July ‘21 Honey Pot Stories From The Hive

Crikey! What’s happening to my Honey? Is your honey looking a little grainy or becoming solid? Don’t worry. It is perfectly good; it’s just changing with the cold weather.
Pure, raw unheated honey has a natural tendency to crystallise or “candy”. It means that important enzymes haven’t been damaged by pasteurisation.

Can I still eat crystallised / candied honey? Absolutely! It is still as nutritious and sweet as ever! Some people prefer their honey crystallised. You can get more on your toast! While it may detract from the visual appearance of the honey, the crystallisation can actually preserve the flavour and quality of your honey.

Why does it crystallise?

Here’s the science. Honey contains over 70% sugars and no more than 20% water. Essentially, this means that the water in honey holds more sugar than it should hold naturally. This over-concentration of sugar makes the honey unstable, therefore the sugar begins to “precipitate out” of the supersaturated solution, i.e. the water separates, causing the sugar to take crystal form.

Within honey, the two main sugars are glucose and fructose. What actually crystallises is the glucose due to its lower solubility as opposed to fructose which will remain fluid in the solution. As the glucose separates from the water it forms crystals. These crystals spread throughout the solution and ultimately it is the ratio of these sugars (fructose to glucose) that determine whether the honey crystallises slowly or rapidly. Once the glucose has crystallised the honey changes to a stable saturated form and the honey becomes thick.

But I want my honey runny! Slow down crystallising or restore it to liquid by storing it in a warm place or stand the jar in a bowl of hot water when you see the first crystals. Alternatively, heat gently in a saucepan keeping the temp below 40 degrees C. Do not microwave it as that will destroy the enzymes that make the raw, pure honey so good for health.

Until next time, enjoy your honey and bee happy!
TK x