This post may contain affiliate links. Full Disclosure Read Here

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

What is the Best Way to Store Honey

These tips on finding the best way to store honey are sure to help you protect your investment. Honey is a perfect food– as soon as the bees finish with it. But as a natural food, we sometimes feel that we need to take too many precautions with it. Honey doesn’t spoil but keeping it in the best location will preserve the integrity of this wonderful product.

After carefully selecting the perfect jar of raw honey, your first taste exceeds your expectations. Wow, this really tastes great.

But, you can’t eat the whole jar at one time… or at least you probably should not! Even though it is a special treat – remember it is still a sugar.

Chances are you will end up having the jar sitting around for a while. Unless of course you discover all the other wonderful things you can do with honey.

Now, what can you do with that jar of liquid gold to protect it and keep it fresh? You know what they say about “good intentions”?

Well, your best intentions may lead you to do the absolutely worst things for your honey!

To preserve freshness it is common to store food in the refrigerator. But wait…You do not store your pure honey in the refrigerator, do you? Whew… I hope not.

If you have placed your jar in the refrigerator, don’t panic. It is okay but – just maybe not the best place to keep it.

In fact, keeping it in the frig may cause it to change in ways you do not desire.

Honey Crystallizes in Storage

What happened? My jar of honey has become solid! This is a common cry among consumers who do not understand the nature of raw honey.

You may also hear the term “turned to sugar”. But, it does not mean that anything has been added to your honey or that it is bad in any way.

It may look very different than you expected. But, don’t be fooled by the gritty texture, it is not spoiled. Your honey has crystallized.

This is a natural process and happens faster when the product is stored at cold temperatures.

Crystallized honey is often thrown out – what a waste! You can still eat it. In fact, some people love it in the crystallized form.

You can even make your own – we call it creamed honey – and the crystals are small and smooth – not gritty.

Why does this happen to some types of honey and not others? The rate of crystallization depends on the nectar sources, storage temperature and other variables.

A few varieties will never crystallize but most types will do so over a long enough period of time.

Does Honey Go Bad?

NO! Honey will last indefinitely if protected from moisture. It may lose color and some flavor. But it will still be safe to eat.

The low moisture content, low ph and antibacterial properties of honey prevent spoilage.

If you allow water or moisture to get into your honey, it can ferment and spoil. When this happens, it will smell yeasty . This is part of the process of how mead is made.

How Long Does Honey Last?

Raw honey can crystallize faster than commercially prepared products. It does not mean that sugar or anything has been added. Don’t be turned off-if your jar crystallizes.

In fact, that gritty jar may actually be more nutritious than the beautiful golden bear from the supermarket!

If most natural honey “turns to sugar” in time, how can those supermarket bears be so beautiful and clear? How indeed?

Once you have gone to the effort of buying a good quality product, you want to protect its nutritional value. None of us want to waste money on food.

Do you want to keep it in a liquid (pour-able) state? There are certainly a few things you can do to slow down the crystallization process.

First, consider the temperature of the area where you keep your honey. It plays a roll in how fast crystallization takes place. A warm room temperature cabinet in the kitchen often works well.

Honey is made by honey bees and what a wonderful story of survival it is! Honey is the perfect food for long term storage in a bee hive.

Once stored in wax cells and capped with wax – the bees can depend on food for the cold Winter months.

Sometimes, we humans want to improve upon natural things. We want that jar of honey to sit on a shelf in a pristine state for months.

The practices used to create a beautiful product for the grocery shelf are not necessarily kind to our nutritious raw honey.

While honey will be safe to eat for a long time, it can darken in color and become more solid.

That’s doesn’t look pretty on the grocery shelf – so large commercial packers use intense filtration.

The product is pushed through a filter under pressure to remove bits of wax and small crystals.

The end product is beautiful, uniform and it will look good on a shelf for a long time.

