Period way to carry honey?

[Derrek]

Hey just looking for some quick know-how on period ways to carry honey or other liquids, other than a corked glass jar. The corks just aren't capping it for me.

[Manveruon]

An excellent question - and one that I would be very interested in having answered by our most learned forum members. Should I assume a wood stopper would likely have been used throughout antiquity until the cork came into vogue? And would one want to seal the container with wax of some kind? Also, it seems stoneware of some kind would probably be preferable to glass, since modern glass bottles are... well... modern, in that they are of a much higher quality and clarity than those of old, and also tend to show mold lines, etc. But honestly, this is something I don't know much about, and I've been pondering it a lot lately with regard to my ranging kit.

[Udwin]

I've found that websearching terms like 'period honey containers' are next to useless. Honey is common to both my Beorning and Hobbit impressions, so a way to carry honey has been the holy grail of my kit.

As a sticky liquid, the first trick to making honey easier to transport is to get it to crystallize. That way you can pack your given container with solid honey and don't have to worry as much if it tips over. For most folks, I think a small stoneware pot with a fitted animal bladder(or artificial bladder, for those who aren't me) tied over the top would work just fine

I tend to do things more with natural materials, so my current inclination is towards a double-walled birchbark cylinder, with tight-fitting wooden top and bottom; cracks and seams sealed with melted beeswax.

(FWIW, I feel like a chunk of honeycomb would be more common historically than liquid honey.)

[Peter Remling]

This subject came up years ago and I havn't been able to come up with a period way. The best I can come up with is an old wide mouth spice jar with a cork stopper. It will take some hunting but when you find them you will generally find a bunch of them.

[Elleth]

The very cleanest way? Baked into cakes.

In period I think "stoneware with a wooden stopper" is about as secure as you're going to get, yes. At home you'd use the same vessel, but perhaps with a waxed linen cover: the "saran wrap" of the day. (Yes Manv, cork comes into general use... gah. Sometime after 14th c, before 18th. I want to say 16th-17th, after transcontinental trade picks up)

Anyhow, the at-home covers are easy enough to make on your own, but this is the idea:
http://historicenterprises.com/index.ph ... ts_id=1296

Once on the trail? I think a smaller neck to the vessel and some means of securing the stopper in tight will both help.
Did you see the container on the Anduin Honey site we were just talking about? Something like that, but with a more reusable cord system on the jar might work.
http://www.middle-earthhoney.co.nz/

If you're regularly using it, waxing the stopper probably won't last long unless you reapply it every stop.
Perhaps after each use wrap the entire affair in a waxed linen cloth and tie *that* shut as well? At least it should contain any drips from the sealed stopper and the stickyness on the bottle.
Or smaller jars, each sealed and waxed, sized to be single use? (though that will get heavy quickly)


Honey's a messy thing to carry *now* - I don't think there's an in-period way to make it any easier I'm afraid. :/

Also, watch out for bears.

[Manveruon]

I love you guys! What a wonderful wealth of information! I like those artificial bladders. I think I may definitely have to try some of those at some point. Makes a lot of sense to me to use something like that for sealing vessels of various types. Otherwise, using a combo of wood/cork stopper and some kind of wrap (be it linen or bladder) sounds like it could be a solid method as well.

[Taurinor]

If you choose to go the wrapped spice jar route, raw honey may be easier to carry than the more processed translucent-looking honey in the supermarket. It's a lot thicker, so it may run less. I know when I've used it, I've had to heat the jar to pour it or scoop it out with a spoon.

[Manveruon]

To be fair, a lot of that processed, translucent-looking "honey" you find in supermarkets isn't even technically honey. Caveat emptor.

[Taurinor]

To be fair, a lot of that processed, translucent-looking "honey" you find in supermarkets isn't even technically honey. Caveat emptor.

Very true! Some of it is corn syrup, which I don't think Tolkien ever mentioned

[Harper]

To be fair, a lot of that processed, translucent-looking "honey" you find in supermarkets isn't even technically honey. Caveat emptor.

Very true! Some of it is corn syrup, which I don't think Tolkien ever mentioned

Well said!

Don't waste your time with that stuff.

Buy Raw Organic Honey. Not only can you use it for healing purposes, this type of honey has a thicker, buttery type consistency. It will be less of a mess if it spills from whatever you put it in.

http://www.amazon.com/Certified-Organic ... anic+honey

In addition to tasting good, honey is probably better than the best stuff out there for burns and wounds. Honey provides a moist healing environment while preventing infection. This is true even when wounds are heavily infected. Honey is probably better than most modern first aid creams and antibiotics since they often kill tissue and result in scabs and scars. Honey also absorbs the moisture from the wound which bacteria needs to survive. When honey is diluted by the fluids produced by the wound itself, an enzyme is released by the honey that results in the natural production of hydrogen peroxide.

If you combine it with some Celtic Sea Salt and some water, you have a natural electrolyte drink. Here is a Rehydration Drink based on the World Health Organization’s recommendations:

1/8 tsp. Celtic Sea Salt (or similar)
2-3 Tbl. Honey
8 oz. water

The preceding information was presented for educational purposes. It is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, treat, heal, cure, etc. Consult a physician for medical problems.

[Cinead]

Horn container with a close fitting wood stopper....and then wrapped up and carried in a cooking container with a lid.....