bottling and granulation..

[iceman]

I extract capped honey and check with refrac for moisture levels and tend to get around a good 17%.I
bottle right off. My problem I still have a lot of my crystallizing :? very soon afterwards,from a week to three months later.What do I need to do to stop this from happening so soon? :?

[Jerrymac]

Where are you at?

Different types of honey granulates at different rates. Here we have cotton and it doesn't take long for it to granulate. Even before you get it out of the comb. I think sunflowers go pretty fast also. Then there is the question of how you store it. 

[iceman]

I freeze a lot of it.Some turns and some will not in the same environment :?.

[Scadsobees]

Good luck not getting it to crystallize...I have general wildflower honey, and it goes about the same speed as yours.  It doesn't help that I have it stacked on the cool floor in basement  :roll:

I manage it by bottling lots up and freezing that right off.  Then when I need more I'll de-crystallize a bucketload using heat, bottle and freeze that.

Crystallization happens because of the sugar ratio /content, but also because of dust and pollen that might be in there and also any tiny sugar crystals that may have not been driven out.  I've found on a couple occasions that heavy duty filtering and excess heat will make it so it doesn't crystallize, but I try to stay away from doing that for flavor reasons.

Rick

[reinbeau]

I extract capped honey and check with refrac for moisture levels and tend to get around a good 17%.I
bottle right off. My problem I still have a lot of my crystallizing :? very soon afterwards,from a week to three months later.What do I need to do to stop this from happening so soon? :?

Jerry is right, it's not the moisture content, it's the nectar that's used.  Aster honey crystalizes very quickly, the late season honey we pull off has a high aster count (used to think it was the goldenrod, but turns out it's the aster).

I have what I call wildflower/herbal honey I pull off in late August-early September that still hasn't crystalized from last year.

Could you go into your profile and update your location info?  That way people in your local area can offer more assistance.  Welcome to the forum!  :)

[Michael Bush]

>What do I need to do to stop this from happening so soon?

If you want good tasting healthy honey, you get used to it.  If you want to ruin the flavor and keep it from crystalizing, you flash heat it and ultra filter it...

[Brian D. Bray]

Different honeys have different sugaring tendencies.  Some like, goldenrod, will sugar within weeks while others like Alfalfa well taken longer to sugar.  Selling point--the quicker it sugars the rawer (wilder) it is.  All Untreated honey will sugar eventually Unless you flash heat it, slow in the hive and faster once removed from he hive or extracted.  Sugaring can actually be viewed as a desireable trait in the honey as it proves not being processed.  In Europe creme honey (whipped sugared honey) usually outsells the liquid stuff (according to my German Daughter-in-law). 

[Cindi]

Iceman, welcome to our forum, you have already began to ask questions and you have received answers, good.  This will be a place that you can ask any questions, questions are good and we all learn by the answers.  Tell us a little bit about yourself, we are all interested in fellow beekeepers' stories about their experiences and where they live to keep bees.  Welcome, enjoy your visits with us, we are a friendly crew...have a beautiful and wonderful day, we be lovin' this life we live. Cindi