One of the most common questions we get is about what to do with half-eaten jars of honey that have become crystallized. Many wrongly believe that crystallized honey is no good or is rotten, and will sometimes opt out of buying a larger jar of honey for fear it won’t all get eaten before crystallization sets in. But the reality is that crystallized honey is just as delicious as liquid honey; it’s merely changed state.
All raw honey is some combination of pure fructose and glucose. In other words, it’s sugar, and all sugar crystallizes over time. The ratio of fructose to glucose impacts the rate of crystallization, as does storage temperature, and the method of screening or filtration used.
Glucose crystallizes more quickly than fructose, and the water content within honey is such that fructose is able to remain dissolved in the water content of the honey, whereas the glucose tends to crystallize. Therefore honeys with higher glucose levels (clover, alfalfa) tend to crystallize more quickly than those with higher fructose levels. The water content in honey is also very important, as too much water leads to fermentation and down the path of mead-making. Maybe that’s your goal, but maybe it’s not. If your honey has a funky smell to it, it’s likely from having too much water; literally the only thing that will destroy its perpetual shelf-life.
Honeybee hives are fascinating in that they are temperature-controlled by the bees inhabiting them at a temperature around ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. This is called “Hive Temperature” and it is the most ideal storage temperature for honey to minimize the crystallization process. Importantly, honey that breaches 104 degrees begins to cook the enzymes found within raw honey. This is an additional method of filtration, which further reduces the chances of crystallization, but renders the honey obsolete in terms of benefit, and it is at this point that honey is no longer considered “raw” or “unfiltered.” For large distributors, that’s a sacrifice worth making to ensure a million jars of honey stay perfectly liquid for months while they wait for consumers.
Here at Bees in the ‘Burbs, however, we never heat our honey above hive temperatures, and we never will. We sympathize with those who see it as tough work keeping honey in the perfect window for consumption, but unlike virtually any other consumable, honey will never expire. In fact, crystallized honey is a delectable treat in and of itself! By controlling the crystallization process, you can make creamed honey and enjoy it as a spreadable topping for toast or pancakes. The possibilities are endless with honey in solid form, particularly when you begin to substitute it into recipes… But of course, if you’re insistent on having liquid honey, a warm water bath between 90-100 degrees is all you need to bring your hardened rock of honey back to that delicious, pourable treat you bought it to be. (A few seconds in the microwave won’t completely destroy it, if you just can’t wait.)
So store it in the perfect setting, or just leave it on your counter. It really doesn’t matter, as long as you keep the moisture out of it, honey will never perish!
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