Crystallized Honey

**I'm a Beeliever!** · 07-23-2009, 05:37 PM

My mentor gave us a large jar of honey that is crystallized. How do I turn it back into "normal" honey and how do I keep my honey from doing that when I start to harvest next year?

**NasalSponge** · 07-23-2009, 05:41 PM

Throw a pan of water on the stove on low heat and stick the jar of honey in there. Except for a few exceptions all honey will crystallize, if it is heated during processing it will slow this down. I do not heat my honey, I put a little label on it saying it will happen and what to do about it.

**NorthWest_bee_guy** · 07-23-2009, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by NasalSponge

Throw a pan of water on the stove on low heat and stick the jar of honey in there. Except for a few exceptions all honey will crystallize, if it is heated during processing it will slow this down. I do not heat my honey, I put a little label on it saying it will happen and what to do about it.

Honey will crystallize just warm it like said above. tupilo if spelled right is about the only honey that will not crystallize.

**KQ6AR** · 07-23-2009, 06:54 PM

I think there is a another honey in brazil that doesn't crystallize.
The beekeepers take there hives to islands on boats, to get it.

**Buz Green** · 07-23-2009, 08:47 PM

Originally Posted by NasalSponge

Throw a pan of water on the stove on low heat and stick the jar of honey in there. Except for a few exceptions all honey will crystallize, if it is heated during processing it will slow this down. I do not heat my honey, I put a little label on it saying it will happen and what to do about it.

Might be a good idea to uncap it (or at least loosen the cap) so you don't wind up with a honey and shattered glass grenade if it gets too hot.

**phil c** · 07-23-2009, 09:00 PM

I've heard freezing honey will keep it from chrystalizing. I dont know ,I've never tried it. I know mine will chrystalize hard as a rock in just a few weeks after extracting.

**Countryboy** · 07-23-2009, 09:55 PM

I normally just hold the bottle under hot tap water. Be careful if it is a plastic bottle and your water is really hot - bottles do melt.

Or put the bottle in your car, and park in the hot sun. A couple days of that and the honey will be back to liquid.

**BigDaddyDS** · 07-24-2009, 03:59 AM

All honey by it's nature will crystallize because it's a super-saturated sugar solution. Some will just take more time than others. If you're interested in why, I suggest searching out some older posts here, but in short, it has to do with higher glucose levels versus fructose levels in the honey/nectar itself.

There are several ways to re-liquefy honey. But, are you looking to keep it's "raw" quality, or are you simply looking for liquid honey?

To maintain "raw" qualities where the natural pollens aren't cooked out, you need to keep the temperature of the honey below 120 degrees F. This is easily achieved by placing the jar on the dash of a car on a hot day. Another method is to heat water near boiling, turn off the heat, and place the jar with loosened cap into the water, stirring occasionally. After a bit, it will soften and return to liquid.

Other NON-raw ways to re-liquefy honey include placing the jar with a tight lid into a dishwasher, and letting it run through it's cycle. (Caveat emptor on this recommendation!)
But the one method that I suggest to my non-raw purchasers is to remove the cap and place the jar in the microwave for 10 second bursts, full power, with stirring in between. Heating for longer than 10 seconds at a time can cause burning, as will not stirring the honey.

Enjoy!
DS

**I'm a Beeliever!** · 07-25-2009, 07:28 PM

thanks for all the info!! Once you heat it to uncrystallize it, does it recrystallize again??

**Ross** · 07-25-2009, 08:03 PM

Don't over heat it. keep it under 120F or so.

**NasalSponge** · 07-25-2009, 09:01 PM

Yes it will.

**Swobee** · 07-26-2009, 05:25 PM

Originally Posted by I'm a Beeliever!

thanks for all the info!! Once you heat it to uncrystallize it, does it recrystallize again??

In a word - yes. It will likely crystallize again, unless you apply excessive heat to it, it may not crystallize for a considerable time, as stated earlier.

**Daniel Shelley** · 07-26-2009, 11:16 PM

I went to the farmers market in Bellingham WA. a couple of years ago and there was three vendors selling honey, it was all crystallized and this was soon after it was extracted. I just finished a jar of my honey from two years ago and there was no crystallization at all. I've never had my honey crystallize even after long periods of time. I never use heat. So I'm wondering why the difference?
Dan