Heather honey separating

[Mlfbah]

I jarred some heather honey from last year a while back, and after being in the jar for a few months, some clear honey has separated down to the bottom. The whole bucket went like this, while other buckets didn't do this when jarred. Does anyone know why this might have happened? It looked perfect when jarred.

 

[Erichalfbee]

Is the top layer crystallised?
I keep my heather honey in the freezer to avoid it.

 

[Mlfbah]

Is the top layer crystallised?
I keep my heather honey in the freezer to avoid it.

No, the top layer is still like heather honey should be. Thick and no graininess at all. There sometimes is some runny honey in the frames that I spin out first. If some of that was left in the heather honey would that separate out or stay mixed in with it?

 

[Erichalfbee]

It seems that might be what it’s done. My Heather is a mix but it never does that
I’m not an expert on heather honey. Maybe @Curly green finger's or @peterbees ?

 

[peterbees]

It seems that might be what it’s done. My Heather is a mix but it never does that
I’m not an expert on heather honey. Maybe @Curly green finger's or @peterbees ?

It seems that might be what it’s done. My Heather is a mix but it never does that
I’m not an expert on heather honey. Maybe @Curly green finger's or @peterbees ?

The honey in the picture looks like it is fermenting.
I always blend my heather honey, one bucket of heather to two buckets of whatever else is available, into a soft set blend. I store the jars in a cooI dark barn, and very rarely get jars of heather blend fermenting.

 

[Mlfbah]

The honey in the picture looks like it is fermenting.
I always blend my heather honey, one bucket of heather to two buckets of whatever else is available, into a soft set blend. I store the jars in a cooI dark barn, and very rarely get jars of heather blend fermenting.

No taste of fermentation yet but maybe that's what's beginning. I have people asking for heather honey for its health properties, so trying to keep it as pure as possible, so can't really blend it with anything. Would love to make soft set honey , but our honey round here seems to take forever to crystallise.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

The honey in the picture looks like it is fermenting.

No taste of fermentation yet but maybe that's what's beginning

There seldom is I find with heather honey -it will however ferment at the drop of a hat

 

[Mlfbah]

There seldom is I find with heather honey -it will however ferment at the drop of a hat

Would that explain the separation or is it unrelated do you think?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Would that explain the separation or is it unrelated do you think?

it's not separation as such - it's just the honey fizzing

 

[A.Bumbler]

This happened to me a couple of years ago. Stored in a plastic box in a cool room. Noticed about half inch of runny honey in the bottom of the box - about 20 jars had fermented- really annoying but gave to friends and used for cooking as it tasted fine..I thought it was water content which makes it ferment? Frames absorb water from the air so a delay in extraction may have been the problem

 

[Mlfbah]

This happened to me a couple of years ago. Stored in a plastic box in a cool room. Noticed about half inch of runny honey in the bottom of the box - about 20 jars had fermented- really annoying but gave to friends and used for cooking as it tasted fine..I thought it was water content which makes it ferment? Frames absorb water from the air so a delay in extraction may have been the problem

Didn't think it was fermentation when I couldn't taste it. I stirred it in buckets for a few weeks with a dehumidifier until it was 18.5% so thought it was safe enough.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Luck of the draw , but that looks like fermentation, or different honeys seperating.
I’ve had heather at 18% not ferment but stored at 8c .
All of my pure heather or most has been 16.8% At it’s lowest and 18% once water has been reduced.
Would a heavy pollen content heather honey ferment Willy nilly?

 

[Erichalfbee]

18% once water has been reduced.

How are you reducing the water content?

 

[deemann1]

Would freezing heather honey in buckets stop it fermenting?

 

[Curly green finger's]

Would freezing heather honey in buckets stop it fermenting?

Probably but as soon as you Thor it would ?

 

[Curly green finger's]

How are you reducing the water content?

Honey cabinet and warming mats/ fans

 

[Curly green finger's]

Honey cabinet and warming mats/ fans

Plus agitation/ sturing

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Would freezing heather honey in buckets stop it fermenting?

yes, then defrost when needed

 

[Erichalfbee]

Would freezing heather honey in buckets stop it fermenting?

Absolutely. It stops everything dead, fermentation and crystallisation.