Honey

[bilder]

How common was honey and honeycomb back in the day?

I know the sugar cone was common, but it would seem that honey would be something you could get when you are far from civilized sugar plantations.

Anyone know how common it was and how it was carried or stored?

I know farmers had it, just wondering about the fur trappers and longhunters of the time.

Thanks.

 

[Flint311]

Not sure when, but bees were brought here. This would limit the time frame, but maple sugar would have been available. :idunno:

 

[Claude Mathis]

http://www.muzzleloadingforum.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/216173/

 

[LaBonte]

Some links to bee refernces from the RMFT era http://www.google.com/cse?cx=001430202502149324205:ixsufj3grxk&q=bee&cof=FORID:0

Some links to honey references in the RMFT era http://www.google.com/custom?q=hon...mQIAQglOsOlLVWy_-9IVWgA30s8LA&boostcse=0&sa=2

 

[Woods Dweller]

Honey has been around for thousands of years. Peoples from all walks of life has collected honey and used it. My father was a beekeeper and I have followed in his footsteps.
I carry honey in a clay jar with a cork in it. When using honey, use half the amount as you would for sugar. If a pie calls for one cup of sugar, use ½ cup of honey. Honeycomb with the honey still in it was the first chewing gum, and the wax was used for many things, candles, to seal jars, waterproofing. It was also used to prevent rust on gun barrels.
Honey should not be stored in the refrigerator, if your honey should crystallize set container in warm water until it melts to its natural form.

 

[Celt5494]

It is also the key ingredient in that fine elixr known as "Mead"........ Gotta love them bees!

 

[Birdman]

there are native bees here in North America but the bees we get honey from are an early import. The Natives used to call the "white mans flies" they preceeded settelers by several years usually moving just ahead (time wise) to europeans moving into an area. So it would depend on your persona and time line to see just how available honey as we know it was available. I would hazard a guess that except for very early on that honey might be unusual to have or use but most likely available to someone who knew how to find n collect it. There are surviving bee skeps in several museums from Phila , Williamsburg etc so it was deffinatly here just how available on the frontier is the real question.

 

[David W.]

It was also used to prevent rust on gun barrels.

I apply beeswax to new gun barrels, or any steel part. Just use hot water to warm up the steel, and put on a coat, and buff it after it cools down.

 

[Woods Dweller]

Take the barrel and lock off the stock of gun, place on dash of car and let it warm up, run wax evenly over all metal parts and let cool.

 

[msuspartan]

The Egypt region used it for many things including medicenal purposes. The real Father of medicene, Imhotep, used it liberally and he refers it often in his notes.
It is a fantastic cleanser/anti-biotic of wounds. It can cure allergies if you eat one spoonful each day from regionally grown (your region) honey and it is the only food that will never go bad.
Not bad from the little ol' bee! :hatsoff:

Cheers, DonK

 

[Fred_Dwyer]

Folk lore has it that Metheglin, a mead with herbs infused, was used as and spawned the word "medicine."

 

[gearheart]

I heard that is named after the Medici family in Italy who made a rather extensive study of the herbal lore. :v

 

[The Hermit]

I still do it the way my grandpa did it, by hollowing out a block of wood.I make a cover for the top and bottom. About a 1/3rd way down, drill small hole 180 degrees apart, 4 places, and pushin 2 wood dowels. I make another hole in the bottom, about 1/2 dia and make a landing platform for the bees. In early fall I "raid" the hive, but don't take all the honey. Eat it comb an all.

The Hermit

 

[gus13]

actually the bees came over from europe quite early on.
According to "ABC and XYZ of Bee Culture" by A.I. Root
"800 -900 A.D. : Bees were probably brought to America by the Irish and Norwegians who established posts in America btween 800 and 900 A.D. They pushed southward as far as Narragansett Bay, where they not only established a colony, but a mission as well. Since honey was practically the only sweet of the ancients and beeswax was an imported item , in the Catholic church, it is probable that they brought with them the honeybee."
shipping of bees to the colonies is recorded quite early on as well.
a letter from the Virginia company records
Dec 5, 1621:
"Wee haue by this Shipp esnt...fruit trees, as also Pidgeons...and Beehiues...the preservation and increase whereof we reccommend unto you."
so I believe the bees would have been quite well established in the Northern and Middle colonies.
Also Honey is proven that baked goods with honey will remain soft and moist longer than a product with brown or granulated sugars. so that just makes it that much better!

 

[Blizzard of '93]

during Colonial period until War Between the Democrats and Republicans any farmer with stands of bees was considered 'well off' as was farms that had wheat fields.

 

[crockett]

Depends on what day. Miller shows mountain men using wild bees to try to find the hive so I'd say period correct in most instances. Whether it was just eaten on the spot or saved and carried- don't know.
Bees are having a hard time in certain areas these days.
I have run across the mention of a "sugar loaf". Was this a solid chunk of sugar in a shape similar to a loaf of bread? And was that how it was carried?

 

[gearheart]

Sugar was carried as a solid. It doesn't require a separate container that way. Cone shape I know of having seen it a Fort William, a national historical site here in Ontario. A small hammer was used to knock off a bit when needed. Funny thing, my dad was from eastern Europe and referred to small hammers as "sugar hammers". They must still have had sugar as a solid in his youth.

 

[tg]

I think there were "nippers" used for nibbling pieces of sugar off the cone also?

 

[gus13]

Townsend has them for sale (sugar nippers).
I don't understand why someone would have to be "well off" to have a hive, I have seen a few evidences of box hives, from different period sources, granted the queen might have to be imported, but Honeybees, as stated before were pretty well established, so it shouldn't have been terribly difficult to locate a wild hive, and coerce it into your own box hive, with your own queen.