Let's Talk About Raw Honey Crystallization

by Lisa Johnson

Crystallization

How many times has this happened to you? You had a beautiful day at the Farmer’s Market and you purchase honey from a beekeeper. Then, when you get home, you put it in your cabinet.

Winter arrived and you want your honey in a hot cup of tea. You reach for your honey in the cabinet, you are shocked that the honey became a solid mass in the jar!

What happened???

This is called crystallization. Honey is a supersaturated mixture of glucose and fructose. Honey is less than 17 % water.

When a supersaturated solution is subjected to cold temperatures, it begins to crystallize. Honey crystallizes at 56 degrees Fahrenheit. So, that’s why when you want the liquid honey you purchased in the summer at the Farmer’s Market to put in your hot tea in the middle of the cold winter, you see that your honey has crystallized.

The most important fact to know about honey is that crystallization is natural, and the honey is still good to eat! If you want to liquefy your crystallized honey one just needs to gently warm the honey in the jar. The jar can be placed in a pot with warm water to gently heat the honey. Who wouldn’t be very happy to get my spoon out and dig into crystallized honey? Nature’s candy!

Physical State of the Honey

Liquid Honey

Liquid honey (also known as extracted honey) is the most prevalent way Americans purchase their honey.

The majority of the honey on the shelves in the grocery stores is liquid honey. Surprisingly, liquid honey is the least used in Europe.

Creamed or Whipped Honey

Whipped honey (also known as creamed honey, cream honey, honey butter, honey spread, granulated honey or shipped honey) is the most popular state of honey in Europe.

Creamed honey is honey where a controlled crystallization process has taken place. With controlled temperature and crystal size, the result is a spreadable honey with a silky mouth feel. It is a delicious honey that has earned its place on the breakfast table.

Comb Honey

Comb honey is the most direct from the honey bees to your table. The honey bees create the comb honey by first building the wax in the frame inside the bee hive. The honey bees then fill the wax comb with honey and cap it with more wax. The beekeeper provides the frames for the honey bees or the beekeeper provides sections (like Ross Rounds, Half Hogs, Basswood Section or section comb honey).

After the honey bees are finished with the comb honey the beekeeper harvests and sells directly to the consumer. In the early part of the 1900’s, comb honey was the primary way beekeepers sold honey. People trusted the comb honey because it had the least human contact.

The wax is edible (beeswax is tastier than the Big Red Wax Lips we all received during Halloween!) Unfortunately, comb honey doesn’t transport as easily as liquid honey. As the population in America grew, the beekeepers needed a better method for selling honey.

So today liquid honey outsells comb honey. Comb honey is once again gaining popularity due to the popularity of trendy charcuterie boards. Comb honey combined with a high fat cheese like brie is not to be missed!

Chunk Honey

Chunk honey is exactly what its name is, a chunk of comb honey in a jar that is surrounded by liquid honey. This is the best way to try comb honey. One can easily brake off a piece of comb honey to eat. Meanwhile it is afloat in liquid honey to be enjoyed in a familiar way. Chunk honey always makes a special gift.

The Color of Honey

Honey does have color designations. Next time you wander into a state or county fair, you might find a honey show. A honey show is where beekeepers submit their extracted honey and other honey products for competition. The jars of liquid honey are separated into color designations of white, light amber, amber and dark amber.

The honey is a certain color based on what nectar the honey bees were foraging on.

Spring

So, the early spring nectar will start with the trees. If you notice in the spring, the news reports the pollen count. In early spring the trees top the list with high pollen over the grass and weeds.

A very light amber honey is usually nectar that the honey bees collected from the black locust tree. It is generally accepted on the East Coast that light honeys are listed as Spring honey.

Summer

Next in the color designations is the amber honey. Most of the nectar that is forage by the honey bees for amber honey comes from the flowers. In the summer time when the news reports the pollen count, the weeds top the list. That tells the beekeepers that the summer flowers are blooming.

We beekeepers will call the lowly clover a flower yet the rest of the world will call it a weed. We all can argue that clover honey is a delicious amber summer honey.

Fall

The dark amber fall honey is truly a treat. Buckwheat and Bamboo (or Japanese Knotweed) bloom in the fall and the honey bees gladly forage their nectar. This dark amber fall honey has a forward taste that is unique. Fall honey is not an easy harvest to gather for the beekeeper. The fall weather conditions are very changeable. If there is a fall drought the plants produce very little nectar. Whatever limited supply the honey bees do forage, ultimately the beekeeper lets the honey bees keep that honey to sustain the honey bee colony through the winter.

Honey is a pleasure to eat in all of its forms. When visiting a state or county fair or the local Farmer’s Market, take a look at all the variety of honey. Explore the different tastes of the seasonal honey. Life is sweet so eat more honey!