why is my honey crystalizing so FAST!

[buford]

my honey room is in the basement. the basement has central heat and air (so the temp. is roughly 70 degrees year round).

all of my honey from last year is crystalizing (and i've been told it should turn that quickly).

my bucket of goldenrod hardened in about two months, my creamed honey is as hard as a rock, my clover honey is very cloudy, and even the really light honey from last may is starting to turn.

what i'm wondering is... am i storing the honey in the wrong environment? it seems that my basement is a year round de-humidifyer.

[Michael Bush]

The worst temps would be around 50 F. 70 isn't that bad. Of course it all crystalized eventually and the speed depends on the kind of honey (the mixture of different sugars), the temperature and the crystal seeds it has to start on.

[tecumseh]

Yep if you are running the ac you are automatically removing moisture from the air. If you are also running the ac while you are doing the extracting you are taking even more moisture out of the honey. Having said that I should also remind buford that all honey crystalizes, low temperature and impurities (pollen, wax) are prime factors in crystalization. All necter sources do not crystalize at the same rate (I have seen a good crop of sunflower honey crystalize in the comb after a modest cold snap-try extracting that). If your clover honey from last year is still liquid sounds like to me you are doing a pretty good job(I am assuming you do not filter the honey) .

[John Russell]

If your honey is just crystalizing now, and is sealed as not to draw moisture, then I doubt if your doing anything wrong. Canola honey can crystalize on you in the comb,in the hive, in less that 3 weeks. The Plans section on this website have a nifty warming cabinet constructed out of light bulbs and the shell of an old chest freezer. I built a few, and have found it a gentle, controled way to reliquify crystalized honey.


John Russell

[Curry]

An ice-chest with a light bulb in it also works real well... just don't use styrofoam, I imagine it could catch fire.

I have a large plastic ice chest that will fit most anything, but it helps to put the honey elevated in the ice-chest, where the temperature will reach about 110 F.

[mark williams]

Cotton Honey will crystalize while it is coming out the extractor, :D :D smile.gif HEHE,just made a funny,forgive me.LOL,>>>>Mark

[buford]

i keep my honey either in sealed five gallon buckets or sealed mason jars. will the AC still effect it?

[tecumseh]

buford ask:
i keep my honey either in sealed five gallon buckets or sealed mason jars. will the AC still effect it?

tecumseh replies:
If they were truely sealed, I would say no except for modifying the effect of temperature fluctuations.

[Barry Digman]

Yep if you are running the ac you are automatically removing moisture from the air.Just a point of clairification on air conditioning. Here the air conditioners work exactly the opposite of refrigerated. We use evaporative, also known as swamp coolers. They work by adding as much moisture to the air as possible, which has the effect of cooling the inside air. In the winter we run humidifiers instead of dehumidifiers to add moisture so that the furnaces are more efficient.

[Joel]

The speed at which honey crystalizes is related lagely to the floral source and temperature at which it is stored. Honey crystalizes quickest at about 57 Degrees F which is the temperature commonly used to make creamed honey. Some honeys like Tupelo and basswood will take years to crystalize, some like aster and cotton crystalize while you watch. 75 degrees or above seems to be the ideal storage temp. and it will liquify quickly when it reaches 95-100 F. We use an old refrigerator with a drop light in it and the temp, once the honey is warm actually has to be regulated ( a timer works well) as it will climb above 130 degrees.

[Dwight]

I've heard heating honey during processing extends the shelf life. I do not heat mine. We have a lot of clover here in Vermont in the summer and the clover honey doesn't crystalize too quickly. We also have alot of goldenrod in the fall. The goldenrod honey crystalizes very quickly. I ussually leave the goldenrod for the bees to winter on but the last time I extracted some it crystalized within a couple of weeks.

[power napper]

I had a half full five gallon bucket of last years extracted honey that was cloudy from crystalization, it had been filtered through a panty hose and I poured it into quart jars with and capped with new "boiled" canning lids. Placed them all in roaster oven with water up half way on the jars and heated slowly until the inside temp of honey was 161 degrees fahrenheit--used my sons temperature checker for checking the heat of remote control car head--point and touch button and get instant readout of temperature--now this is pasteurized honey and i can not taste any difference from unpasteurized honey. Have done this many times and seems like the honey does not recrystalize in the vacuum sealed canning jars sitting on shelf in canning cupboard.

[Joel]

power napper, does your wife know what you're doing with her panty hose? If honey is heated to between 140 and 160 degrees it will extend the shelf life considerably. You do loose enzymes at 105 degrees. If you are careful about how it is done honey will still taste delicious.

