During the cold winter days, it sometimes happens that the honey in the jar crystallizes. Some believe that crystallization indicates that the honey has gone bad - and they rush to return it to the store where it was purchased or throw the jar with the remaining honey in the trash.
The CEO of Emek Hefer Apiary, Yoram Paz, says that the crystallization of honey is a natural process that results from the composition of the ingredients in honey and the presence of flower pollen in it.
Crystallization is evidence that the honey was not heated during the packaging process. The form of crystallization differs between different types of honey. Sometimes the honey crystallizes into sugar-like granules and sometimes into a white spread. Crystallization begins when the honey becomes "cloudy" and later it becomes solid.
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Honey that has crystallized, like any other honey, can be kept for years without spoiling.
In Egypt, honey from the time of the Pharaohs was discovered whose quality was preserved. In fact, the shelf life is set by marketers to some arbitrary date, to a point where due to poor storage conditions the quality of the honey will deteriorate, but with proper storage it can last for many years.
According to Paz, the crystallization inside the jar must be uniform. A jar with some liquid honey and some crystallized honey indicates a mixture of different honeys or damaged honey, and in such a case, you can definitely complain at the point of sale and demand that the honey be replaced.
To return the honey to its liquid state, you can soak the jar of honey in a container of hot water.
If after a few minutes the honey remains solid, replace the cooled water with new hot water until the honey returns to its liquid state. Of course, you can also eat the honey in its solid state – and some people even prefer it in this state.
