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Storing Honey

Storing honey is easy. Simply keep it in a cool, dry, location away from direct sunlight in a tightly covered container. Honey tends to absorb moisture, which can lower its quality. It is not necessary to refrigerate honey. In fact, it's much easier to handle if you don't.

Honey may also be frozen, although there's really no need unless you wish to store it for many years. It can sometimes darken with age.

We store comb honey in the freezer since it would eventually granulate and it could not be melted and still retain it's character.

Do not be alarmed if stored honey becomes cloudy. This is called crystallization. It is not harmful nor is it any indication of deterioration.

Crystalized honey is normal. By law, honey is sold by the pound, not by avoirdupois liquid measurements You can purchase 3 pounds of honey, but not a quart of honey. The reason for the weight measurement in poundage is very ancient. In England, heather honey will crystalize extremely fast - right in the comb - and could not be extracted by any methods then available. So honey was traditionally sold as a solid block of honey and wax, by the pound, and the weight measurement laws have remained intact for hundreds of years.

To liquefy the honey for normal use, the honey must be heated slowly in a double boiler to 145 F until clear, then cooled quickly to preserve quality by circulating cold water in the double-boiler. Just be sure to have a wire rack, a circle cut from expanded metal, or something similar, on the bottom of the stock pot or container used for the double boiler, so that water may circulate under the bottom of the honey bucket. And always loosen the lid of any honey being liquefied, as it gains considerably in volume as it is being heated - it will burst a container!

Information is from many sources including The University of Illinois Extension Service.