[Robert Hawkins]

Looks like a good time for a contrary opinion. Pasteurized honey will need to be relabelled as such. Those of us who take "Raw" honey to relieve allergy symtoms don't want it. Most "back to the earth" honey purists don't want it. We don't mind reheating the honey to 95-100 deg. F. when ever it crytallizes. I have seen a sheet of paper passed out with every sale expaining the process.

Then there's the honey nazis that consider pasteurized honey to be adulterated. I can see why it looks attractive but I wouldn't do it.

Hawk

[Michael Bush]

If you like store bought honey then pasturize yours. If you like the taste of fresh honey, then don't ruin it by heating it. smile.gif

[Joel]

Hawk, What is your contrary opinion? Contrary to what? I didn't get it from you post. I was stimply stating facts, not endorsing heat processed honey. How do you apply the heat to liquify your honey to 95 or 100 degrees? I'm unaware of the regulation requiring pasteurized honey being labeled as such. I also don't understand how heating honey to 140 degrees effect allergy relief since that is dependant on nectar variety and pollen content in the honey? ( I think the concept is based on introducing foreign proteins into your body to stimulate antihistimines) There is so much health myth in the Raw Honey Craze. Most of the "honey purists" I deal with only buy our comb honey. They say the only real raw honey is Comb honey, all other honey is processed to some degree. Michaels' point is well taken with the term "Fresh Honey". Honey which is heated or stored for a period of time will loose that fresh taste. It may still taste delicious but that Fresh taste is really the height of our craft and should be our goal.

[Robert Hawkins]

Joel, I got my gloves on. I realize this is a religious issue kind of like MacIntosh vs. Microsoft. I thought advising a new BK that pasteurizing is a good idea is a bad idea. At least let him make the choice. But not telling him both sides is a disservice. I did state that I see the attraction.

One more thing. I used to tell everyone just what you said about stimulating the antihistamines 'til my favorite doctor stopped me. He says we don't understand all that honey and/or other antioxidants do for our immune systems and I can't challenge his MD. But my label says "Raw Honey". I don't think pasteurized is raw anymore so I would have to change the label. Wrong??

Hawk

[Joel]

Hawk, I don't think I said it was a good idea, just that it extended shelf life. I should have been more specific or complete about my answer. I'm still recovering from the 750 mi. post migration bee moving shock! Of course if the fear mongers have their way all honey sold will be pasteurized! Lets hope we can stop that! I think you hit the nail on the head with the immune system stimulation. We have scads of customers who use honey and apple cider vinegar for relief from arthritis and with great results. They ask me why and I have no answer other than the one you cite. You are fortunate to have a doctor who is so informed. Much of organized medicine won't recognize anything that doesn't come in a pill. There does seem to be somthing metaphysical about the impact of hive products on the body. I agree that pasturized is far from Raw and we label what we bottle that is unstrained and unheated (to any temperature) as raw. We pasteurize honey only upon request although sometimes when we liquify large quantities in teh spring I know it exceeds the 105 degree mark. It is a tightrope. Believe me we have a few honey Nazis at our NYC markets and they know for what they come!

[buford]

just out of curiousity.

i have a small pasteurizer i used to use for goats milk, can it be used for honey or will i ruin both the honey and the equipment.

[Dwight]

Joel, do you have any info regarding honey and apple cider vinegar for arthritis relief? My father suffers from Arthritis and I would love to find a relief for him other than the pills his doctor prescribes. Those pills are killing him in my opinion.

[ikeepbees]

Dwight,

This site will give you some info on what honey and acv are purported to do for arthritis. I don't have any experience with this so can't comment on whether or not it really works.

http://www.rawfoodinfo.com/articles/art_ACV%20Bragg.html

[HockenberryHoney]

If your honey is just crystalizing now, and is sealed as not to draw moisture, then I doubt if your doing anything wrong. Canola honey can crystalize on you in the comb,in the hive, in less that 3 weeks. The Plans section on this website have a nifty warming cabinet constructed out of light bulbs and the shell of an old chest freezer. I built a few, and have found it a gentle, controled way to reliquify crystalized honey.


John Russell

can anyone provide a link to these plans.. I have searched and searched without any luck!

Thanks in advance

[jeff123fish]

http://www.beesource.com/plans/index.htm scroll down to honey heater.

[daknoodle]

My wife's grandfather and his father-in-law used to purposely get 3 or 4 bees to sting them about once every 6 months and neither of them ever had arthritis. They said that the bee sting is what kepted them from getting it.