Judging Honey Shows With Stephanie Slater (328)

328 - Judging Honey Shows With Stephanie Slater

Kaleb: Howdy howdy, Jeff and Becky. This is Kaleb from Fort Worth, Texas. I'm a brand new beekeeper coming up on my first full year, and I am going to beat that three-year mark I keep hearing about. Welcome to Beekeeping Today Podcast.

Jeff Ott: Welcome to the Beekeeping Today Podcast, presented by Betterbee, your source for beekeeping news, information, and entertainment. I'm Jeff Ott.

Becky Masterman: I'm Becky Masterman.

Global Patties: Today's episode is brought to you by the bee nutrition superheroes at Global Patties, family-operated and buzzing with passion, Global Patties crafts protein-packed patties that will turn your hives into powerhouse production. Picture this, strong colonies, booming brood, and honey flowing like a sweet river.

It's super protein for your bees, and they'll love it. Check out their buffet of patties, tailor-made for your bees in your specific area. Head over to www.globalpatties.com and give your bees the nutrition they deserve.

Jeff: Hey. A quick shout-out to Betterbee and all of our sponsors whose support allows us to bring you this podcast each week without resorting to a fee-based subscription. We don't want that, and we know you don't either.

Be sure to check out all of our content on the website. There, you can read up on all of our guests, read our blog on the various aspects and observations about beekeeping, search for, download, and listen to over 300 past episodes, read episode transcripts, leave comments and feedback on each episode, and check on podcast specials from our sponsors.

You can find it all at www.beekeepingtoday.com. Hey, Caleb, sitting there in Fort Worth, Texas. Thanks for that fantastic opening. You're starting what? Your third year? This is going to be your best year. This is going to be the year for you, Caleb.

Becky: This is the year. This is the year that he makes his five-year plan because he's sticking in the business.

Jeff: That's right. Thanks a lot, Caleb, for the opening. We appreciate it. Thanks for coloring in our map for the state of Texas.

Becky: That's a big state, so we needed that, Caleb.

Jeff: We're going to have to get another orange crayon. Hey, Becky, I'm looking forward to today's guest. Have you entered into any honey judging contest?

Becky: I have not. It is a skill that I do not have. I have a lot of respect for everybody who does enter their honey into contests, but I'm guessing you have, and you're a big winner.

Jeff: I'm a big winner in my mind all the time. I have not entered recently, but I have entered when I lived in Ohio, in Medina County, and that was really enjoyable. I had a fun time. I got a red ribbon, I believe, for my honey, and also a red ribbon for an observation hive that I entered. That was all a great experience. I really strongly encourage any beekeeper who's producing honey to enter a contest.

Becky: I'm guessing that if you are entering honey contests, it just makes you a better beekeeper because you are learning the fine detail needed in order to succeed in such contests.

Jeff: It really makes you consider presentation when you produce a jar of honey, it's more than just a jar of honey. There's a presentation. For those who are particular, such as honey judges, there are really particular about bubbles in honey, consistency across jars. Today's guest, we met her at the North American Honeybee Expo in January, Stephanie Slater. Have you met her before?

Becky: I have, yes. We officially met at the joint Minnesota, Wisconsin meeting last summer. Although we bonded over heavy metal music, we did have some nice conversations about bees and honey judging because she served as the judge for our contest that we had last July.

Jeff: You didn't enter, you said.

Becky: I did not, no.

Jeff: Are you going to enter this year?

Becky: I'm not. No. It takes a serious individual and it takes a certain amount of time, and I'm just not there yet. If you want me to skip a few weeks of the podcast, maybe I could focus on entering, honey.

Jeff: I don't think you should. I think you should stay far away from entering contest until you decide you don't want to do the podcast anymore.

Becky: Then I'll go in wholeheartedly. I think it's great, and I'm a little jealous. I'm sure I do not have the time or right now, the skill set for it. I can produce a bottle of honey without a sticky exterior and foreign materials in it, but I think we're going to learn some really interesting steps that you need to take if you're going to be a good honey contestant.

Jeff: That's what I'm looking forward to, and not only to enter your honey into a contest or honey show, but also, what does it take to judge a honey show? I didn't even know that they were certified judges. Stephanie's going to talk to us about all of these and her experience being a certified honey judge. Coming right up.

Becky: This is going to be great information.

[music]

Betterbee: Time to upgrade your beekeeping gear? Betterbee suits and jackets are built for comfort, safety, and durability because we know what Beekeepers need, thumb loops keep sleeves in place, an adjustable waistband gives you a secure fit, and there's plenty, plenty of pocket space for your tools or phone. Plus, whether it's a cool spring morning or the heat of summer, you'll stay comfortable with regular, partially ventilated, and fully ventilated options. Get your Betterbee suit or jacket today at betterbee.com.

