Rather than accepting crystallized honey as a unique product, we waste a lot of effort trying to “fix” it. Some consumers actually dispose of solidified honey, believing it “turned” or became unsafe to eat. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, clumsy attempts to prevent crystallization, or to re-liquefy solid honey, can do […] Read more
Robert Lunsford from down in Louisiana wanted to know what was up with his honey, so he sent the following three photos of shimmery, iridescent honey that seems to glow from within. Awesome looking stuff! My theory is simply this: I think he had at least two different types of honey in the pot. One […] Read more
Over the last few years, I’ve learned many interesting tidbits from Phillip over at Mudsongs.org. Several weeks ago he wrote something about feeding crystallized honey back to his bees by just leaving it in the jar. Why did I never think of this? I usually try to do something to it, which is really silly […] Read more
Yes, bees will eat crystallized honey and there is no harm in feeding it to them. Remember that crystallized honey is not a modern invention. Bees have had to deal with it from the beginning and they know what to do. In the depth of winter when bees cannot get outside, they use moisture that […] Read more
A common justification for the ultrafiltration of honey is “it lasts longer on the shelves.” In other words, the ultrafiltration process—which removes all debris, including any pollen grains—delays crystallization, making the honey more attractive on the store shelf. In spite of that practice, you cannot assume that pollen causes crystallization. In fact, honey crystallizes based […] Read more
A friend of mine was told by another beekeeper that if he stirred his honey vigorously three times a day for five days, granulation could be averted and the honey would remain clear and liquid. My friend wanted to know my opinion. My first thought was that frequent stirring might delay—but not prevent—crystallization by interfering […] Read more
This question, often followed by “What did I do wrong?” lands in my in-box nearly every day. No matter what you call it—sugaring, granulation, crystallization—it is an annoying and disappointing outcome, especially if it happens before you extract. To understand why it happens, you need to know something about sugars. Most often, we use the […] Read more