Some believe that when honey crystallizes or hardens that it’s gone bad. This is not true. Bring your honey jar back to life by giving it a warm water bath (100°F +/- 10º) and it will be good as new in about an hour+.
Real Honey Crystalizes.
Especially if it is Raw Unfiltered honey. Crystallized honey is completely normal.
Why does it crystalize?
Well, it’s science really. See the chemical formula of Glucose is C6H12O6… only kidding, I won’t be getting that detailed. Simply put, honey is a highly concentrated sugar solution. The two principal sugars in honey are fructose and glucose. When glucose crystallizes, it separates from the water and transforms in to small crystals and its those crystals that give the honey it’s thickness and opaqueness. The optimum temperature to promote this crystallization process is between 50-58ºF.
Well, it’s science really. See the chemical formula of Glucose is C6H12O6… only kidding, I won’t be getting that detailed. Simply put, honey is a highly concentrated sugar solution. The two principal sugars in honey are fructose and glucose. When glucose crystallizes, it separates from the water and transforms in to small crystals and its those crystals that give the honey it’s thickness and opaqueness. The optimum temperature to promote this crystallization process is between 50-58ºF.
The reason honey forms crystals and hardens has to do with the sugar content of the honey, the level of filtration, pasteurization, among other factors. The honey we sell has been through very little filtration and is also not pasteurized. Because of this our honey is considered “raw”. Because our honey is raw it contains more particulate like wax and pollen due to minimal filtration and also maintains optimal levels antioxidants, phytonutrients, and anti fungal/antibacterial properties. Those small particles that remain in the honey are prone to encourage sugar crystals to form. Once the crystallization starts it creates a chain reaction and the entire jar becomes a solid mass of sugar crystals.
What to do with crystallized honey?
Crystallized honey can be used like a spread, just as it is.
Or, if you prefer honey in its more popular liquid state, all is not lost. Fill a pot of water deep enough to cover most of the (not plastic) container of honey. Bring the water up to a temperature of 100ºF +/- 10ºF and allow the crystalized jar of honey to sit in that water bath at that temperature until the honey returns to a liquid. This process can be time consuming depending on the size of your honey container. Just Be Patient. It’s worth it. Increasing the temperature will make the process faster BUT if you’d like to maintain the health benefits of Raw honey, doing so will destroy those beneficial enzymes and other properties found in raw honey. Do not use the microwave either, for the same reasons.
Hope you found this helpful.
Enjoy your honey and thank the bees!
Has it gone bad?
No. Honey that has crystalized has very little to do with the age of the honey and certainly does not indicate wether the honey has gone bad. There may be very few cases where honey will actually go bad. If the honey ever smells rancid or unappetizing, you should not eat it.