[00:06:16] Dalan Animal Health: It's been a tough year for bees. Colony losses are averaging 62%, making disease prevention more important than ever. That's why we're excited to share a game-changing solution from Dalan Animal Health. Now available through retailers across the US and Canada. Dalan has developed the industry's first ever vaccinated queens, designed to protect your hives against brood disease.

In the field, these queens have helped reduce deformed wing virus by up to 90%. By introducing young vaccinated queens each year, you're giving your bees a stronger immune system and broad protection against both viral and bacterial threats. Join the 30,000 hives already benefiting from vaccinated queens. Protect your colonies this spring. Find a retailer at dalananimalhealth.com and get started today.

Jeff: Hey, everybody. Welcome back to the show. Thanks to all of our great sponsors for helping us get these shows out on a weekly basis. Hey, everybody, sitting across this great big virtual Beekeeping Today podcast table is Stephanie Slater from Wisconsin. Welcome to the show.

Stephanie Slater: Thank you, Jeff and Becky. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be here today.

Becky: Hi, neighbor. I can almost wave to you from Minnesota. We're just about, what? Five hours away probably from each other, maybe six?

Stephanie: Yes, that's about right.

Jeff: If you told her you were waving, she could almost tell. Stephanie, welcome to the show. I met you for the first time at North American Honeybee Expo, and you're talking about judging honey shows. Actually, you were one of the judges there, weren't you?

Stephanie: I was, yes.

Jeff: You're talking about judging honey at the show. I think that is so fascinating. We wanted to have you back this spring, and hopefully our listeners who have a desire to enter honey show, unlike Becky.

Becky: I gave the wrong answer earlier.

Jeff: For our listeners who want to enter honey shows, you can help give them some great pointers on how to do it from a judge's perspective.

Becky: I'm going to interrupt here because what's so important-- I'm sorry, Stephanie. I don't usually interrupt so early on, but I think we need to let the listeners know that, not only did we meet Stephanie or see her at the show, but it was the end of the show.

Everybody was so tired, and this ball of energy comes to our booth with so much excitement, so much enthusiasm, having judged, you're going to tell us how many, but it was a lot of honey samples. Maybe it was the sheer amount of sugar in your bloodstream, but you had so much energy, enthusiasm, and excitement for what you do. I think we have to give you huge kudos for that. Now you can tell us all about who you are.

Stephanie: Thank you very much, Becky. I appreciate the kind words. Yes, we did judge almost 1200 entries in that particular honey show. I must say, it was a large team of judges. It wasn't just myself,. Yes, I did. I was on a honey high. Of course, if you remember, Becky, we talked about our mutual love of Metallica. I think that's what really got me even more-

Becky: That could be it.

Stephanie: -excited to talk with you.

Becky: You're right. I bet it was a Metallica conversation right before honey conversation.

Stephanie: Yes. For those of you that don't know me, I grew up in Wisconsin on a dairy farm, but I didn't know anybody that was a beekeeper. I became a beekeeper a little bit later in life after hearing an Earth Day presentation. I think that's a common story when you hear about beekeepers that joined later in life. It just all came together very quickly. Within a few months, I had a location and I had hives and bees. From there, it was in with both feet and really enjoyed it just like everyone else's story that you hear.

I continued to attend beekeeping meetings, both on the county, state, and national level. Then, in 2019, I entered my first honey show. I had no idea what I was doing, but with a little bit of dumb luck, I received a second-place ribbon at the Wisconsin State Fair.

I took the judge's feedback, and I made a couple of modifications and two months later, at my first American Beekeeping Federation American Honey Show, I received another second-place ribbon. That's a pretty large prestigious honey show. Now I was hooked. Now I needed to know everything there was about how to improve as a competitor.

I came across a class for the American Honey Show Training Council. I took the class thinking I would get some tips and ideas how to become a better competitor. By the end of the day, I was signed up to be on the judge's track. In 2023, I became the first person in the state of Wisconsin to become a certified honey judge through the American Honey Show Training Council.

Becky: That is such an honor. That's a very big deal to go through the training because a lot of beekeepers, I think, do a great job at their meetings and do the honey judging. I think probably what you learned and what you're going to share with us is that there's a lot to it, and you are the example of when you get really good feedback, you can turn it around and become better at judging, or not just judging, but entering. Sorry.

Stephanie: You're right about that, Becky. One of my mentors said to me, "There is no value in entering a honey show that you don't get feedback from." It's critical with the American Honey Show Training Council that we provide judges' comment cards.

Everybody that enters an exhibit should receive positive and negative feedback. It's not negative, but it's constructive criticism because our goal is to help everyone and continue to improve because it just raises the bar for everyone in our industry.

Becky: Jeff and I were talking before and that's why he mentioned that I wasn't ready to enter anything. Part of it is because you want to do it right. It's something that you need to learn a lot about. Say, I did want to enter what would be my first steps? I assume every show is different.

Stephanie: You're right about that. Every show is different, but your first step, regardless of the show, is to read the rules. I can't stress that enough.

Jeff: I'm sorry.

Stephanie: Reading the rules.

