A word on honey..
A short list of things that will eventually happen whether we like it or not:
Taxes
Our eventual deaths
The heat death of the universe
The crystallization of honey
I will stick to what I know today and focus on the honey part. I’m thinking of this at the moment, as my honey larder grows smaller and the next honey season is still some months away. All I have left in this diminishing honey supply is the late summer dark honey. Dark honey typically crystallizes a lot faster than the light spring honey of this region and many people think that this is a sign that the honey has gone bad.
Newsflash-its still good. Really good actually. When its a bit more solid the spreadability factor increases while the messy factor decreases.
When is honey bad? Thanks for asking! Its when the moisture content is too high and it starts to ferment. It smells yeasty and bubbles. This usually happens when the honey is harvested before it is properly ripened by the bees and capped over or..it is left uncovered. Honey is considered hygroscopic meaning that it will absorb water from its surroundings. Honey, harvested at the proper time, at the proper moisture content and stored properly, will stay good for a really long time.
But its gonna crystallize.
Most people’s experience of honey comes from supermarket honey. Oftentimes, this is commercial honey that has all of the pollen and teeny bits of wax strained out in order to prevent..crystallization! Small bits of pollen, wax, even air bubbles will cause honey to crystallize. In fact, you could even say that its a sign that your honey has got the good stuff in it and hasn’t been overheated if you end up with a jar of solid honey.
What kind of honey plays an important role as well. In order to keep your attention before you start to doze off I’ll be brief-the sugar composition in the nectar of the floral source will determine how quickly the honey crystallizes. If it has a higher glucose content, this will cause the honey to crystallize faster. Still there? ok moving on.
Last of all I’ll mention that temperature plays a role. Some of us (meaning me) like to conserve energy and the honey room will sometimes get a bit cool in the fall and this plays a role in how fast the honey will crystallize.
I saw Anne Harman speak at a conference before she passed away and one comment she made stuck with me. “Honey bees make beautiful things. It takes a beekeeper to mess them up.” Whether it be honey, wax, even propolis, I try to honor the hard work of my bees by making sure that their gifts are presented well. I like to remove any large bits from my honey for a nicer presentation. I never allow my honey when bottling to get warmer than 100 degrees (this is around the point where the volatile oils will start to break down. Your average beehive will be running somewhere close to that temperature during the summer-99ish degrees give or take) If you want to loosen up honey that has been crystallized, gently rewarm the jar in a pan of hot water. Hot like a cup of coffee NOT boiling.
I am currently selling honey through Simmons Farm in Middletown (at the Fram Fresh Market on Saturdays) and Stock in Providence. So, we are in the lean times as far as the honey supply goes at least until the end of June. So if you grab a bottle of honey and see that its looking a bit crystallized, remember it’s not bad, it is simply more spreadable.
