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Queen candy
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<blockquote data-quote="NickWallingford" data-source="post: 8673" data-attributes="member: 44"><p>Well, I expect those with more current knowledge/experience than me to correct me...</p><p></p><p>But what I used to do, for <em>own use</em> queens, was to make the (small amount) of candy using a tablespoon or two of honey - scraped off a frame from either breeder queen or one of the finisher colonies! Unorthodox, for sure, and probably frowned upon? But queen candy is <em>so</em> much easier to make and use if it has been made with honey - or some other form of inverted sugar syrup for the liquid. </p><p></p><p>Making queen candy with honey could spell disaster if it happened to have AFB. The way I figure, if my breeder or finisher has AFB, and I haven't picked it up, the use of the honey in the queen candy is probably the least of my worries...</p><p></p><p>Now, the sugar, traditionally described generally as 'icing sugar'. But more exactingly, you want to find a zero percent starch icing sugar. Starch is added to make it more useful for cake icing, etc, allowing the sharp edges to remain better, I think. But for queen candy, you don't want <em>any starch,</em> as it causes problems for the escorts digestion. You may need to hunt around - much of the icing sugar sold can have up to 5% or so starch...</p><p></p><p>The easy part? Take a tablespoon or so of honey (or inverted syrup?) and then work as much icing sugar as you possibly can into it! Just keep kneading and folding and rolling and mixing. If it ever feels somewhat sloppy, put some more icing sugar into it! Your initial bit of honey will end up making more candy than you planned for. Be warned...</p><p></p><p>Like I say, my experiences were personal, and a long time ago. I'm not sure what is considered 'best practice' now, and look forward to learning!</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="NickWallingford, post: 8673, member: 44"] Well, I expect those with more current knowledge/experience than me to correct me... But what I used to do, for [I]own use[/I] queens, was to make the (small amount) of candy using a tablespoon or two of honey - scraped off a frame from either breeder queen or one of the finisher colonies! Unorthodox, for sure, and probably frowned upon? But queen candy is [I]so[/I] much easier to make and use if it has been made with honey - or some other form of inverted sugar syrup for the liquid. Making queen candy with honey could spell disaster if it happened to have AFB. The way I figure, if my breeder or finisher has AFB, and I haven't picked it up, the use of the honey in the queen candy is probably the least of my worries... Now, the sugar, traditionally described generally as 'icing sugar'. But more exactingly, you want to find a zero percent starch icing sugar. Starch is added to make it more useful for cake icing, etc, allowing the sharp edges to remain better, I think. But for queen candy, you don't want [I]any starch,[/I] as it causes problems for the escorts digestion. You may need to hunt around - much of the icing sugar sold can have up to 5% or so starch... The easy part? Take a tablespoon or so of honey (or inverted syrup?) and then work as much icing sugar as you possibly can into it! Just keep kneading and folding and rolling and mixing. If it ever feels somewhat sloppy, put some more icing sugar into it! Your initial bit of honey will end up making more candy than you planned for. Be warned... Like I say, my experiences were personal, and a long time ago. I'm not sure what is considered 'best practice' now, and look forward to learning! [/QUOTE]
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What type of honey is New Zealand famous for?
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