Jeff: Wait. Can you say that again? I wouldn't have started there. I really wouldn't have started there, but go ahead.

Stephanie: It's true, reading the rules because we will then know some of the critical components, what's the data and the time I need to turn in my entries? How many pieces constitute an entry? Do I need to bring four identical jars of honey, three identical jars of honey, two candles, three candles? Will one be lit? All of these kinds of things. What type of jar, what size of jar? All of those things are going to be in the rules.

I tell people, "Read the rules, read them often, print them, highlight them, hang them on the refrigerator, review them," because as you're preparing throughout the season, your bees are making their perfect product, you are thinking ahead, "I've got to make sure I order this type of jar so that I have it ready. I need to make sure that I have some molds for the candles that I want to do at the honey show."

Things like that so you can spend the whole season planning and preparing for, and then once the product is ready, then you take it and you make it look really pretty for the honey show.

Jeff: This show's coming out in mid-April. This is not too soon to start planning for your county fair show or your fair show in June, July, August timeframe.

Stephanie: No. This is the perfect time. I have already started thinking about what do I want to do next year, what categories do I want to compete in? Because as a judge, I want to compete in a variety of categories so that I can understand from the competitor's perspective the difficulty level of putting together that entry.

If I want to do comb honey, which I haven't done a lot of myself, I need to start preparing for that now. I need to have those frames prepared, those boxes, the correct foundation. I need to be ready to put those on when that strong flow comes. I can't decide in July I'm going to show comb honey because I've already missed my window.

Yes, now is a great time. While we're waiting for the weather to break in certain areas of the country, we can take a look at what are some of the categories, what might I want to enter, and what do I need to do to prepare myself and the bees to do that.

Jeff: In some areas, the rules may not be published yet, but you can go back to the prior year, I would assume and at least get 90% there to the current year's requirements.

Stephanie: You're absolutely right, Jeff. There might be times when different things will be tweaked or they might decide to add or remove categories, but if you want to get a feel for a honey show, taking a look at last year's rules will really get you in the right direction.

I oftentimes will look at certain honey shows if I've not entered that one before. My first year is my test drive. I might bring one or two entries. I want to see how that honey show works. I want to understand the culture of that organization's event.

I watch and I learn and I take back information, and then I come back the following year really ready to have the best competitive opportunity because I've already test-driven that particular show. A county fair is a great way to start. That's how I got started.

Jeff: That's fantastic. First, read the rules.

Becky: Read the rules, and then you have to find your contest. You just said it's a great place to start, but what if somebody, the only thing they do every year is go to a national convention? Is that too much for a beginner?

Stephanie: I don't think it's too much, but I think that we would probably want to maybe temper our expectations. If we're walking in as a first-time competitor just to an event that has 1,200 entries, it might be intimidating, but I don't want to discourage anyone from entering. Pick a couple of things that you can do very, very well and focus your time and energy on those so that you can put in an entry that you are so proud of, and then you can get that judge's feedback.

I love it when a judge says, "Hey, you could just do x, y, z to make this a little bit better," so that next year when I come back, I can maybe bring home a third-place ribbon and then keep working towards building up to that blue ribbon.

Becky: I have a very serious question, are all queen line jars the same?

Stephanie: Good question. In honey shows, the standard is always a glass jar. It can be a queen line or a glass of Gamber jar. As long as it's glass and it's one of those two one-pound jars, that's what you want to use. However, there's going to be variations based on the quality of the glass and how much recycled material is in there and so forth.

That is a challenging piece of showing honey, finding glass jars that look really good quality. Every time you order a case of jars, look at all of them in the light and save your very best jars off to the side to take to the honey show. Some of us end up going through lots and lots of cases of jars, but I recognize not everyone has that opportunity. Use what you have available to yourself.

Jeff: Do you find as a judge or even as a participant in these, any particular brand of jars are better for entering contests than others?

Stephanie: Both of those queen line and classic jars are fine. Neither one is better or worse than the other as long as it's glass and it's a one-pound jar. The type of lids doesn't matter as long as they all match. They all have to be identical. It can be plastic, it can be metal or so forth. I will tell you that one honey show that I participate in, the American Honey Show through the American Beekeeping Federation, Gamber sponsors the winners.

If the first or second place award goes to an exhibitor that has it in their classic jar, they receive an additional award of a gift certificate. When things like that are part of the honey show, then that will help you decide. Now I have a couple of gift certificates, I can go cash in to purchase additional jars.

Jeff: I know that from my experience, and as Becky and I were talking, it's not great, but what I was counted down on was one of my jars had a slight bubble in it and the others didn't. I didn't even realize at that time that people even looked at that closely.

You get down to that level of examination of the glass, when you say check the glass out and you might go through several boxes, several cases of jars, that's what you're looking for, you're looking for waviness in the glass, you're looking for bubbles, you're looking for imperfections, essentially.

