crystallized honey

[beeblessed]

when storing honey will it take longer to crystallize if stored in 5 gal containers rather than small jars ?  thanks in advance for any input.

[Michael Bush]

No, it does not.

[indypartridge]

I rarely disagree with Mr. Bush, but my honey definitely crystalizes faster in small containers than in 5 gallon buckets.

[AliciaH]

Wouldn't you have to look at storage factors?  If all your honey comes out of the extractor and into the same bucket, then the basics of crystallization exist throughout the entire batch.  So, wouldn't where and how you store the buckets or jars be the defining factor?

I'm certainly not claiming to be an expert!  All I know is that my first two years my honey didn't crystallize at all.  Last year, it started crystallizing overnight, and that was in both the containers and the 5 gallon bucket.

[Michael Bush]

There are a lot of factors involved.  The size and number of seeds that a crystal can grow on, the storage temperature or range of temperatures etc.  Assuming that the temperature was constant in both situations and the number of seed crystals was the same, I see no reason it would be different.  On the other hand if the temperatures are changing those would be mitigated in the bucket and not in the jars and this could have an effect.  All things being equal (and they seldom are) I don't think there is any difference.

[Finski]

.
Speed of crystallization depends on store temperature. Second it depends on plant species, where they have picked the nectar.

Big os small container? It has no practical meaning.