Where do you get your honey?

[lepidgeon]

Looking to make a 6 gallon batch of mead, but according to my calculations thats roughly 18lbs of honey. Store bought (Walmart or grocery store) would cost me a fortune. It's roughly 8$/500g.

Is this what you guys use, or is there a place I can get it for a more reasonable cost?

 

[LittleBearGameFarm]

Don't know that I would get it from there but Midwest Supplies is about $6/LB to $8/LB for their different types of honey. That would compare to about $100 - $150 if you were getting a wine kit.

 

[wineforfun]

Looking to make a 6 gallon batch of mead, but according to my calculations thats roughly 18lbs of honey. Store bought (Walmart or grocery store) would cost me a fortune. It's roughly 8$/500g.

Is this what you guys use, or is there a place I can get it for a more reasonable cost?

I don't make 6 gal. batches of mead (normally 1 - 2 gal. batches)but yes, to answer your question, I get my honey at Walmart or other comparable grocery store.

 

[Cher]

I get my honey from a beekeeper a few miles away. His honey also sells in the local organic grocery, but he charges quite a bit less at his house. If you see local honey sold in your grocery store, call the beekeeper (their contact info is always on the label) and ask about buying direct. You can usually save a bit. Also, you might be able to get a larger container. My beekeeper offers plastic gallon jugs which are not good to store it over the winter, but very handy for mead making quantities. And he charges a tiny bit less that way. You might also check farmers markets for local honey if those exist in your area.

 

[AkTom]

Costco. It has worked well for me.

 

[Ron0126]

$19.99 for 5lbs Orange Blossom Honey. $10.49 for 5lbs of Wildflower.

https://www.webstaurantstore.com/monarchs-choice-5-lb-orange-blossom-honey/789HONORN5.html

 

[balatonwine]

I buy from a local apiary. It is usually much cheaper than retail. And you are guaranteed local honey, helping local businesses, not something imported without proper source of origin labels from China.

If in the USA, you can search for a local apiaries at different web sites. Just one example is:

https://www.cylex-usa.com/apiaries.html

 

[opus345]

I buy from a local apiary. It is usually much cheaper than retail. And you are guaranteed local honey, helping local businesses, not something imported without proper source of origin labels from China.

If in the USA, you can search for a local apiaries at different web sites. Just one example is:

https://www.cylex-usa.com/apiaries.html

Great post. i used to buy Sue Bee from Sams until I found out that it was one of the honeys that did not have pollen in it. Have used Rice's from Sams, but finally started to use some local/online apiary sources. If you have a Meadery in town, go ask where they source their honey from.

 

[meadmaker1]

Contact a local bee keepers association
There will be several folks tnere with more honey than they need that arnt set up to sell or have enough to bother setting up
I would find one and just show up at a meeting.
You ll get the best honey at the best price.
Where are you. I ve got 100 lbs to sell $5.00 a lb.

 

[Ravenwood-Vineyards]

I have a beekeeper I keep on retainer and because I buy 5 gal buckets worth at a time he offers bulk pricing which most of the time comes out to about 2$/lbs

Honestly you could check your local brew shop if you have one and see if they would mind ordering in some on their next frieght shipment. Thats how I started.

 

[CoastalCowboy]

Dutch gold

 

[Bodenski]

I use Trader Joe's honey. It's $4.00/lb here in the DC area. They don't have a lot of varieties (Mesquite, clover, turkish), but it's the most cost-effective "real" honey I've been able to get. (I use "real" based upon one questionable study that says they found pollen in the honey from Trader Joes. I expect it to be more likely to be real than walmart honey, but I've got no way to be sure.)

 

[StevenD55]

From my beehives. First year beek but got over #50 lbs from 2 of my hives. Left a lot for them for winter. Maybe next year will be better.

 

[WinoDave]

Costco or Sams $12.99 for 5 pounds.
I’ll throw in I took 1st and 3rd at Ky State Fair with Costco honey for mead fruit category. I’ve looked for local honey but cheapest I can find is $12 a pound.

 

[StevenD55]

If you want to check to be sure the honey you are buying is pure or real, here is a link to some tips.

https://www.mybeeline.co/en/p/how-to-check-the-purity-of-honey-at-home

 

[skyfire322]

Honestly you could check your local brew shop if you have one and see if they would mind ordering in some on their next frieght shipment. Thats how I started.

Second this. The local home brew store here doesn't have any honey, but they did have recommendations on where to get some. I ended up going to a local apiary which charged me $3/lb and a $1 discount for future purchases if I gave them some bottles which I think is a fair trade.

 

[Farmside]

I just started my first batch of mead, found honey at a local small grocery store that carried local farmed honey. Not bad in price either, $4 per pound 5lbs bottles.

 

[Dawgdrvr]

I , myself have been keeping bees for 6 years. At current, I have 14 hives. On average I clear 100 lbs per hive. What I don't use for Cysers & Mead, I cream the honey and sell it at the local farmers market. For spun/creamed honey in a 12 oz. Container is $10. For cut comb honey in an 8 oz , 4x4 clam shell sells for $15.