Stephanie: You're exactly right, Jeff. It's sometimes sad how many cases we have to go through to find enough of what we consider the best quality jar to show at a show. Also those lot numbers that are on the jars that are sometimes difficult to see, if they can be removed, you would want to have those removed, whether you use alcohol or goof off or something like that.

We're finding that some of the newer production jars, they're etched in so you can't get them off. Then you want to make sure then that all of the jars, if the show requires three identical jars, then all three of them should have those numbers on them. You have to think about quality as well as is everything identical.

Jeff: The lot numbers have to all match, then?

Stephanie: That's still something I think at a show that's really, really, really high competition, and you've got two entries that are so perfect and they have to find some way to split that tie, that might be what they look at. I'm going to be honest with you, when we look at the outside of the jar and we look at the cleanliness of the outside of the jar, then we look at the clarity and the cleanliness of the honey inside the jar.

Then when we look at that fill line and make sure it's perfect, and all three of those one pound jars have the exact fill line, you start to find ways to reduce the points or to lower the placing. Although it's possible that that lot number will play a factor, I think it would be a pretty tight contest to get to that point.

Becky: With lids, I cannot believe that judges don't have preferences for metal or plastic. Are you not allowed to have a preference?

Stephanie: There is no rule that we can or cannot have a preference, but when we train as judges and when we teach other competitors, we say, we don't care what kind of lids you're using, just make sure that it matches, that it's clean and it's in good condition. When you're using some of the plastic lids that have that little insert liner, those should be removed for competition, because you're going to get honey stuck on the top of that lid and you're going to have sticky on your jar. There should be no sticky on the jar.

That's one area that people can quickly make an improvement by making sure that that's gone. When you're using your metal lids, you don't have to worry about removing that. Metal lids can be rusted and dented and scratched, and you can see fingerprints a little easier on the metal lids. There's a little bit of a balance. I think it's really a competitor's preference.

Becky: Are there white gloves involved?

Stephanie: Absolutely, Becky. As a competitor, when I show up to the desk to turn in my entries, you bet I've got my white gloves on. Then as judges and the other members of our team, our stewards and our secretaries, they're wearing gloves as well if they have to handle the exhibit. Secretaries don't typically have to touch an exhibit, but they may have to move something on the table.

We should never touch anyone's exhibit with our bare hands. We want to make sure that there are no fingerprints, no dirt, no lint, anything like that, affixing itself to one of the competitor's entries. When I, as a competitor show up to the table, I've got my white gloves on, I've got my special rag, and I'm buffing things down to make sure there is no fingerprints, you bet.

Jeff: Along with the lids, I was told long ago that you have one set of lids for travel and one set of lids for the actual show, and you swap them out just before you hand them over. Is that good practice?

Stephanie: You bet, Jeff. That's an excellent practice to have. That's a nice pro tip that I do like to share when I'm teaching people how to compete. At the time, I'm at that desk with the secretary and I've got my white gloves on and I'm buffing those jars, you bet I've changed my lids.

Because the judge, when they're done evaluating the external part of the entry, so they're looking at the glass and so forth, they're then going to start inspecting what's inside the jar. They're going to open that lid and they're immediately going to look on the underside of that lid to make sure there is no honey or debris. That should be a clean, dry underside of the lid.

We all know that when jars are being transported, things happen. That's all part of the charm of a honey show, is trying to reduce all of that and then overcome any of it that may have happened. Yes, I will switch out my lids. Then also maybe nothing got scratched or dented during that transport. Yes, that was an awesome pro tip someone shared with you.

Jeff: How do you get it on an airline or suitcase or something?

Stephanie: Thanks for that question, Jeff. I actually had my first encounter with that this January. I've been able to drive to every honey show I've competed in, or I have been able to send my honey in someone else's car to every show I've competed in up until this January. I couldn't drive to Reno, not a good idea from Wisconsin in January.

I did have to go through the challenges of shipping my honey to the actual event. There was a lot of preparation in advance with packaging materials. What day did I need to get it to the shipping store to get it to the location by the time I needed it, extra packing, extra protection, whatever I could do. Then I brought a lot of resources with me.

I brought lots of extra lids, I brought all of the materials that I used to prep my honey, my really bright flashlight that I used to shine through and make sure there's no lint in the honey and all that stuff. It was very challenging. It was a little bit expensive, but what was awesome is the time that I spent up front, I had perfect jars in good shape waiting for me when I arrived at the event.

I do know that one of my colleagues did differently. She checked all of her stuff in her checked baggage. I think she carried one of her beeswax sculptures on her lap on the plane, and the rest was in her checked luggage. That posed its own anxieties for her, but she ended up doing very, very well because of it. We probably look like crazy people until they announced those awards, and then from there we're cool.

Jeff: One of the problems is bubbles in the honey. If you ship it by UPS or FedEx or you carry it in hand, how do you take care of the bubbles in the honey before you display?

Stephanie: The first step would be making sure that it's as clear as possible before it even goes into that box or into that suitcase. We've started weeks or maybe months in advance getting that honey as clear as we possibly can. From there, we're just crossing our fingers and hoping that airlines or the shipping people are nice and gentle.

