View Full Version : So you think your honey was thick...
Fuzzy
12-15-2008, 10:49 PM
Finished extracting a week ago. Left the buckets sitting at room temp until the warming tank was empty again. When I tipped the buckets from vertical to horizontal I had to wait for about 50 seconds before the honey started to pour out. Not granulated but very slow. I took a sample and put it on a refractometer -- Just under 14% water.
I suspect this stuff will granulate quickly.. Any thoughts ?
Fuzzy
Finished extracting a week ago. Left the buckets sitting at room temp until the warming tank was empty again. When I tipped the buckets from vertical to horizontal I had to wait for about 50 seconds before the honey started to pour out. Not granulated but very slow. I took a sample and put it on a refractometer -- Just under 14% water.
I suspect this stuff will granulate quickly.. Any thoughts ?
Fuzzy
14% moisture means your honey is more saturated with sugar than average but the amount and type of seed crystals present, the relative concentration of glucose:fructose, and the temperature play significant roles. If you have previous experience with the kind of honey you produce then you already probably have an idea about its vulnerability to crystallization. If you don't have experience with this floral source it might be a good idea to keep it in a double boiler set at about 90F. If it still crystalizes then you have the option of further heating. In Reno, NV our honey sometimes has a reading of 11% moisture which doesn't necessarily mean crystallization.
Bizzybee
12-16-2008, 07:18 PM
I have a honey that comes in at the end of spring, early summer that runs at 14%. You can almost stand a spoon up in it. Never had any crystallize yet. Still have some of it from last year.
No idea where it comes from yet? I keep threatening to have it tested, but haven't yet.
odfrank
12-17-2008, 04:46 AM
Don't mention granulation, I just finished filing two 100 gallon tanks. I quit using my 300 gallon tank after the second time it granulated on me.
Fuzzy
12-17-2008, 11:07 AM
As to the foral sources... This is a very urban area so there is almost an infinite number of sources. We have all varities of fruit trees, most herbs, and all of the miscellaneous flowers that you can put in a moderate to warm climate. I suspect that Odfrank's bees will have similar conditions.
As for the coments on not granulating, I have a question or two. Before bottling how warm does the honey get? And, how long does it set at that temp ?
I have done some experimentation personally. At 120F for 3 hrs most of the air bubbles come out and it is good for 3-5 months before granulation starts. At 150F for 1hr ( bad for the honey.. I know) the bubbles come out and it is good for 1-2 yrs. This is just an observation, not my standard.
I just wonder if increasing moisture in the honey would also increase the time it takes to granulate. Perhaps I will do another experiment ..
Fuzzy