Really long term keeping honey

[eshroom]

I know this has been done to death, but I'd like ideas on really long term.

My dad was a beekeper and he died 15 years ago. I've got about 40 litres of his honey that i've been keeping in several containers (tin and plastic) and I open them occasionally and take some honey out.

It still tastes delicious and reminds me of being a child and eating his honey. But I am worried that the containers are opened a few times a year letting new air in etc.

The honey is stored in a cool(ish), dry, dark place. But I have been looking for a vacuum solution (without luck) to keep it even better.

Does anyone have any ideas for the best way to store this honey for the really long term?

Thanks

 

[dpearce4]

how about using a vacuvin top. might work

 

[user 6228]

Honey longevity is all about the packaging not the contents. Thus with glass jars the limiting factor is the lid. Caveat is the honey is of a concentration that it does not ferment.
Conventional metal lids with additional external rust proofing of waxed cloth kept dry should be good for many decades.

 

[colinc]

After 15 years, if something was wrong with the storage method, I guess you would already know.

 

[linoleum bonypart]

You could use an inert gas sold for wine or whisky drinkers who place a layer on top of the liquid.... simply squirt a second or two from the aerosol

 

[For want of a better word]

The Egyptians seemed to have cracked this problem 2000 + years BP... just need a wax sealed amphora and a girtlikken pyramid!

Myttin da

 

[Beefriendly]

Honey longevity is all about the packaging not the contents. .

Au contraire!!! It's all about the contents.
There are legal minimums for diastase and legal maximums for Hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde (HMF) in your honey; both are affected by heat and ageing. Diastase has a half life of approx 2 years at 18oC, depending on the starting concentration this could mean you are selling illegal honey after 3 or 4 years.
Same as HMF it's concentration increases with time and temperature, max allowed in UK honey is 40mg/kg and it's slowly increasing day by day in stored honey.
No matter how you package your honey it will have little effect on the "ageing" of these compounds.
I would suggest that freezing presents one method of long term storage. However, if for personal consumption non of the above will kill you!

 

[Beefriendly]

The Egyptians seemed to have cracked this problem 2000 + years BP... just need a wax sealed amphora and a girtlikken pyramid!

Myttin da

It's another urban myth perpetuated because it makes a good story but has little factual credence.
Not a drop of actual honey was ever found in any of the Egyptian archaeological digs. Evidence of vessels it was stored in (and evaporated/was destroyed by age) and an outline of honeycomb on a dish were as good as it got.
See Eva Crane's, World history of beekeeping and honey hunting for further details.

 

[Millet]

Can you not just put it in a plastic bucket with a gate valve on the bottom then you would not have to remove the lid.

 

[eshroom]

Can you not just put it in a plastic bucket with a gate valve on the bottom then you would not have to remove the lid.

It's fully crystalised.

Thanks for all the replies!! Vacuum would be my ideal solution but haven't found any vacuum top that would fit.

Inert gas is something I hadn't heard of before, but I think probably presents the best solution?

The top few centimetres of honey is darker and not quite as sweet as what lies beneath, so the years are deffinately having an effect...

 

[Tremyfro]

You could pour some wax over the surface which would seal it again. Then when you want to take more just cut the wax and lift off.

 

[For want of a better word]

It's another urban myth perpetuated because it makes a good story but has little factual credence.
Not a drop of actual honey was ever found in any of the Egyptian archaeological digs. Evidence of vessels it was stored in (and evaporated/was destroyed by age) and an outline of honeycomb on a dish were as good as it got.
See Eva Crane's, World history of beekeeping and honey hunting for further details.

The myth is that the Egyptian honey lasted 2000+ years

Read it again... sealed in an amphora and stored under a pyramid..... fad a few years back for storing foodstuffs under little plastic pyramids I seem to recall!
however.....http://www.thedailymeal.com/5500-year-old-honey-and-10-m
Nos da

 

[Beefriendly]

The myth is that the Egyptian honey lasted 2000+ years

Read it again... sealed in an amphora and stored under a pyramid..... fad a few years back for storing foodstuffs under little plastic pyramids I seem to recall!
however.....http://www.thedailymeal.com/5500-year-old-honey-and-10-m
Nos da

Urban fantasy my dear Cornish pixie.
The daily meal ehh....really scraping the barrel...the best the real article comes up with is "honey stains", hardly edible honey.
Suggest you read some proper research into the subject as per my original reference

 

[For want of a better word]

Urban fantasy my dear Cornish pixie.
The daily meal ehh....really scraping the barrel...the best the real article comes up with is "honey stains", hardly edible honey.
Suggest you read some proper research into the subject as per my original reference***

***My word someone has a very long neck and needs to wind it in and get back under the bridge!

However as a foodstuff honey does seem to have a very long shelf life... if properly packaged.... but what about those very rare and old bottles of wine... going for a prime ministers salary at auction???

Myttin da

 

[pargyle]

I have some 3000 year old honey as I stole it from the jars that were unearthed in the pyramids - that's why they are empty ! I can let you have some of the contents - it's a bit crystallized and has a slight tang of Ivy but at £500 a jar (repackaged into more suitable modern containers of course) it's an absolute snip. Postage included....

 

[colinc]

I have some 3000 year old honey as I stole it from the jars that were unearthed in the pyramids - that's why they are empty ! I can let you have some of the contents - it's a bit crystallized and has a slight tang of Ivy but at £500 a jar (repackaged into more suitable modern containers of course) it's an absolute snip. Postage included....

I hope you have approval from trading standards to sell it, I hope the Egyptians got the packaging and degradation issue sorted, or is it a "not for human consumption" collectors item?


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[seaknight]

Why do we overcomplicate things?! If it's for private consumption, who cares, as long as it isn't toxic or otherwise dangerous to health.
No wonder the rest of the world thinks we're eccentric.

 

[Millet]

Why do we overcomplicate things?! If it's for private consumption, who cares, as long as it isn't toxic or otherwise dangerous to health.
No wonder the rest of the world thinks we're eccentric.

Believe me i am far from eccentric, quite the opposite.. a hooligan maybe..

 

[pargyle]

I hope you have approval from trading standards to sell it, I hope the Egyptians got the packaging and degradation issue sorted, or is it a "not for human consumption" collectors item?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

No... it's fine .. I put it in my warming cabinet and it went nice and runny so I was able to repack it... but it's nicely crystallized now and ready for a bit of 3000 year old toast if you can find some ... I won't tell Trading Standards if you don't ... cash sales only I'm afraid now as it's getting a lot of interest ...

 

[Angularity]

There should be a market for 'vintage' honey. If you can sell honey locally, e.g. Fladbury Garden Honey', then why not sell 'Fladbury Garden Honey, Vintage 2017'?

After all, they do it with champagne.