I think I wrote fragile like 10,000 times all over that box. I don't know if that made it worse on me or not. You're right, Jeff. I don't know what some of my colleagues did, but yes, I did warm my honey just slightly, just gently because I had 24 hours to prepare before I had to turn in that honey. I Ubered up to the Walmart and got myself a pot, and I'm in my hotel room gently warming my honey and just being very, very careful with it to not make it any worse than it already went in travel.

The other component to think about is pretty much everybody that was in that honey show was in the same predicament. That they either had to fly with or ship. We're at an even baseline. I will say it broke my heart to see some of my fellow competitors have damaged items through shipping, broken glass, honey all over their stuff, broken beeswax.

That is heartbreaking when that happens. Judges will keep that in perspective. It might not be a blue-ribbon entry, but they're not going to be disqualified on something that was out of their control.

Jeff: I will only offer this little personal advice or personal perspective is that after our experience getting our banner this year to the North American Honeybee Expo, I will tell you that our banner arrived at the hotel four weeks after the show.

Stephanie: Oh no.

Jeff: I sent it-- What was it, Becky? Two weeks before?

Becky: Two plus weeks maybe because it was Christmas.

Jeff: Yes, before Christmas I sent it. Anyways, be careful as you ship it. That would just make me nerve wrecking. If I'd spent months preparing my honey and selecting my jars and then put it to the care of, choose your shipper of choice, I would just be on pins and needles till it got there.

Stephanie: I will share with you that there may have been a tear shed in the shipping location because they said you're not going to get it there by the day you need it. I said, but I came in here last week and you told me today was the day. I had to very quickly pivot on New Year's Eve.

On New Year's Eve, I had to quickly pivot because the next day I was getting in a car driving to Kentucky to the North American Honeybee Expo. That honey needed to be out of my possession. A tear was shed, I pivoted, it all worked itself out, but it is stressful and you're absolutely right, things do happen.

Jeff: The tear was shed and then a cuss word said, probably.

Stephanie: More than one.

Jeff: We've got a jar, we've got our lids, we know how we're going to get it there, what about the honey? That's the product of choice. There's all different ways, not just holding it up to a light bulb, but there's different ways of checking for lint and everything else, so this becomes very critical, not to mention color. Tell us about the honey. How do you prepare your honey?

Stephanie: I do start several weeks in advance. I try to use honey that hasn't been overly spun in an extractor. I try to reduce how much air is added into it all the way at the beginning. Then I bottle it as early as I can to give it time, give it time to raise up.

If it's nice and warm outside, if it's still summer in Wisconsin, I've got those in the window so that the sun is warming them and those bubbles can rise up. Now, years ago there was a lot more use of polariscopes in honey shows, but sometimes they're not always practical to travel with. They're not sold easily out there on the marketplace. You have to build them, and not everyone has that skill or ability to do so. Some honey shows and judges have transitioned to very high-lumen flashlights. You can travel with them easily. They show you a lot of stuff. I will show competitors for the first time what wax looks like. It glows in the honey when you use that high-lumen flashlight, and you can just see the light bulb go off over their head like, "Oh my gosh, I can't just see that by holding it up to the window or to the bright light in my house." Those high-lumen flashlights are really, really helpful.

The item that we use is called the Big Larry. You can get that on Amazon. I believe there's a picture of it on our website, honeyshowusa.com.

Jeff: The big Larry next to Curly and Mo. You start with your honey, try not to spin it or you spin it very little bit, and you bottle it as soon as possible so the air has a long time to rise. Now, when you first bottle it, are you filling it at that point to the exact level or are you overfilling it so you can skim off anything before you finalize your presentation?

Stephanie: Good question. I missed a very critical step between the spinning and the bottling. Of course, we need to filter it. We need to filter it with the finest filter that we can find. When you look out on the market and some of our beekeeping suppliers, they'll sell these filters that fit over a pail, a five-gallon pail, and they come in different sizes.

A 600 micron, 400 and 200 micron. The lower the number, the finer the particles it will filter out of your honey. When I'm preparing show honey, I'm absolutely using that 200 micron filter. I am filtering it, and if I can even find something even finer than 200, I will use it. Sometimes we get creative and we will test different things. I one time bought this coffee dripper thing that looked like it would--

Guess what? It incorporated so much air into that bottle of honey, I'm like, "I'm never using this thing again." Some of it's trial and error. We're experimenting to come up with the best process, after we've filtered it as finely as we can, then yes, we fill those jars. I do overfill mine beyond that fill line because there's going to be some foam, there's going to be some things rising to the top.

I want to have extra that I can skim away. It's so much easier to remove than it is to add back in because once you add back in, you can be adding in more bubbles. You have to make sure that what you're adding in is the same exact honey because they're going to notice a difference in shade and so forth. Yes, always give yourself a little bit of wiggle room, extra fill it.

