Sean Kelly

[Troutsqueezer]

>But Michael Bush used crush and strain for years and years with lots of hives and he liked it as much as I do.

Yes, but now that Michael is used to that nifty motorized extractor, I wonder how enthused he would be about stepping back to the crush and strain method. Huh?  :-D

I used to crush and strain. I got tired of waiting for days for all the honey to drain. I'll never go back.

[Paraplegic Racehorse]

I used to crush and strain. I got tired of waiting for days for all the honey to drain. I'll never go back.

Crush-n-strain does not necessarily require waiting for draining.

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Method:
    1. Pull boxes
    2. Cut comb from bars/frames
    3. Break comb into less large chunks.
    4. Place comb chunks into fabric bag (nylon stockings are good for this)
    5. Place bag of comb chunks into press
    6. Compress bag of combs and watch the honey flow!
    7. Proceed to clarifying, bottling and wax-rendering stages

A press can be constructed from a frame of wood or iron and an old jack (like that used to lift cars) with some boards serving as the press faces, as here http://www2.gsu.edu/~biojdsx/press.htm

There are variety of commercially available press-types, also. Look for fruit presses.

[Michael Bush]

>Yes, but now that Michael is used to that nifty motorized extractor, I wonder how enthused he would be about stepping back to the crush and strain method. Huh?

If my extractor died, I'm not sure what I'd do.  I might live without it and just try to build a bigger market for cut comb, but probably I'd fix it.  I'm glad I held out until I could afford a real extractor (9/18 motorized) instead of scraping by on a 2 frame non-reversible.  The biggest advantage is having drawn comb.  The biggest disadvantage (besides the cost) is trying to guard that drawn comb from the moths.

[Brian D. Bray]

When it comes to crush and strain I'm using my cider press.  Paid over $800.00 (includes shipping) for it so I need to get my money out of it.  It was a factor when I decided to buy it.  It has to baskets so I can fill 1 while pressing the honey out of the other.

[Cindi]

Brian, can't wait, pressed apples....yummmmeee...forgot, what varieties are on your property?  Juicy ones I'm hopin', hee, hee.

I bet with pressing the honey you get totally most of the honey out, not much left in the cappings eh?  What a great and wonderful idea you got goin' there....have a beautiful day, beautiful life, beautiful groovin' on beautiful stuff.  Cindi

[Brian D. Bray]

Brian, can't wait, pressed apples....yummmmeee...forgot, what varieties are on your property?  Juicy ones I'm hopin', hee, hee.

I bet with pressing the honey you get totally most of the honey out, not much left in the cappings eh?  What a great and wonderful idea you got goin' there....have a beautiful day, beautiful life, beautiful groovin' on beautiful stuff.  Cindi

Red Delicious and Gravenstien for sure plus 3 other old depression era homestead type.

[Cindi]

Red Delicious and Gravenstien for sure plus 3 other old depression era homestead type.

Nice....I bet the old depression era homestead apples are wonderful, something about the "heirloom", that is what I would call those apple trees, beautiful.  Have a wonderful and awesome, great day, lovin' and live our lives.  Cindi