Talk Honey to Me
a sweet lesson on one of natures treats
This article originally published in February 2022. Here I share an edited and updated version.
One of the more common questions I received when I had a farmers market stand (besides 'are you actually the beekeeper?') is 'what's the deal with honey crystalizing?'. As we enter one of the sweeter seasons, here is a little Honey 101 where I share what I know about the sweetest stuff on earth.
Humans have long been fascinated by bees and the sweetness they produce. We have found honey in Egyptian tombs and temples, depicted in cave paintings in Spain and written about by Greeks and Romans as both sweetener and medicine. Different types of stingless bees have also been kept in Central America and Australia for their honey.
Though honey bees originated in Asia and Europe, modern humans grasped their importance in pollination and brought them nearly everywhere on earth. The honey we consume is produced by Western honey bees, scientifically Apis mellifera, one of about 20,000 species of bees that exist, and one of eight that produce honey. Because of their colony structure, a series of hexagons built out of wax (which they also make) found in hollow logs or suspended from trees, honey bees became relatively easy for humans to recreate natural environments or harvest from, thus 'keeping' this wild insect for honey production.
Honey Chemistry
20 year-old me cringes at the thought of all the chemistry in my daily life, but honey is something of a chemical marvel. Basically, honey is a super saturated sugar solution (say that five times) consisting of water, sugar in the form of glucose and fructose, among other trace minerals, vitamins and enzymes. But all honey is a little different, because it all starts a little different.Â
First, nectar is collected from a variety of flowering plants, each with its own balance of water, sucrose and loads of other beneficials like amino acids, carbohydrates and minerals. Only female worker bees gather nectar, storing it in a special honey stomach called the ‘crop’. She then adds a special enzyme called invertase, which converts the complex sucrose into fructose and glucose, simple sugars much easier for baby bees to digest. As the forager bee passes the nectar to another bee in the hive, more enzymes are added and the water content drops. The original nectar collected contains about 80% water, but through time and enzymatic activity, it is reduced to about 20%. The nectar solution is deposited into wax cells and further dehydrated to a sweet spot of 17% water, then the cell is capped, effectively storing the perfect honey in little pots for future use.
So this perfect food is created, all with slightly different levels of sugars, and different flavor profiles depending on that starting nectar source.Â
Like any super saturated solution, this state is precarious. Naturally the glucose has a tendency to want to separate out from the fructose and the water. Think back to high school chemistry when you made rock candy. The sugars solidify because there is an excess. Honeys with a higher ratio of glucose will tend toward crystalizing quicker, because glucose is generally less soluble, or less willing to stay and hang out as a liquid. When you have crystalized honey, the whitish ‘crystals’ are glucose forming solid structures. This is not a bad thing. It does NOT mean your honey is no good. Actually, crystallization occurs to preserve the nutrients in the honey. Think about all the honey you see at a typical grocery store, perfectly pristine, and likely void of all the nutrients. If the honey has been pasteurized, all those good nutrients are removed, the ones that not only give the honey all the health benefits, but flavor too. More on that below.
Over time all honey will eventually crystalize, but there are things we do that cause it to go much faster:
Storing honey at the wrong temperature. Bees naturally keep their hive a nice comfortable temperature all year round. Honey as a solution is best when kept at a stable temperature, between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit. Storing honey between 50-59 is the worst, accelerating crystallization. Or allowing it to fluctuate between warm and cool, like next to your stove. Below 50 degrees crystallization slows considerably, which is why freezing honey is considered OK. (Temperature is another important component in making creamed honey, but I will talk about that another time)
Levels of Filtration. This is the tricky one, the double edged sword of Raw Honey (if you are against crystallization). Think back to your rock candy experiment. In order for the candy to develop on the stick or string, some solid particles (or particulate matter if you want to be nerdy) must exist for it to build on. It’s the same with honey crystallization. If there are dust particles or pollen in the honey, there is matter for the glucose to stick with, thus crystalizing faster. Now, these particles can also be seen as additional nutrient benefits in the honey, which is why I myself only filter minimally to maintain as much of the benefits from the honey as possible. But from a ‘purity’ standpoint, the more stuff in the honey, the faster it will crystalize. This is exactly why large scale honey producers heat and filter their honey; to remove or kill anything that could be used as particulate matter. But by heating the honey, all the beneficial nutrients and minerals are killed, making the honey far less beneficial, as well as altering the color (darkening it) and flavor (muting subtle nuances). Honey naturally has a pH too low to support microbial activity, which is why honey is naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial, but heating honey to ‘pasteurize’ actually destroys all this as well. Fermentation only can happen to honey if it was not reduced to proper water level, which can also be an issue for large scale honey producers who take honey before it has been capped, or add corn syrup to stretch the product. Which leads to the last point.