I finish my fill line the morning of the honey show. I wait until the morning of, and that's, I guess part of my process. I'm not sure that everyone else does that, but the people that room with me in the hotel, they're always warned day one, I'll be up early, I'll be doing this weird stuff, after that will be normal, I promise.

Jeff: As normal as possible. Wow, I'm tired.

Becky: I'm afraid. I'm really confident in my original decision that I'm not ready for this. This is intense. I've always known that it wasn't just you fill a jar and you turn it in. This is an impressive set of rituals and processes. This is exciting. I'm sure there are people out there going, "I can do this. I've got this. No problem."

Stephanie: There are so many people out there, and Becky, you are one of them. You can do this. I don't want this to be intimidating or scare people. That's why I do a lot of talks. I travel around and try to encourage people and give them tips. People will email me or call me and ask, "How do I do this?" Or, "Why did this happen?" Or so forth.

I want to encourage people. I want more competition out there. I want them to have fun and I want them to feel good about themselves after they've had a really fun experience at a honey show. Bragging about those blue ribbons with people, and using that as a marketing tool for your honey business, that's really what mine has turned into. I'm using the awards that I'm winning to help market my product.

Jeff: We've had guests on the show and also the American Food Awards on the podcast previously. The contestants and the people who win that, and Jay Williams who's been on our show multiple times, he's won a blue ribbon for his honey. He has used it for his marketing. I think that's fabulous. That's really cool.

Stephanie, this is really fascinating. We're only covering the contestant side of entering honey. I know you're a certified honey judge. Let's take a break, hear from our sponsors, come back and you can tell us what it takes to become a judge for a honey show, a certified judge for a honey show.

Bee Smart Designs: Spring is almost here. Give your bees the best start with the Bee Smart Universal Insulated Hive System, designed to reduce losses, support brood building and boost honey yields. It helps maintain the perfect nest temperature and humidity, all with no extra work from you. At the heart of the system, an insulated cover, insulated inner cover, IPM bottom board and direct feeder, managing moisture, and letting your bees feed right from the nest.

With up to 70% more insulation than poly hives, it keeps colonies warm in winter, cool in summer and thriving all year long. Bee Smart products fit 8-frame and 10-frame equipment, need no assembly or painting, and are built to last, right here in the USA using recycled materials. Ready to upgrade, visit beesmartdesigns.com. Click, Where to buy and order from your favorite dealer today. Bee Smart Designs, simply better beekeeping equipment.

[music]

[00:35:54] StrongMicrobials: Strong Microbials presents an exciting new product, SuperFuel, the probiotic fondant that serves as nectar on demand for our honeybees. SuperFuel is powered by three remarkable bacteria known as Bacilli, supporting bees and breaking down complex substances for easy digestion and nutrient absorption.

This special energy source provides all the essential amino acids, nutrients, polyphenols, and bioflavonoids, just like natural flower nectar. Vital for the bees nutrition and overall health, SuperFuel is the optimal feed for dearth periods over winter survival or whenever supplemental feeding is needed.

A big plus is the patties do not get hive beetle larvae. It offers all bioavailable nutrients without any waste. Visit strongmicrobials.com now to discover more about SuperFuel and get your probiotic fondant today.

Becky: Welcome back, everybody. Stephanie, we have to cover one more thing before we cover how you can actually become a judge. They're related because you have to actually get your honey ready so that a judge is going to taste that honey. In order to become a judge, you need to know what the heck you're tasting. Could you maybe start us and finish off the how to enter a contest with the tasting information and then just move us right into what that's like for a judge to have to learn how to taste honey?

Stephanie: Sure. Thank you. When we are preparing for a honey show, we need to make sure that we are harvesting, processing and packaging our honey correctly. We know that the properties of honey, it takes in moisture and it takes in odors from the environment.

As a judge, when we open that jar, we smell that honey to make sure that there are no off odors, too much bee gall, smoke, fermentation, things like that. Then we will taste a little bit of the honey. That is just for the same reason, to make sure that it was harvested handled and processed properly. Do I have any off-flavors? Do I taste smoke? Do I taste the bee gall? Do I taste fermentation?

I'll tell you a really quick story that I heard from my mentor, Bruts. He said that there was a particular honey show that the honey tasted like rubber bands, and they weren't really sure what that meant, what floral source makes that flavor. After the show was over, they had a nice conversation with the exhibitor and they learned that part of his process was bottling honey in a room next to where he repaired bike tires.

Becky: Oh my gosh.

Stephanie: Moral of the story is, as a competitor, I'm very conscious about the environment in which I am harvesting, handling, bottling, processing my hive produce. We should be doing that all the time, not just for honey shows, but all the time for our customers.

In addition to that, Becky, there is one category in the honey show that's called the Black Jar. That is the only one that is on flavor alone. That's why it's called Black Jar. It's the easiest category to enter. Everyone can do it without any hard work.

Becky: Wait.

Stephanie: Yes.

