Raw & unfiltered honey will eventually turn solid – that’s a simple fact of life. But that doesn’t mean your bottle’s days are numbered.

Crystallized honey is usually light yellow or white, with a consistency somewhere between that of peanut butter and granite, depending on how long it’s been sitting. But it’s still honey, and it definitely hasn’t spoiled or gone bad or expired.

If your honey has turned solid, that means it’s natural honey: raw & unfiltered, just like the bees made it. Many “grocery store” honeys (looking at you, bear bottles) have been superheated to over 150º and filtered to make them look “pure” and clear – but that’s not natural. Heating honey destroys its flavor, as well as some of the amino acids and nutrients that make honey such a special sweetener.

What to Do with Crystallized Honey

You can still eat crystallized honey any way you normally would: spread it onto toast, melt it into honey beverages, or eat by the spoonful. You might even prefer it, because it won’t drip and make sticky messes.

If you do want your honey to be drizzle-able again, it’s simple to get it back by heating it. Either put honey in an open glass jar and set the jar in a bath of warm water (100–120º) or put your honey in a microwave-safe dish and microwave in 30 seconds at a time.

Why Does Honey Crystallize?

The “why” behind the crystallization of honey is simple chemistry. Honey is an ultra-saturated combination of two sugars, glucose and sucrose, and contains at least 70% carbohydrates and about 20% water. That’s more sugar than can naturally remain dissolved. So, naturally, crystals begin to form over time. 

Some honey crystals are fine and smooth, while others are large and gritty. This is largely due to the proportion of the two main types of sugars found in honey: fructose and glucose. While fructose tends to remain dissolved, glucose has a much lower solubility.

A few varietals high in glucose are:

Clover honey (We usually finish a bottle long before we need to worry about crystallizing.)

Lavender honey               Dandelion honey             Wildflower        

Blueberry                           Basswood                          Goldenrod

To sum it all up: raw & unfiltered honey is a natural food and naturally crystallizes over time. If your bottle has turned hard, don’t sweat it. Just heat it up!

Why Did My Honey Turn Solid?

HONEY FACTS

Raw & unfiltered honey will eventually turn solid – that’s a simple fact of life. But that doesn’t mean your bottle’s days are numbered.

Crystallized honey is usually light yellow or white, with a consistency somewhere between that of peanut butter and granite, depending on how long it’s been sitting. But it’s still honey, and it definitely hasn’t spoiled or gone bad or expired.

If your honey has turned solid, that means it’s natural honey: raw & unfiltered, just like the bees made it. Many “grocery store” honeys (looking at you, bear bottles) have been superheated to over 150º and filtered to make them look “pure” and clear – but that’s not natural. Heating honey destroys its flavor, as well as some of the amino acids and nutrients that make honey such a special sweetener.

What to Do with Crystallized Honey

You can still eat crystallized honey any way you normally would: spread it onto toast, melt it into honey beverages, or eat by the spoonful. You might even prefer it, because it won’t drip and make sticky messes.

If you do want your honey to be drizzle-able again, it’s simple to get it back by heating it. Either put honey in an open glass jar and set the jar in a bath of warm water (100–120º) or put your honey in a microwave-safe dish and microwave in 30 seconds at a time.

Why Does Honey Crystallize?

The “why” behind the crystallization of honey is simple chemistry. Honey is an ultra-saturated combination of two sugars, glucose and sucrose, and contains at least 70% carbohydrates and about 20% water. That’s more sugar than can naturally remain dissolved. So, naturally, crystals begin to form over time. 

Some honey crystals are fine and smooth, while others are large and gritty. This is largely due to the proportion of the two main types of sugars found in honey: fructose and glucose. While fructose tends to remain dissolved, glucose has a much lower solubility.

A few varietals high in glucose are:

Clover honey (We usually finish a bottle long before we need to worry about crystallizing.)

Lavender honey               Dandelion honey             Wildflower        

Blueberry                           Basswood                          Goldenrod

To sum it all up: raw & unfiltered honey is a natural food and naturally crystallizes over time. If your bottle has turned hard, don’t sweat it. Just heat it up!

The post Why Did My Honey Turn Solid? appeared first on Brookstone Apiary - Ashburn,Ontario.

In Ontario, winterizing beehives is a crucial step to ensure the survival and well-being of honeybee colonies during the cold winter months. Beekeepers in Ontario take several measures to protect their beehives from the harsh winter conditions.

Insulating the beehive is essential to prevent heat loss and maintain a stable temperature inside the hive. This can be done by wrapping the hive with insulating materials such as tar paper or foam insulation.

Providing adequate food stores is also crucial for the bees’ survival. Beekeepers ensure that their colonies have enough honey reserves to sustain them throughout the winter. Additionally, some beekeepers use fondant or sugar syrup as supplementary feeding to ensure the bees have enough carbohydrates.

Reducing the entrance size of the hive helps prevent drafts and intrusion by pests. This can be done using entrance reducers or mouse guards.

Lastly, proper ventilation is necessary to prevent condensation buildup inside the hive. Beekeepers make sure to provide ventilation without creating drafts, allowing for proper airflow while maintaining warmth.

Winterizing beehives in Ontario requires careful planning and attention to detail. By implementing these precautions, beekeepers can increase the chances of their colonies surviving the harsh winter conditions and thriving in the following spring.

The post 2023 Season Wrap Up. appeared first on Brookstone Apiary - Ashburn,Ontario.