[Bonus] Short - Winning Honey with Stephanie Slater

[Bonus] Short - Winning Honey with Stephanie Slater

Jeff Ott
Welcome to Beekeeping Today Podcast Shorts, your quick dive into the latest buzz in beekeeping.

Becky Masterman
In 20 minutes or less, we'll bring you one important story, keeping you informed and up to date.

Jeff Ott
No fluff, no fillers. Just the news you need.

Becky Masterman
Brought to you by BetterBee, your partners in better beekeeping.

Stephanie Slater
Hi, it's good to have you here. Welcome to my Beekeeping Today Podcast Short. Bite-sized moments where we dive into honey shows, judging tips, and the art of exhibiting. My name is Stephanie Slater, and I'm thrilled to be here with you today.

As we mentioned last week, I'm brainstorming names for this segment, and listeners are encouraged to submit some suggestions. In fact, we've already received some really great ones, so keep sending those our way. Although I am from Wisconsin, I come to you today from Texas, where I'm spending the week working with some of my commercial beekeeping friends. As a small-scale beekeeper, it's a fun way to spend a week every spring experiencing beekeeping life at a much larger scale.

I'll come home energized for the 2026 beekeeping season. I know to most regular people that doesn't sound like an ideal vacation to go and work in the heat and work bees. But I certainly enjoy it and this is my fifth year being able to do that. So thank you to my friends that host me Since you already know a little bit about me as a honey show competitor and judge, I thought I'd take a minute to share how I actually got started in beekeeping.

I did grow up on a dairy farm, but we didn't have bees, and we didn't really know any beekeepers either But then a few years later, actually quite a few years later, I happened to go to a beekeeping presentation at an Earth Day event, and that was it. I was hooked. I've always been the kind of person who brings home unusual things. Peacocks, for example.

So getting into bees probably wasn't all that surprising. However, I'll admit my family was skeptical at first and thought I was nuts But they've fully embraced it since then. Now, I wasn't living on the farm anymore at that time, and I knew there would be some challenges, but I figured it out as I went. And before long, beekeeping turned into something much bigger than I expected.

It really started to change my life. So here we are. So since this podcast is all about honey shows, I thought it would be a great place to start by talking about some of the benefits of entering them. So healthy competition is good for all of us.

It raises the bar for quality across the board. We learn from other competitors and we learn from judges. That's where real growth happens And it's not just about us. It's also about educating the public, or the civilians as they call them.

Think about the people walking through your county or state fair. A lot of them don't know much about beekeeping. And a honey show helps tell that story. It shows them what quality hive products should look like.

And I like to think of it this way, showmanship is really educationship when it comes to honey shows. And let's be honest, the bragging rights don't hurt either. It's pretty fun to share that blue ribbon with your friends and family. Those awards can be powerful marketing tools.

When you display them at farmers markets or add a special sticker to your jar, you're showing your customers that your product stands out and it's been recognized for its quality. Now let me ask you this. Where does the best honey in the world come from? Well, it comes from your own bees every time.

And that is what we're celebrating at honey shows. At the end of the day, your bees have already done the hard work. They've created a perfect product. Your job is to present it in its best possible way.

And that's really what a honey show is all about. It helps you become a better producer so you can create even higher quality products for your customers or your friends and family. And yes, it's a lot of fun too. Some of my closest friendships have come from people I compete against.

We cheer each other on and celebrate the wins and maybe commiserate just a little when things don't go our way. And I can neither confirm nor deny that a few friendly wagers have been made, usually involving who's buying the first round Which somehow tastes even sweeter when someone else is picking up the tab. So in this series of Beekeeping Today Podcast Shorts, we're going to spend some time really digging into honey shows We'll talk about the different categories you can enter, how to prepare your entries, and what judges are actually looking for when they're evaluating your work. I'll also share some information about the different honey shows you can participate in, whether you're just getting started or looking to take things to the next level.

My goal is to break down all things into simple practical pieces so you can feel confident stepping into a honey showroom. One honey show I definitely want to highlight is the Center for Honey Bee Research Black Jar Contest. It's a little different from your traditional honey show. A black jar contest is one all about taste.

The honey is judged blind Meaning it's presented in blacked-out jars or covered up so the judges can't see the color or clarity. Only the flavor matters in a black jar. The Center for Honey Bee Research Black Jar Contest is an international competition, so you're not just competing locally, you're going up against honey from all over the world, which is pretty incredible. And you can even enter multiple varieties if you'd like.

Entries are straightforward. You can send in your honey, and from there it goes through multiple rounds of tasting, eventually narrowing down top finalists and winners. And of course, there are some great incentives, cash prizes, recognition, and maybe most importantly, some serious bragging rights on the global stage. So if you're thinking about entering, here are a few key details to keep in mind.

Submissions are open from May 1st through July 31st this year. and it's fifteen dollars per entry. You'll send in a total of three pounds of honey either as three one pound jars or all three pounds in an unbreakable container. And don't forget to include two labels.

One jar will stay unlabeled for judging and the other two are actually used for fundraising. How great is that? Judging takes place August and September, with the final round happening in October at the Black Jar Gala event. And yes, there are some pretty exciting prizes.

The grand prize is $2,500 and your name gets added to that incredible trophy. You should check out pictures of it on their Facebook page or their website. There are also $500 awards for the top three overall, plus $150 prizes for winners in 10 different categories. I'll admit I look forward to this contest every year, and I encourage you to give it a try too.

Black Jar contests are the easiest ones to enter because you don't have to do all the extra things to make it look extra pretty. So give it a try. The money goes for a good cause and How fun would it be to win one of those great prizes? So whether you're brand new to beekeeping or you've been at it for years, I'd really encourage you to give any honey show a try.

You might learn something new, meet some incredible people, and have a lot of fun along the way. So go ahead, enter a honey show. Best case, you'll come home with a ribbon. Worst case, you've still got great honey and a pretty good story to tell.

And honestly, that's a win either way. So until next month, everyone, blue skies and blue ribbons. I'll catch you next time.