This past weekend I did a little beekeeping. The bees were doing great and bringing in lots of new nectar and pollen. The honey that was left on the hives over the Winter was ready to be removed.
This gives me a little bit to crush and strain to put in the pantry. Here is a photo of the honey after it's been taken off the frames, crushed and set up to drain out. This is a crude method, but works well for small batches and gets most of the wax out of the honey.
At the end of this video we show this method in a little more detail just in case you are interested.
How much is local raw honey worth?
Last night I posted this photo on my Instagram / Facebook with this little enticing question:
If local raw honey is $12 per pound, $16 per pint, $30 per quart... How much is a gallon?
The question was asked as it was to get some feedback on how other people felt about the price (value) of local raw honey. The responses were fun to read! Check out that thread on Facebook if you are interested in all the comments.
Basically we came up with a range for the price of a gallon of honey in our area would be between $90 and $120. I'm not sure if I'm actually ever going to sell gallon jars of honey, but if I did I think I decided on the price of $110. Some of the comments suggested selling 5 gallon pails! Wow, that's a lot of honey. LOL
Just for fun...
How much would you pay for a gallon of Local, Raw, Untreated HONEY?
I love aged crystallized honey! Tweeted
Just be aware that what people 'say' they would pay and what the 'will' pay can be quite different. With that said, raw honey, especially from non-agricultural areas, can get a nice premium from the right client set.
So true. I have no problems selling pound jars at $12 and pint jars at $16 (same rate per pound roughly) but the quarts for $30 don't sell so well... even though the buyer is really saving $2 by buying the quart compared to 2 pints. I guess there is some psychology involved there :)
I sell a small plastic clamshell container that holds 9 figs for $3, and sell out every time I bring them to market. Another gentlemen who used to come would sell huge containers by the pound and always bring some back home.
My packaging was new, and had thermal printed labels with my logo and the word Figs in nice big text. He used recycled strawberry/tomato clamshells, or whatever he could get his hands on.
My price was literally 3 - 4 times his. I have one medium sized fig tree that nets me around $250-$300 per year, and that's only half the figs. The other half goes into my freezer.
I'd say there is definitely some psychology involved.
Marketing is powerful :)
12$ is easy to spend 30$ starts to hurt.
yes I agree. Smaller, more convenient (even tho more expensive in the long run) packages have become the norm.
Some things seem expensive if you don't realize what goes into producing them. Honey and real maple syrup are two that I could produce, but I am quite happy to pay for until that day comes!
It is a lot of effort for the bees and the beekeeper for sure. At my current prices I'm not really making money, I'm just able to sustain my beekeeping efforts.
I bought some honey from a good friend who has had for a while and it crystallized some. But I will say this I think I like the aged honey better than the fresh! What is your opinion Blake?
I like honey that has aged in the hive. This batch here was left in over Winter and has had lots of time to dehydrate (reduce moisture content) making it thicker. I love it :)
I was surprised the difference but definitely like the aged better! It is good and I recommend every one to try it!
What do you mean by "untreated"? We pay around $14.00 for a 32oz jar of local raw honey. I can't imagine every buying a larger size because it would crystalize before we eat it all.
Some people like the crystalized honey. It's really good to stir it in with some butter! Yum. - Untreated means that the hives have no chemical treatments. They are managed naturally without chemicals.
Thank you for the clarification.
Here in Texas in Galveston and Brazoria counties you can purchase wholesale honey in 5 gallon buckets for around $5-$6 per pound. The typical sale price for a one pound plastic bottle at local farmers markets is around $8, and $10 for a one pound glass bottle/jar.
Is that wholesale honey from local beekeepers? I know there are some sources for wholesale honey that is sourced from "who knows where". Even if they say "Texas Honey" it may have been only bottled in Texas.
Yes, that’s from local beekeepers around here. At least it was last season for the few I know.
interesting!
That is some really dark looking honey. What are the bees eating that makes it that color or is it just because it is from over the winter?
As for the question I would probably pay $100 for a gallon of raw untreated honey but would be unlikely to make the purchase. Even though the smaller sizes aren't as good a value they are a more convenient size and less likely to crystallize before being used up.