Lavender Hill Farm honey may crystallize. That’s a good thing! Real, raw honey crystallizes.

The crystallization process is natural and spontaneous. Pure, raw honey has a natural tendency to crystallize over time with no effect on the honey, other than color and texture; it actually preserves the flavor and quality!

Some honeys crystallize uniformly and some will be partially crystallized, with a 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?

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.

If your honey has crystallized:

Remove the top of your honey jar and place it in a small pot of water. Heat the water slowly over a low flame. Be careful not to overheat, as this can caramelize the honey and change its flavor and texture. Turn off the heat when the honey feels warm to the touch and let it bathe in the warm water for several minutes.  Shake the jar to ensure the honey gets mixed and let it cool to room temperature before placing the cap back on the jar.