Honey - Storage and crystallization

[Drone]

Hey folks!

I know it's a bit early to be asking questions about honey, but I was wondering how people store enough honey to last until the next year's harvest.

From what I've read...

- Almost all honey will crystallize eventually (except for tupelo and a few others), but at varying rates. Some almost immediately.

- Honey will crystallize fastest at 57 degrees F.

- Crystallized honey can be heated to bring back to a liquid state.

- Hive temperature is maintained around 92 degrees.

So, the question is: will honey stored at 92 degrees crystallize?

If not, should honey be stored at this temp for a long time (months)?

Will honey lose a lot of flavors and aromatics if stored at this temp?

I would assume anyone that sells their honey has a need to keep it from crystallizing.

Thoughts?

-John

[Kathyp]

i put my honey in a big container in a dark cupboard.  i poor what i need into a smaller jar, kept on the counter.  the stuff in the big container does not crystallize.  the stuff on the counter does.  my house, over the winter, is never above 65 degrees...usually cooler.

so...how confusing is that?  :-)

i'm guessing that air exposure and/or light are contributing factors.

[Michael Bush]

>I would assume anyone that sells their honey has a need to keep it from crystallizing.

I sell a lot of creamed honey.  I let it.

If it does and you want it liquid you can gently heat it up to liquify it.

All honey (except, as you say, maybe Tupelo) eventually crystallizes.  Some does this sooner and some later.  This is controlled by the temperature (55 °F is where it crystallizes the fastest), the seed for the crystals (pollen, small sugar crystals, small bits of wax, dirt, cloth fibers will speed it up), and the particular mixture of sugars (high glucose/fructose ratios crystalize more quickly).

You can't change the sugar ratio really.  It is what it is.  The crystal "seeds" of pollen or wax can be removed by fine filtering (which I don't do at all because I WANT the pollen and such in the honey) and heating to 150  °F for 15 minutes - and then rapidly cooling (which I don't do because it ruins the flavor and all the healthful enzymes) will destroy the fine crystals by melting them.

If you do nothing (which is exactly what I do), some honey will crystallize within a month or less, some will take a year or so.  It is still edible and can be liquefied by heating it to about 100 degrees or so.  Crystallized honey can be eaten as is also, or crushed to make creamed honey or feed to the bees for winter stores.  If you purposely crystallize it quickly by adding finely crystallized honey (you can grind some course crystallized honey in a flour grinder or you can buy some creamed honey at the store) and keep it 55 °F for about a week it will make very fine crystals with a smooth feel on your tongue.  This makes a nice creamed honey that actually sells for more than liquid honey.

Early flows, like clover, alfalfa and soybeans, as a general rule, crystallize more slowly.  Late flows, like aster and goldenrod, as a general rule, crystallize more quickly.

Keeping it frozen will help prevent crystallization.  Keeping it room temperature is the next best thing.  Keeping it 55°F or thereabouts will cause it to crystallize quickly.  Some honey crystallizes more quickly than others.

Here's the Dyce method:
http://www.masterbeekeeper.org/creamhoney.htm

As you can see I DON'T follow it exactly.  I never heat my honey unless I'm trying to get some crystallized honey out of a bucket.  :)  Then I heat it as gently as I can.

[Drone]

Thanks Michael,

I actually love creamed honey, so that will definately be part of my honey processing plans.

Can honey crystallize in the hive, though? I wouldn't think so, but I really have no idea.

The reason I asked about the warm storage is because I have controlled temperature boxes (converted chest freezers) that I use to ferment beer and mead 8-). So I have the ability to store honey at a controlled temperature for long periods. I just don't know what the best temperature would be.

-John

BTW - Your site is awesome. Thank you for your fine contribution to the hobby!

[Michael Bush]

>Can honey crystallize in the hive, though?

Yes.  I've had it crystallized in the comb before I harvested before.

>The reason I asked about the warm storage is because I have controlled temperature boxes (converted chest freezers) that I use to ferment beer and mead cool. So I have the ability to store honey at a controlled temperature for long periods. I just don't know what the best temperature would be.

The best temperature would be frozen.  Keeping it warmer will deteriorate it more quickly.  The warmer it is the more it makes HMF (Hydroxymethyl furfural) which is used to measure the freshness of honey and can become toxic to bees if it builds up too much.

[imabkpr]

Drone: Yes honey will crystallize in the hive.

When we extract our honey we put what we think we will need to supply the local market in 5 gal. plastic pails. The lid makes the pail air tight so the honey is protected from moisture which is a must.

Of course it will in time crystallize but that is a good thing as it will not darken like it would if you try to keep in a liquid state.

I have found that in liquid honey heat and light over time will make water white honey as dark as buckweat honey.

When i want to reliquify honey i place 1 to 4 pails [depending on the amount we need] in a water bath at temp 100 F--110 F  untill liquid then increase temp to 120 F. Strain and put into the bottling tank, let settle overnight and its ready to bottle.    Charlie

[Drone]

Excellent information.

Thanks!

-John