Becky: No fill line.

Stephanie: No fill line. It's in a black jar so we can't even see it as a judge.

Becky: Oh, my gosh.

Stephanie: It's strictly on flavor alone. That's your gateway category, Becky. I want to see you enter that one.

Becky: That is my gateway category, for sure. I'm so there. Are there certain flavors of flowers that are more award-winning when it comes to Black Jar, or is it just the combination?

Stephanie: I think it's perhaps the combination of the judges that might be judging that particular show. It might be the region where that particular show is. If we're looking at the North American Honey Bee Expo versus the Midwest Honey Bee Expo, and which judges are at one of those events, perhaps the preferences might be different.

We know that our fine friends down in the South really are very proud of their sourwood honey. It is internationally recognized as an award-winning flavor, but some of us just can't produce that, but we produce some still very delicious honey that can win awards.

Becky: Are people blending honeys to get to that Black Jar? Are they extracting from a couple of different sources and then making that perfect flavor combination?

Stephanie: They might be, I'm not real sure. The person that won the black jar at the North American Honey Bee Expo, I think that she said it was her first time ever extracting honey. How exciting for her, but everyone else going, "What?"

Again, having your bees in a spot where there's some really great floral resources and maybe the bees doing a blend instead of us blending. I see nothing wrong with either one of those approaches.

Becky: Then if you are going to become a honey judge, I think first and foremost, you have to have an excellent palate and you have to love honey, right?

Stephanie: I think you do have to love honey. Now, I am still working on fine-tuning my palate, but I can tell if the honey was handled properly. I might not be able to tell you some of the floral resources, but I'm working towards that. That's not really the goal. Again, our goal as a judge is to make sure that it was harvested, handled, packaged, and processed properly.

Jeff: We are quickly coming close to our end of time. We could probably do another show on how to become a honey judge. Can we dive into that just a little bit. You can give us the 5,000-foot level view of what does it take to become a honey judge?

Stephanie: You bet, Jeff. Thanks for asking. There are about three different levels through the American Honey Show Training Council. Level 1 is taking their eight-hour class, which often will be tied to another event. It might be the day before a weekend-long conference.

If anyone out there is planning a beekeeping event in their state or in their region and would like to add that introductory class, go ahead and reach out to my friends at the American Honey Show Training Council, and they'd be happy to work with you because their goal is to work with and help everyone that has an interest in honey shows.

It's almost like an apprenticeship program from that point. As a trainee, you spend time acting as a secretary at honey shows that are scheduled around the nation, and you have to have a minimum number of those under your belt. Then you also have to have a minimum number of steward points as you're training and trying to get through your certification.

You will look at what events are happening, and you'll sign up to go to one of those, and you'll either select being a secretary or a steward. Secretary is pretty self-explanatory. You're out front and you're checking in the entries and you're doing the paperwork, and tallying the points, and getting the ribbons ready, and all of those important administrative tasks.

Then as a steward, you are assisting judges. You're moving entries around, you're keeping things organized, but while you're assisting those judges, they're teaching you what they're doing. I'm showing them, here's where I'm looking at the fill line, here's where I see a little piece of wax in this particular entry, and so forth. Then I'm even showing them, here's some of the comments that I try to write to encourage and help somebody improve so that when they come back next year, they'll do even better.

After you've met those minimum requirements, there is a testing component. You have to build your judge's kit. They provide you with a list of the items that need to be in that kit so that you're prepared to judge a variety of different hive produce, whether it's comb honey or liquid honey or creamed honey or all of those other-- Candles, all of the great hive produce and some of the things that we do beyond that, maybe some of the arts and crafts and so forth.

We build our judge's kit, and we have to have a binder of evidence showing that we've done all these things. In addition to all that, we've been competing all along at different shows because you can't usually compete at the same show that you're working at. You have to earn points as a competitor. Like I said at the beginning, I need to understand from the competitor's perspective what it took to prepare these types of entries.

You receive points based on what place you received. For example, if you got a blue ribbon at a show, you get six points. You have to earn a certain number of points, 50, 75. I can't remember exactly, the curriculum has changed since I started. After you meet all of that criteria, I've been a steward, I've been a secretary, I've taken the training, I've built my judge's kit, I have earned points competing at other honey shows, then I can schedule my exam.

It's a practical exam where the senior judges will watch me judge items that they have brought in. They're aware of any defects, and they watch me and then they check my binder and they check my judge's kit. If I pass all of that, I get to put the white hat on. That's level 2, from that point, it could be several years before I can achieve what it takes to become a senior-level judge. More competing, more judging, more secretarying, and so forth.

Becky: Stephanie, are there enough judges out there? What's the state of honey judging in the United States?

Stephanie: That's a great question. Currently, 30 states, we have either a student in the program that's pursuing becoming a judge or they are a judge already. We have about 40 judges in the nation and about 250 students currently.