Storage type. Though probably the least impactful, it is still worth mentioning that honey is hygroscopic (word of the day) meaning it tends to absorb moisture from the air. After honey is extracted, or taken from the comb, it is no longer housed in its perfect storage containers and is subject to its surroundings. This is why it is crucial for a beekeeper to only take capped honey, or honey that passes a refractometer test (a contraption used to measure the water percentage). Under 20% water, the closer to 17% the better. If it is taken from the bees before it is ready, the honey is at risk of spoiling. But even if it is taken at the right time, if the moisture levels rise, the yeasts that exist in the nectar can begin to ferment, as that perfect water to sugar ratio is thrown off. Storing honey in an open vessel or even in plastic for long periods can pose a problem, as plastic is more permeable than glass.
Real Observation
I became very interested small batch flavor differences, how each flower a bee collects from can change the overall taste of the honey. So I decided to do an experiment with my own honey. Over the course of one season, I collected small samples of each batch of honey I extracted, so I could compare them throughout the season. Color, flavor, water content, each aspect I took careful notes on. It also happened to be a great way to observe crystallization rates, which I was not expecting. I stored each sample in the same box in my unheated sunroom, which fluctuates drastically in both temperature and humidity levels.
As stated, the higher the glucose level, the faster honey will crystalize. There are charts that list honey varieties by the rate of crystallization, with Tupelo, Milkweed and Black Locust rated very slow to crystalize, Linden, Maple, and Thyme in the mid range, and Clover, Alfalfa, Goldenrod and Sunflower in the Rapid category.
My own honey experiment followed this pattern exactly. My early season honey, likely harvested from sources like clover and alfalfa, shows signs of the most crystallization, as well as the late season variety, which was likely taken from goldenrod, aster and sunflowers. My mid season samples, the coveted Linden variety and other late August wildflower bloomers like blackberry, fireweed and borage, were much slower to crystallize if at all.
The Honey Takeaway
Crystalized honey is not bad, just a change in texture. Sometimes honey will crystallize evenly, sometime it will be very grainy and streaked. Regardless, it is fine to eat. And some often prefer it, making it a bit easier to spread and spoon. However, not everyone shares this sentiment, so here are a couple of pointers. First, choose honey based on variety if you are able. Here is a link to a great chart showing different rates of crystallization based on nectar source. Next, store your honey in a glass jar at consistent temperature, and try to always use a clean spoon to avoid adding extra crumbs for crystallization to occur upon. And use a sealable glass jar when possible.
As discussed, crystallization will happen, and I would encourage you to give it a try if you haven't. That added texture is something I really enjoy, and if you are adding honey to a hot beverage, it won't make any difference at all.
But if you really need to, re-liquifying your honey is possible, provided you have a little patience. Here is a great article outlining the process, essentially making a warm (not over 110degrees) bath for your honey jar to sit in. I have found it takes twice as long as most articles say it will, but the result is pretty spot on, pourable honey once more. One thing I will say, Never microwave. Please. Zapping it will heat the crystals, melting them momentarily, only to come back with a vengeance and crystalize even more. And you will have killed all those beneficials. I have also experimented with using a dry crockpot set to warm overnight, just check how hot your crockpot gets before you go for it.
This will be my ninth year as a beekeeper, and I am always learning something new. Though I cannot make monovarietal claims with my honey, as I do not keep them in spaces so single cultured (and isn’ t that great) I can make educated guesses on variety based on bloom time and harvest. Super nerdy, and super exciting.
Have a question? Let me know! I am still learning, but I am so glad to share my experience with you!
References:
‘Honey: its medicinal property and antibacterial activity’ Manisha Deb Mandal and Shyamapada Mandal. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropcial Biomedicine. Published April 2011 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3609166/‘Crystallization of Honey.’ Khalil Hamdan. Bee World vol 87, 2010. Found on https://bvbeeks.org‘The Chemistry of Honey.’ Sharla Riddle. Bee Culture July 25, 2016. https://www.beeculture.com/the-chemistry-of-honey/#:~:text=Honey%20bees%20don't%20just,invertase%20in%20their%20salivary%20glands.
Oh thank you for this knowledge!! There is simply so much I did not know and it continues to fascinate me. What amazing creatures!
Honey delights and wows me!