How can I deal with this?

[jeff33]

Hi all, I jarred my last bucket few weeks back and honey had recrystallised in the jars. I have melted it again but end up with this which I can't really sell to my stockists. Any ideas why this happened and what I could do to avoid in the future please?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

only way I should think to get rid of that is to sit the base of the jar in very hot water for a while

 

[nantmoel]

I have a couple of jars that this has happened to, its old honey in jars that I found deep hidden away in the garage, I have warmed it in my warmer and it just won't soften the bottom of the jars, I have even turn the jars upside down. Lucky I'll use them for personal use, I don't know why it happens, with me it was old honey (4-5 years old).

 

[fian]

Hi all, I jarred my last bucket few weeks back and honey had recrystallised in the jars. I have melted it again but end up with this which I can't really sell to my stockists. Any ideas why this happened and what I could do to avoid in the future please?

Mix it with a little warm water and feed it as early season food to your hives.
Regarding the reasons for crystallization it depends on many factors.

 

[jeff33]

only way I should think to get rid of that is to sit the base of the jar in very hot water for a while

Thanks Emyr. I have the lables on so not an option. Are they fine particles of wax which have settled down the bottom when the honey got too runny?

 

[fian]

Another option is to knock the price down a few pence to trusted customers by explaining the reason for the precipitate at the bottom of the jar. If they know the quality of your product, they will not reject the offer.

 

[Ian123]

Try warming then give a shake you’ll want to let the bubbles rise to the top. Do it with a couple to see if it works.

 

[Swarm]

It's one reason I don't label until the jars are going, if they granulate quickly you have limited options. I've had jars do this in the past, with the bottom stubbornly refusing to melt, I think it has a lot to do with the glass thickness of the base. Standing the jar on a trivet helps to make sure the base is warmed but as you say, they have labels on. Do you think you could get away with a trivet and the water level just over it so you could sit the jars on without the label touching the water?

I just had another look at your labels, bit tight for that idea.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Are they fine particles of wax which have settled down the bottom

I get that split occasionally, usually a few months after bottling mixed buckets. Looks like your fructose element has crystallised and the glucose remained runny.

Had a clearout yesterday and like Nantmoel, found a box or two of this and that. No point in warming for sale because by the time the bottom half has liquified the top will be over-heated. I'll warm them until clear and add to the Bakers' honey bucket, which gives me £18/kg. at market.

knock the price down a few pence to trusted customers

The buyers of proper local honey are not going to be seduced by a few pence off but a discount like this will sow a seed of doubt in the customer mind: is local honey really a premium product? Sell at a discount to your mates, but in a shop a beekeeper cannot control who buys what.

let the bubbles rise to the top

I've got a few of those: the set at the bottom has fermented, the upper is fine. All will go in the Bakers' bucket.

 

[jeff33]

Looks like I may approach a baker then!! Thanks again all.

 

[drex]

It has started to crystallise and crystals have sunk to bottom. I deal with it by putting in microwave on defrost and stirring and monitoring temp every minute. Stirring to distribute the heat is a must to avoid any overheating. It needs a lot of repetition but avoids the overheating bit.

 

[fian]

I get that split occasionally, usually a few months after bottling mixed buckets. Looks like your fructose element has crystallised and the glucose remained runny.

Had a clearout yesterday and like Nantmoel, found a box or two of this and that. No point in warming for sale because by the time the bottom half has liquified the top will be over-heated. I'll warm them until clear and add to the Bakers' honey bucket, which gives me £18/kg. at market.


The buyers of proper local honey are not going to be seduced by a few pence off,but a discount like this will sow a seed of doubt in the customer mind: is local honey really a premium product? Sell at a discount to your mates, but in a shop a beekeeper cannot control who buys what.


I've got a few of those: the set at the bottom has fermented, the upper is fine. All will go in the Bakers' bucket.

View attachment 34885

Local autochthonous honey is a product on the same level as fresh milk or local artisan cheese. What are the reasons why you classify honey as premium and not the bottle of grazing milk that arrives at your door every morning?
The relationship of trust and explaining the discount will not undermine the perception of quality of your product. Quite the contrary, since the client perceives that his honey in a store has a higher demand when discarding the "defective" jars.

 

[steve1958]

Looks like the "Pure Raw Honey" they sell in Health food shops at a premium rate

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Are they fine particles of wax which have settled down the bottom when the honey got too runny?

No, it's the heavier crystals of honey, they sink and there's no budging them, sometimes keeping them in the warming cabinet for a few days can clear most of it, but there's usually a few traces left even then.

 

[Erichalfbee]

No, it's the heavier crystals of honey, they sink and there's no budging them, sometimes keeping them in the warming cabinet for a few days can clear most of it, but there's usually a few traces left even then.

Yes. I turned the jars upside down and warmed them for a couple of days
But I learned my lesson and now warm them unlabelled in a water bath.

 

[ericbeaumont]

Looks like the "Pure Raw Honey" they sell in Health food shops at a premium rate

True, there are plenty of shops (inc. supermarkets) with this sort on the shelf. Whether they sell, or the beekeeper replaces them next time around, is the unknown.

 

[Wilco]

Either sell it as it is at the usual price but explain it's different plant sugars or get one of these:

Mini Digital LCD Thermometer Hygrometer Temperature Humidity Meter Probe Sensor | eBay

Then use it in your oven to work out how to set it to cycle around 35-39°C.

Leave the oven on that setting overnight with the jars in.

Usually does the trick for mine.

 

[steve1958]

Putting jars upside down in the warming cabinet is risky.

The heat can cause the lid to expand enough to allow honey to trickle out causing a big mess

 

[enrico]

Some people love it, sell it as two types of honey in one jar!!!
Happens alot if you extract at the end of the season. Less so if you do it more often!
Here is mine!

 

[mbc]

F

I get that split occasionally, usually a few months after bottling mixed buckets. Looks like your fructose element has crystallised and the glucose remained runny.

Had a clearout yesterday and like Nantmoel, found a box or two of this and that. No point in warming for sale because by the time the bottom half has liquified the top will be over-heated. I'll warm them until clear and add to the Bakers' honey bucket, which gives me £18/kg. at market.


The buyers of proper local honey are not going to be seduced by a few pence off but a discount like this will sow a seed of doubt in the customer mind: is local honey really a premium product? Sell at a discount to your mates, but in a shop a beekeeper cannot control who buys what.


I've got a few of those: the set at the bottom has fermented, the upper is fine. All will go in the Bakers' bucket.

View attachment 34885

Fmp! £18/kg for bakers honey, well done!