We've got a good number of judges, but as our exposure continues to grow, and the popularity of our type of honey show continues to grow with big events like Hive Life, North American Honeybee Expo, Midwest Honeybee Expo, and so forth, we're going to see a need for more judges around the nation. I got lucky to become the first person in the state of Wisconsin because I went to an event a few states south of me.

This program became popular and started in Georgia and Florida, and has started to work its way up. As we infiltrate the other states around us, then we're going to need more and more staff, because sometimes it can be difficult for some of our staff to travel to a state that's really far away to be able to help with the show. We do it because we love it, so we're always there.

Jeff: Are the standards that are adopted by the American Honey Show Training Council the same as they might be in Europe? Is there an alignment with the standards? If you're a judge in the United States, could you be a judge in Canada and a judge in Paris or France?

Stephanie: That's a great question, Jeff. In 2001, Dr. Keith Delaplane invited Michael Young from Ireland to come over and teach the Welsh Honey Judge Program, a scaled-down version of what they were doing in Britain. That's when it took hold in Georgia and spread through the southeastern part of our nation.

Then a few years ago, when the Young Harris Beekeeping Program closed, it was rebranded as the American Honey Show Training Council. It has become its own independent 501(c)(3). Now, is there reciprocity with our certifications? I'm not sure, but I would suspect that probably we could work with the staff in those other countries.

I can see this growing beyond the United States. I know that some of my colleagues have judged in other countries, but I'm not sure if there is 100% reciprocity. I haven't asked that question yet, but boy, I wouldn't turn down an invite to go somewhere else.

Jeff: Is there a honey show in Cabo? I don't know, but I sure would like to find out.

Stephanie: I have a better suggestion, why don't we just make one happen?

Jeff: There you go. I like that, actually. Becky's been wanting to do a Beekeeping Today Podcast cruise. Why not do a Beekeeping Today Podcast cruise and honey show?

Becky: There you go. Try to get that honey on that ship. You're going to have to change the size of your jars.

Jeff: Oh, seriously? I don't know anything about cruises.

Becky: I think so. Maybe. Maybe we can get an exception. That's worth working for.

Stephanie: The way I see it, where there's a will, there's a way.

Becky: There you go.

Stephanie: I'm in.

Becky: There you go.

Jeff: You'd be the second person we'd call, Stephanie. I don't know who'd be the first-

Becky: Who'd be the [crosstalk] the first?

Jeff: -but I didn't want to guarantee you the first slot. Stephanie, it's been a total delight having you on the show today to talk about what it takes to enter honey into a honey show, which there was a lot more steps to it than I had remembered, and becoming even a honey judge, because I just thought it was somebody who just said, "I'll do it," at the local club. It's a lot more involved. There's a lot of respect with that responsibility of being a certified honey judge. That's really, really cool.

Stephanie: Thank you for that. We train to a standard so that we can judge to a standard. Thank you for that.

Becky: I'm just so impressed, Stephanie. This has been such a fun hour talking about it because of all the unknowns and all the great tips, and just to know that people are taking honey so seriously. That really does elevate it for the rest of the industry. Very cool.

Jeff: Thanks a lot. I hope you will come back and join us again in a future show and talk to us a little bit more about this.

Stephanie: Thank you so much for having me. This has been so much fun. I'll come back anytime you invite me.

[music]

Jeff: Watch for the invite for the cruise.

Stephanie: I'm signed up already.

Jeff: I wasn't planning on entering any honey shows this summer, but I'm like, "I could do this. "I would like to do it just to see how well I did.

Becky: I would only do a Black Jar because I don't have-- Like I said, it's not in me right now to be able to put in that extreme effort, which is super cool, and I respect the heck out of it, but Black Jar that beginner's luck, that sounds like fun.

Jeff: I think it'd be really fun here in my local county. I'll seriously consider. This may not be the right summer to do it, but I'll have to. It is fun. I encourage our listeners to look into their local county fair. That sounds like a perfect place to start. Read the rules, I was surprised at that, who would've think. Read the rules. You have nothing to lose.

Becky: I love that. I agree. I think that hopefully people are inspired because it does sound like a really fun quest to start from searching from the perfect jars, to the perfect honey, and then filling the jar perfectly. I'm so impressed. I always knew it was a big deal, though. I could tell, those jars are beautiful.

Jeff: When someone gets a blue ribbon, they've earned it. That about wraps it up for this episode. Before we go, I want to encourage our listeners to follow us and rate us five stars on Apple Podcast or wherever you download and stream the show.

Even better, write a review and let other beekeepers looking for a new podcast know what you'd like. You can get there directly from our website by clicking on the reviews tab along the top of any webpage. We want to thank Betterbee and our regular longtime sponsors, Global Patties, Strong Microbials, and Northern Bee Books for their generous support.

Finally, and most importantly, we want to thank you the Beekeeping Today podcast listener for joining us on this show. Feel free to leave us questions and comments on our website. We'd love to hear from you. Thanks a lot, everybody.

[00:52:46] [END OF AUDIO]