Crystalized Honey is Safe, Natural, and Delicious!
Raw honey is a beautiful thing.
*Usually* the reason the honey on shelves in the grocery store is clear is because the big commercial honey producers have used thorough heating process and used micro filters which pasteurizes the honey. This honey can still crystallize after a long while. The issue with this process, is that it removes all the goodness of the honey the filtering removes pollen, the heating destroys enzymes, and reduces the unique flavors and colors of honey.
*Usually* the reason the honey on shelves in the grocery store is clear is because the big commercial honey producers have used thorough heating process and used micro filters which pasteurizes the honey. This honey can still crystallize after a long while. The issue with this process, is that it removes all the goodness of the honey the filtering removes pollen, the heating destroys enzymes, and reduces the unique flavors and colors of honey.
Why does honey crystallize?
Honey is made up of various sugars, but mostly Fructose and Glucose. The amount of glucose and fructose determines if and how quickly a particular honey will crystallize. The more glucose there is, the faster it will crystallize. If the honey has lots of fructose, it may be slow to crystallize, or it may not crystallize for a long long time.
Raw honey is far more likely to crystallize because it has not been processed.
Raw honey is far more likely to crystallize because it has not been processed.
What makes honey have more or less glucose/fructose?
Different flowers produce nectars with varying levels of fructose and glucose, so the contents of the honey are determined by the nectar sources foraged by the bees.
It is also dependent on the time of year the bees are foraging. In my experience, it seems that fall flowers tend to have more glucose, because fall honey tends to crystallize much faster than honey harvested earlier in the year.
I’ve read that as a “general rule” tree nectars have more fructose. However, it’s still impossible to tell if/when a honey may or may not crystallize because bees tend to forage from different flowers.
It is also dependent on the time of year the bees are foraging. In my experience, it seems that fall flowers tend to have more glucose, because fall honey tends to crystallize much faster than honey harvested earlier in the year.
I’ve read that as a “general rule” tree nectars have more fructose. However, it’s still impossible to tell if/when a honey may or may not crystallize because bees tend to forage from different flowers.
How do I liquify crystallized honey?
Personally, I don’t. I let it do it’s thing. In fact, before I kept my own bees, I asked for the beekeeper’s crystallized honey! Why? Because it’s amazing. It’s not as drippy, so my counter by my coffee pot where I put a tablespoon of honey in my coffee every day, is not sticky! Haha. And I also love the texture when I need a spoonful to sneak for myself.
If you really want to, or if your honey has crystallized so much that you cannot spoon it, then you may want to heat it up a tiny bit. However, please do not use the microwave! Every time we heat the honey, it takes away a little bit of its healthy goodness.
So what you’ll do is get some water on the stove, and heat it up to maybe 90-104 degrees, place the jar of honey, without the lid, into the water, and keep an eye on it - once it’s usable, you want to stop heating it. We don’t want to heat it for very long, the longer we heat it, it also will take away the honey’s amazing properties.
However, the honey will crystallize back up in no time, so heating will not make your honey liquid permanently.
If you really want to, or if your honey has crystallized so much that you cannot spoon it, then you may want to heat it up a tiny bit. However, please do not use the microwave! Every time we heat the honey, it takes away a little bit of its healthy goodness.
So what you’ll do is get some water on the stove, and heat it up to maybe 90-104 degrees, place the jar of honey, without the lid, into the water, and keep an eye on it - once it’s usable, you want to stop heating it. We don’t want to heat it for very long, the longer we heat it, it also will take away the honey’s amazing properties.
However, the honey will crystallize back up in no time, so heating will not make your honey liquid permanently.
