Description

Lavender Hill Farm’s real, raw lavender honey crystallizes.

That’s A Good Thing! Real, raw honey crystallizes.

The crystallization process is natural and spontaneous. Pure, raw and unheated honey has a natural tendency to crystallize over time with no effect on the honey, other than color and texture.

What’s more, the crystallization of honey actually preserves the flavor and quality characteristics of your honey. Many honey users prefer it in this state as it is easier to spread on bread or toast and many people find the taste richer.

Some honeys crystallize uniformly; some will be partially crystallized and form two layers, with the crystallized layer on the bottom of the jar and a liquid on top.

Why does this happen?

Honey is a highly concentrated sugar solution. It contains more than 70% sugars and less than 20% water. This means that the water in honey contains more sugar than it should naturally hold. The overabundance of sugar makes the honey chemically unstable, thus, it is natural for honey to crystallize since it is an over-saturated sugar solution. Honey can crystallize in the hive if the temperature is 50 degrees or lower.

What can I do about this?

First, try to store your honey in a consistently warm place. Perhaps a cabinet over your stove area or near the oven. Honey starts to crystallize when it’s temperature is below 65 degrees, just as water does at at 32 degrees.

Remove the top of your honey jar and place it in a small pot of water. Slowly, on a low flame, heat the water. Be careful not to overheat, as this can caramelize the honey, which can change its flavor and texture.

Turn off the heat when the honey feels warm to your touch and let it just bathe in the warm water for several minutes.  Shake the jar to ensure that the honey gets mixed and let it cool to room temperature before placing the cap back on the jar.