Sally's GF3 thread

[saysfaa]

I got curious.

Maltitol syrup, natural and artificial flavors, acesulfame k, malic acid

Maltitol is a sugar alcohol. It is a disaccharide made from two simple sugars: glucose and sorbitol. "During digestion, maltitol is split into sorbitol and glucose in the intestines; the glucose gets absorbed, but the sorbitol is only partially absorbed. Meanwhile, any remaining maltitol that hasn’t been broken down is fermented by bacteria in the large intestine. This means a slower rise in blood sugar and insulin levels than with glucose and sucrose, " according to the internet.

"natural and alternative sweeteners have become a popular way for people to cut back [on sugar]. One in particular, a sugar alcohol called maltitol, is receiving a lot of interest, likely because it’s used in so many packaged foods and drinks, according to market research. While sugar substitutes may help cut calories and prevent blood glucose spikes, there’s still a lot more to know about just how healthy they are as alternative sweeteners, maltitol included."

The internet meaning everyday health. com in this case.

And wikipedia for the following:
Ace K is a potassium salt that is a synthetic calorie-free sweetener discovered by accident in the 1960's. It is sold as Sweet One sometimes.

 

[saysfaa]

Even if it isn't actively bad for people, it misses all the many good-for-you things that real honey has.

 

[Sally PB]

One of the bee club meetings was on harvesting, packaging, and selling honey. I did not know that you can legally substitute up to 10% something else (HFCS? Cane syrup?) and still label it PURE HONEY!!!

The presenter said, "Please don't do this. Please. Just... don't."

I've read that honey is one of the most "faked" and adulterated foods on the market. I won't be buying honey anywhere but from Ed, my bee guy, for this reason. I've seen the amount of honey he has in his basement. He has no reason to cut it with anything to add to his stores.

But I'd rather harvest my own. Hint-hint, girls!

 

[aart]

But I'd rather harvest my own.

Did you figure out why there's no honey in your hives?

 

[Sally PB]

Did you figure out why there's no honey in your hives?

Not really. There could be several reasons.

Right now, there isn't much in bloom for honeybees (what is called a "dearth"), but that's about to change with the blooming of goldenrod. We have acres of goldenrod.

I've read that when they can't find much nectar, they will move what they might have put in a super down into the brood nest, so it's closer to the queen and the developing brood.

I've read that this time of year, they are building up their numbers in anticipation of fall and the coming winter. Bees are great planners!

 

[fuzzi]

One of the bee club meetings was on harvesting, packaging, and selling honey. I did not know that you can legally substitute up to 10% something else (HFCS? Cane syrup?) and still label it PURE HONEY!!!

The presenter said, "Please don't do this. Please. Just... don't."

I've read that honey is one of the most "faked" and adulterated foods on the market. I won't be buying honey anywhere but from Ed, my bee guy, for this reason. I've seen the amount of honey he has in his basement. He has no reason to cut it with anything to add to his stores.

But I'd rather harvest my own. Hint-hint, girls!

This is a problem for people like me with food allergies, the addition of possible allergens with no labeling. Shame on them.

I've been buying my honey at the local Farmers' Market, storing it away for the future. I know it won't go bad...

 

[Sally PB]

I've been buying my honey at the local Farmers' Market, storing it away for the future. I know it won't go bad

Yup. No expiration date for honey! It can crystalize, but you can undo that by just leaving it somewhere warm.

I had a gallon jug of honey crystalize down in the basement last winter. I took to storing it near the wood stove. It was all liquid again in a day or two.

 

[fuzzi]

Yup. No expiration date for honey! It can crystalize, but you can undo that by just leaving it somewhere warm.

I had a gallon jug of honey crystalize down in the basement last winter. I took to storing it near the wood stove. It was all liquid again in a day or two.

And THAT'S how I can tell if it's adulterated, real honey crystallizes.

 

[Sally PB]

And THAT'S how I can tell if it's adulterated, real honey crystallizes.

Exactly. I had a store bought jar of "pure honey" next to it that was still liquid.

A neighbor bought some "pure honey" that had noticeable swirls of something else mixed in. I'd guess HFCS, since that's a cheap adulterant. She took it back to Costco, and told me, "the woman said, sorry, here's a refund."

I won't buy honey from the store again. If my girls don't make it, I'll buy it from Ed, my bee guy. Or a member of the bee club.

 

[Sally PB]

I got a couple of outdoor flytraps. Rescue reusable flytrap and they worked great! One caveat: they smell like rotting meat, so you don't want them upwind of anywhere you sit outside.

I had them about 50 and 75 feet from the chicken coop/run. I have seen a lot fewer flies around that area since I hung them up. I will be doing this again next year, for sure.

I bought them at TSC. The traps were $10/each; the refills about $3.50/each. They had less expensive disposable traps (just throw the whole thing out), but I know I'll be using them the rest of the season, so I wanted something refillable.

I bought a couple refills and just refilled them. WHOOOEEEE! The traps really stink when you open them up. I put them in the freezer for a couple hours, since there were live flies inside. They weren't dead when I took them out, but they were slow and I could dump the mess into a ziploc bag. Which I put in another ziploc bag. And then another bag which I tied shut. And then another bag which I tied shut. I put it all back in the freezer, and have a note that it goes out in the garbage on Sunday.

Thousands of flies removed.