A feeding option...fondant!

That would never work for me !

With my sweet tooth before I got to the hives the bucket would be empty !

Ought to see me at the candy counter in the grocery store !

Of course working the hives, any burr comb with honey, is chewing gum !

PCM

 

What is HFCS? And I love this idea. I hate sugar water.

 

High fructose corn syrup. It doesn't have the corn starch that regular corn syrup has. Corn starch is bad for the bees.

 

would just using sugar be better to absorb moisture and help reduce mold?

 

If you check the old books, they generally suggest feeding sugar as an Emergency
food source.
The bees need water to process the sugar into syrup, which is then processed
into bee food. So I believe feeding syrup saves them a lot of time & effort.

You hear in the spring, " my honey has solidified " I believe it is sugar the bees
tried to store without processing it.

My side of the story and I'm sticking to it, Everyone do their own thing.

PCM

 

so plain sugar (no water) would be okay and help against moisture... sorry to beat this to death...

 

Does anyone with just a couple hives make their own fondant? What would the porportion be? Who would use a 50 lb lump some. What do you pay? How do you store in? Freezer?


.

 

Bjornbee,

The other day I spent the day calling bakeries I found listed in the yellow pages and NO ONE has it. Someone referred me to Wal Mart and Hobby Lobby. Went to those today and Wal Mart does not have it and Hobby Lobby had a 5 lb box for $22. There is noway I can do that. My bees should be here next week and I need to be ready for them and since I will have to feed them until they get going I thought this would be a cleaner/neater way to do it like you said.
Where can I get a recipe to make it? How long will I have to feed my bees after I get them? thanks. One more thing - I bought some Honey B Healthy so would that be ok to mix some in it?? That would make it more nutrious, right ??

 

Bjornbee,

Do you know if Dawn Foods fondant is made with Corn Starch? They are hard to get responses/ answers from. I want to see if I can order some on line or if they do use corn starch I may make some myself.

 

I live in NORTHERN CALIFORNIA dont have the prob of COLD winters, but I do run into the prob of some hives not taking syrup in winter.
I have been using BAKERS DRIVERT sugar during this time and also i use it during transport into the almonds for pollination to prevent spillage.
I have never used fondant but it sounds like a good idea if I could find where to buy it and would also need to see if it was cost effective for 200 hives.

 

Dawn foods has an outlet in Seattle so I emailed them asking how much for 50lb blocks. Its been almost a week and they have not responed back. Maybe I will give them a call.

 

http://thecookduke.com/fondant-recipe/ has the following recipe......and then some.



Ingredients required to make the fondant recipe:

* 1 Tbsp of unflavored gelatin
* 1/4 cup of cold water
* 1 tsp of almond extract
* 1/2 cup of light corn syrup (If a corn syrup is not available, you can substitute it with a sugar syrup made with 1-1/4 cups sugar and 1/3 cup water, boiled together until syrupy)
* 1 Tbsp of glycerin (some recipes say it’s optional, believe me, it’s a must)
* 2 lbs 10X confectioners’ sugar
* 1/2 tsp of white vegetable shortening

Directions how to make the fondant recipe:

* Sprinkle the gelatin over cold water in a small bowl and let it rest for 2 minutes to soften
* Place the bowl in a microwave for 30 seconds on High, until the gelatin dissolves
* Add the Almond extract
* Add the corn syrup and the glycerin and stir until the mixture is smooth and clear (if the mixture is not turning smooth and clear, microwave it for an additional 15 to 20 seconds on high and stir again)
* Sift 1 1/2 pounds of the sugar into a large bowl
* Make a hole in the sugar and pour the liquid mixture to it
* Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture becomes sticky
* Sift some of the remaining 1/2 pound of sugar onto a smooth work surface and add as much of the remaining sugar as the mixture will take
* Knead the fondant, adding a little more sugar if necessary, to form a smooth, pliable mass
* Rub the vegetable shortening on your thumbs and knead it into the fondant
* Wrap the fondant in plastic wrap and place it in a tightly sealed container to prevent it from drying out
If the icing dries out and harden it can often be revived by popping it into a microwave oven for a few seconds and then kneading it back to life

 

Really just want to buy the stuff, otherwise I would keep mixing up sugar water.
I did at one time see a post on another forum for making fondant, I dont remember it being that complicated.

 

I have an answer! Finally there's something I know about! I am a cook/baker. You need to contact specialty shops designed for independent bakers and caterers who are baking for a hobby, have a small business or moonlight doing wedding cakes. In the Kansas City area we have The Sweet Shoppe and George's Hobby House. These stores don't sell baked products, they sell the fancy specialty stuff to bake products with. Here's another option: become acquainted with someone who manages the bakery department of the local grocery store or neighborhood bakery. Ask them to order it for you from their supplier. Never hurts to ask and it would be a lot less expensive. Since you would not be in competition with the bakery, they might do it. If you have to sweeten the deal, maybe offer the person who does the ordering some honey for helping you out!

You could make your own fondant, as suggested by a previous board member. I personally think it's very expensive, but I can see the merits of using fondant if you live in a colder climate and your hives are spread out. If any of you watch the Food Channel's show Ace of Cakes, fondant is all they cover their cakes in. (For those that are curious about what the heck you do with the stuff).