East Cape honey judge one of a kind
Avid apiarist invited to only dedicated honey hall in SA
WHEN it comes to judging honey, most of us have a taste and that’s that – we like it or we don’t.
Not so avid apiarist Reg Morgan, the only qualified honey judge in the Eastern Cape, who was recently invited to judge at the only dedicated honey hall left in the country, at the Royal Show in Pietermaritzburg.
Honey is judged in separate categories for glass and plastic bottles. An entry comprises six bottles, which the exhibitor sets up himself. It is shown against the light (usually in front of a window) so that the colour, clarity and any faults such as impurities or granulation can be seen. The wax is also judged by chewing a small piece.
The judges examine honey for flavour, aroma and density – if there is a lack of the latter, the honey will ferment – and they clean their palates with water between tastes.
There are different classes for light, medium or dark honey, but it may come from any source such as lucerne, citrus, bluegum or fynbos, which can be picked up from the volatile oils on top of the honey when the bottle is opened.
“Foreign” odours can also be picked up, including smoke, which could possibly be introduced into the honey if the hive was oversmoked when it was robbed.
“We also judge the entry on ‘shelf appeal’, which includes the label, and you would be surprised how many words on labels are regarded as illegal,” Morgan says.
Farmers of all crops need bees for pollination, especially fruit farmers, and they have been known to spray the fruit trees with sugar water to attract the bees. In fact, it is the only foodstuff that does not ‘go off’ and even honey that has been found in the ancient pyramids of Egypt has been edible.
“Honey does sometimes crystallise, but there is nothing wrong with that. Stand the bottle in warm water and it will reconstitute, but please do not put it in the microwave,” Morgan says.
He has kept bees for about 35 years, was chairman of the Natal Bee Farmers’ Association and qualified as a judge in 1999.
To become a judge, one has to have been a bee keeper, won champion bottle on show, and organised the honey section of the show as chief steward.
Morgan has placed hives on various farms around Komani, where they remain busy making honey to the mutual benefit of their owner and the farmer.