But ultra filtration removes some of the micro-nutrients and pollen too. Thereby, lessening the nutritional value of the product.

What is Raw Honey?

Raw food products are in their original form as created in nature. Nothing is added or harmed in the components of the product.

Some people can not consume raw products – hence pasteurized products are a better option for them.

Honey can only be called “raw” if it has not been processed, super filtered or heated.

But remember, beekeepers do need to strain out huge pieces of wax. Letting the honey drip through a sieve under no pressure does no harm.

Each harvest is unique. Because each season different flowers may or may not produce the same amount of nectar as in a previous year.

In my bee yard, it is not unusual to have one bucket of honey that is very light in color and another very dark. Flavor and color will vary.

I found a honey dispenser with a tight sealing stopper and lid. It is one of my favorites and holds up well to repeated use.

Great for a family with kids (young or older) that are prone to being messy. This jar is a perfect companion to larger storage jars.

Its a great way to serve smaller amounts. You will love it – I keep mine sitting on my stove.

Best Storage Containers

The best thing you can do for your honey is to store it in a tightly sealed jar. Keeping it at room temperature and in a dark cabinet preserves color and flavor.

Handmade Honey Jars

Handmade honey jars are beautiful to use and make great gifts. However, do not leave a large amount of honey sitting out in them as most do not seal.

Honey is acidic. This is one reason it never spoils – bacteria doesnt grow well in it.

Do give a bit of thought about what type of container you choose for storage. Glass or plastic is fine. It is perfectly okay to re-use a glass jar with a tight lid.

However, because honey can absorb moisture and odors – please don’t re-use an old pickle jar. Unless of course, if you want to add a bit of pickle aroma to your raw honey, that’s your call.

Using large-mouth glass jars, is one of my favorite methods of storage for long term. You can spoon out as much as you need – even if it crystallizes.

These large containers (half-gallon) will hold a lot of product but are not too heavy to lift. Smaller amounts can easily be transferred to a serving container.

My favorite place to keep honey is in glass jars in a kitchen cabinet. Glass allows me to see inside without opening the container.

If it is cold and slow to pour, I can put the jar in a bowl of warm water for a few minutes.

( I break the rule and store a small jar right on my stove top. – I am a rule breaker that way. ) Any “tight sealing” pot or container is okay.

Can We Store Honey in the Frig?

No – that’s not the best place to keep your jar of honey. This is a common question asked about honey storage. But, it does not require cold temperatures or a vacuum sealed jar.

Please don’t put your it in the refrigerator. It will not make it last longer or keep it fresher.

But if you put your jar of honey in the frig, that’s okay – it is still good. Just maybe a bit gritty!

Storing Honey in the Freezer

Honey can be stored frozen in the comb or place liquid in a container with room for expansion.

Freezing protects the integrity of your raw product. Honey can be frozen for several years. When you are ready to use, thaw at room temp in sealed containers.

Use silicone trays to freeze small portions. A great way to seek relief for sore throat pains or coughs, just pop out a frozen “cube” and put it in hot tea.

How to Store Honeycomb

Do you enjoy eating honeycomb? Some folks enjoy eating beeswax with the comb. It is really sweet but a bit waxy!

First the bad news, if you have a piece of comb inside your jar of honey – it will crystallize faster. Solution?

Eat it first! But, what if you have several pieces of comb that you want to save for later.

Surprisingly, freezing is a good option. You can wrap the pieces of comb rightly in plastic wrap and freeze.

Or, vacuum seal and freeze. I love my Food Saver. It is a great way to seal comb in preparation for freezing.

Need more ideas? Read – How to Store Honeycomb.

Recapping the 3 Best Tips for Honey Storage

keep it in a tight sealing container store your jar in a dark location keep in a warm location – it will crystallize slower

If you want to learn how to produce your own, consider my online beekeeping class

Give some careful consideration to finding the best place to store your honey and you will be able to enjoy every last drop.

Beekeeper Charlotte