Honey gone hard

[ChshreCat]

I bought some honey sometime back to make a mead and never got around to it. With berry season in full effect I decided to go ahead and do it, but when I pulled the honey out of the cupboard it was hard as a rock. They're in plastic jugs and they're bricks now. Are they a goner or can I just warm them up or something? I'm not against buying fresh honey if these aren't worth messing with, but it'd be nice to use them rather than waste them.

 

[PresqueIsleBrewer]

I had some that had sugared. I put in the microwave and returened it to liquid.

 

[JetSmooth]

That's what she said!

 

[JetSmooth]

Okay. I'd like to apologise for the previous posting. It was immature and my fingers moved faster than my brain could engage this morning without my coffee.

Mea Culpa.

 

[evanos]

In the honey industry, they deal with crystallization of honey with gentle heating. It should take of your problem. And the honey isn't spoiled or of lower quality, it just needs to be heated.

Cheers mate!

 

[david_42]

If the jugs are big, you might find it easier to put them in a tub of hot water.

 

[ChshreCat]

Too big for the microwave, but they should all fit in the kitchen sink. Thanks! I'll try warming them up and then go hit the berry stands!

 

[ChshreCat]

Okay. I'd like to apologise for the previous posting. It was immature and my fingers moved faster than my brain could engage this morning without my coffee.

Mea Culpa.

You think you're gonna offend someone here? LOL

 

[JetSmooth]

You think you're gonna offend someone here? LOL

Nah. After I had my coffee, I realized I woulda posted that anyhow.

 

[Duffer]

Hey Cat! I'm afraid your honey is ruined. You can dispose of it by dropping it off on my deck whenever is most convenient for you. I'll take it from there.

 

[lumpher]

honey is the 1 organic thing in the entire world that doesn't spoil. just a little trivia, which i'm good at, since i'm such a trivial person it's still good

 

[MeadWitch]

I had a gallon early this summer that had crystalized over the winter. First, I sat it outside in the hot Texas sun for 3-4 days to loosen it up. Then I put it in a hot water bath and pour off the honey as it melted so the inside of the gallon would melt. It took a bit of work but within the hour, I had a gallon of pourable honey.

 

[ChshreCat]

Guess this is one time I should heat honey.

 

[Kauai_Kahuna]

Lightly heat, I think 120F would do the job without impacting the flavour or aroma of the honey.

 

[JDRogers]

Just heat it in a double boiler and use it. It's just fine. Store it in a warm place and it may not recrystallize.

 

[mullenite]

This is straight from the apiary that I buy my honey from:

Fill a large pot with water so that when you put the honey in it is almost covered. Heat the water to about 140-150 degrees gradually with the honey container inside.

This won't be hot enough to drive off aromatics but will be hot enough to cause the sugars to go back in to solution easily.

 

[soundsandsuds]

honey is the 1 organic thing in the entire world that doesn't spoil. just a little trivia, which i'm good at, since i'm such a trivial person it's still good

Yup. Honey found in containers in the Pyramids is still fine. Thousands of years later. Really makes you wonder why they bother pasteurizing honey.

 

[WheresOurFish]

This is straight from the apiary that I buy my honey from:

Fill a large pot with water so that when you put the honey in it is almost covered. Heat the water to about 140-150 degrees gradually with the honey container inside.

This won't be hot enough to drive off aromatics but will be hot enough to cause the sugars to go back in to solution easily.

This. I made a batch of mead from a rock hard half gallon of honey two nights ago. I put a pair of cheap wood chopsticks on the bottom of my stockpot, then put the jug of honey on those to keep the jug off the bottom of the pot. I filled it with water and brought the whole thing to 150 degrees. I tuned off the heat, put the lid on, and went out to mow my lawn. When I checked it again in two hours, the center was still not liquid. I poured what had liquified out into a clean container, and repeated until the whole thing was resuscitated. Although once the volume of honey goes down, the jug will float some. Just leave the top on the jug, and it should be fine.

I've also put smaller containers in the microwave, and had no problems. I get impatient sometimes, and if the water bath is taking too long, and I need to get things going, I'll finish it by nuking it. I would, however, recommend that you only zap it for short intervals at a time, then swirl it about some. I've found that the residual heat in the outer layer of liquid honey will help soften the inner core, and you decrease the chance of losing the subtleties in the honey.