Homemade Honey Sticks

Intro: Homemade Honey Sticks

Honey sticks are a great little treat. They are delicious. They are portable. They have an extremely long shelf life. But most importantly, they are easy and fun to make. You may even want to get the kids involved. So here is a simple tutorial on how to make your own honey sticks.

STEP 1: Materials

Here are the materials that you will need for this project:

Honey: There are a lot of different types of honey that you can use. You can use any basic honey that you find on the shelf at your grocery store. Or you can find specialty honeys that are made primarily from one type of flower. Each different flower type gives a distinct flavor. Most areas with a lot of farm land will have bee keepers that will sell locally made honey. 

Straws: Any plastic straw can work. I prefer to use clear strawing. The process is a little easier if you can see the honey as your are filling the straws. Also a clear straw shows off the delicious honey inside. 

Candle: You need a heat source to seal the ends of the straw. I like to use a candle because it is stationary but you can also use a lighter.

Needle Nose Pliers: You need a pair of pliers to pinch the straw and hold it shut while sealing the ends. The narrow tip of needle nose pliers works best.

STEP 2: Cut the Straws to the Desired Length

The first thing that you need to do is cut the straws to the desired length. Keep in mind that you will lose about a centimeter on each side during the sealing process.

STEP 3: Fill the Straw With Honey

Press the straw against the opening of the honey bottle and gently squeeze the honey into the straw. Add honey until it is about one inch from the opposite end.Then remove the honey bottle. Tilt the straw so that the honey to falls to the center of the tube. You want to have room on each side seal the straw.

If you are not using honey from a squeeze bottle, you can insert the honey using a syringe or a funnel with a lot of patience.

STEP 4: Pinch the End of the Straw Closed

The end of the straw where the honey was added still has some honey residue so we want to seal the other end first. Take the needle nose pliers and pinch the clean end of the straw closed. You want to have about 1/8 inch (3mm)  of straw sticking out past the pliers.

STEP 5: Melt the End of the Straw to Seal It

Now you want to carefully melt the plastic at the end of the straw to seal it. I recommend holding the end of the straw near the side of the flame (not above it). This gives you the most control. Work slowly. 

Once the tip is melted, move the straw away from the candle but continue holding it closed with the pliers. You need to wait for the plastic to completely re-solidify. After a few seconds the plastic will be cool and you will have an air tight seal.

STEP 6: Let the Straw Sit So That the Honey Can Settle to the Bottom

Before sealing the second end, you want to drain out any residual honey. Prop the straw up and let it sit for several minutes to allow the honey to fall to the bottom.

STEP 7: Seal the Second End

Now just repeat the same sealing process. Pinch the end of the straw with your pliers. Then slowly melt he tip. If there is any honey still in the end of the straw, it may start to bubble out. If this happens, you can wipe it off with a wet cloth. Now the straw is sealed on both ends. 

STEP 8: Enjoy Your Delicious Honey Sticks

You have successfully made your own honey sticks. You can pack them up and take them with you wherever you go.They can make a tasty snack or you can use them to sweeten your cup of tea. 

If properly stored, these can last forever. But they will probably get eaten up before long.

STEP 9: Other Applications for This Technique

Here is a quick video that shows other ways that you can use straws as small portable waterproof containers.

Comments

[bravoechonovember1]

awesome project!

if you have allergies you should use local honey and also watch out for crystallization

[robcaleb36]

If the honey crystallizes, simply let it soak in hot water until it reconstitutes into a liquid. You may have tonise a double boiler. Keep in mind, if you can get all the air out you may be fine.

[gthomas28]

sorry to say this is a total myth.

[robcaleb36]

I'll be using this as a step by step for honey sticks that I plan on making later this week. While I looked into buying an Impulse Sealer this method looks better, though not as time saving (I have A LOT of honey sticks to make). I'll comment again with some photos (waiting for my straws to arrive).

[ikghawanmeh11]

does this pop open easily or do you have to cut it open?
I've seen the commercial honey sticks that pop open instantly when you bite them.

[westrack47]

This is also a great way to carry triple antibiotic ointment or other salve. Saves carrying a larger tube and is really nice in small first aid kits or fishing tackle box.

[RandallF15]

where do we get the flavoring for the stix

[DIY Hacks and How Tos]

You can use any syrup or flavor powder mix. I just use kool-aid packets.

[jeanniel1]

Super idea! And for the portable ways to carry small stuff waterproofed!

[redcore4]

Quite a lot of commercially-produced honey has already been heated either to pasteurise it or to re-liquefy it if it has crystallised during storage or production. So while heating may affect raw honey, for most supermarket honey it really won't make any difference.

[BetsyFartBlossom]

O.k., made these. The first few were a disaster, but once I got the hang of it, it went pretty easily. Some of the straws didn't seal properly and the honey leaked out. Thankfully I let them sit upright in a cup overnight, so minimal mess. I just cut the top off of the straws that were low on honey and warmed my pouring honey in the microwave and it poured into the straw easily. Great craft! Now, to see how they sell:)

[Marysia_Too]

Heating honey in a microwave (or any method) will kill all the good stuff that makes honey more beneficial than just eating sugar. Just an FYI...

[ricardomccoy]

Thanks for pointing that out!

[Yonatan24]

1. Can't it slowly develop Botulinium inside if it isn't vacuum sealed?

2. I'm pretty sure you can find them at stores too...

3.Of you melt the straw and then put food inside, you're prbably eating a little BPA which isn't something healthy to if you do this regularly

[photon11161]

Honey is both hygroscopic (removes water) & an antibiotic, so botulism will not happen. This is a perfectly fine way to store honey.

[Yonatan24]

Check out this link

[1boymiffed]

I am sorry, Bisphenol A (BPA) is only a by-product of Polycarbonate and Polycarbonate alloys degrading. BPA is not a problem with any other polymer, such as Polyethylene or Polypropylene which drinking straws are made from. There is much misinformation about Polycarbonate and BPA, especially from the media, which has fooled much of the greater public.

[DIY Hacks and How Tos]

1. It is possible that something might grow inside the sticks. But it is unlikely because the straw should be completely sealed. So it should be just as good as the honey in the plastic bottle in your pantry. Also honey has natural preservatives that inhibit the development of microbes. But still honey should never be given to babies because they are much more sensitive to exposure.

2. Yes you could buy them. But making them yourself is more fun.

3. Plastic straws are typically made from polyproplylene or polystyrene. These plastics are very unlikely to have any BPA present. These are the same plastics used in regular food containers which are also melted when formed. So again it is no different from eating honey from the plastic jar in your pantry. And even if trace amounts of BPA were present in the plastic, almost none of it would transfer to the food. So the exposure would be so low that it wouldn't cause any health concerns. The only possible concerns would be for infants who shouldn't be eating honey anyway.

[FlorinJ]

1. Even if the straw is completely sealed, plastic is usually porous enough to let oxygen diffuse through it, in time. However, honey itself is unlikely to let anything grow inside it - nothing grows in high concentrations of sugar. Honey would get spoiled in a jar or even in the bee hive otherwise.

[bgunville]

kudos to your answer.