Homemade honey stinger gels in action

[bogiesan]

Read the extended version of this topic here:
http://www.bentrideronline.com/messageboard/showthread.php?t=60166

The basic recipe is simple, 7 parts honey, 1 part molasses, dash of salt, a bit of flavoring. Cheap, excellent blast of calories that get processed quickly, but this stuff isn't really FOOD.

I'm experimenting now with using soy instead of salt; provides depth and character to the mouthful of super-sweetness. Curiously, the best flavorings come from the sugar-free syrups one buys for Italian sodas and lattes.

I'll be trying agave in the next batch.

david boise ID

[FredHiltz]

Interesting! Better than the commercial stuff, I'd think.

Fred

[MTBMaven]

I made something like this awhile back.  I wasn't too in to the molasses taste.  I have since moved to use just pure honey.  I look to other sources for electrolytes.  If you have allergies try to find local honey rather than something from some other region of the country.  Local honey has antibodies to help with allergies from local pollens.

[dahut]

Fascinating.

Would it be possible to mix the honey concoction with a little bit of rolled oat as a "buffer" (for lack of a better name)? Perhaps wrap them tightly with gelatin paper in little "cubettes." Then pop one in your mouth, swill down a slug of water and pedal on.
The oats might extend the burst of energy?

[jsieber]

I'm curious about making these. What do you do to "cure" the honey so that it becomes solid and transportable?

[bogiesan]

I'm curious about making these. What do you do to "cure" the honey so that it becomes solid and transportable?

Interesting question, I hd no idea. So I used google.

http://161.58.48.157/downloads/crystallization.pdf
http://www.scienceline.org/2007/04/09/ask-westly-crystallizedhoney/
http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/gen06/gen06278.htm
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090402211116AAqSCqX

Easier to use creamed or crystalized honey.
While I love crystalized honey, it just takes too long. but if you buy a half gallon jug and put it in cabinet for a season or two, it should be crystalized when you need it.

david boise ID

[bogiesan]

Update:
There are some practical considerations. You can make a batch of the base syrup and add flavorings each day. This stuff is difficult to clean up and if you make a mess, it's an utterly miserable mess. Might not be appropriate for self-contained traveling.

Tried these recipes last week:
Make the day of the journey, add the pat of butter at breakfast. Probably won't keep.
6 T honey
1 T molasses
1 T butter
jury opinion: Yummy BUTTERSCOTCH !!!

6 T honey
1 T molasses
2 T peanut or almond butter (the brand makes a huge difference inconsistency and flavor  and determines whether or not you need soy or salt)

6 T honey
1 T molasses
2 T Greek-style yogurt (has twice the protein as regular yogurt)
note: Tasty with a tang but, for some reason, this combination turns into a watery liquid.

7 T honey
1 T molasses
1 T lemon juice
Dash salt or soy

I've also tried using Davinci Splenda-based hazelnut and caramel syrups but those were all I had in the house. Extracts are too dicey for me. I find them dependably unpredictable and weirdly artificial no matter how "natural" they claim to be.