Crystallization: A Sign of Purity
“What is honey?”
To a human, honey is a delectable luxury, while for a bee, it is a daily complete meal. Honey is the bee’s food for the winter when there are not many growing plants from which the insects can get nectar from. A family of bees, whose members range from worker bees to the queen bee, work hard the whole season to harvest the nectar and store it in a beehive.
“What is nectar?”
Nectar consists of natural sugars, water, and many nutrients that can be found on blooming plants. The major and most important component of nectar is sugar. Specifically, two sugars, glucose and fructose which are called monosaccharides. It is important to understand how the balance of these two sugars makes the honey look, taste, and feel a different way in each jar.
“Is this added sugar? Why does honey look like a diluted chunk of sugar in a jar?”
Sugars are part of the natural components of our daily food. They are soluble carbohydrates (sometimes called “sweet carbohydrates”) and are mostly present in fruits and vegetables. In honey, they are highly concentrated.
Glucose is less soluble than fructose. Since glucose has a harder time staying dissolved, its molecules bind together and form small crystals. Meanwhile, fructose remains fluid.
We call this process crystallization.
Unprocessed honey crystallizes a few months after it's collected by bees. Depending on the proportions of monosaccharides, water, wax, pollen and other small particles, crystallization of honey may look different in every unique jar.
Crystallized honey tends to be a lighter color than when liquid, this is due to the fact that glucose crystals are naturally white. Fructose keeps the crystals afloat and gives honeys unique flavors and colors of plants that it was collected from.
RECOMMENDATIONS TO LIQUIFY SIBERIAN HONEY
Sometimes the two monosaccharides, glucose and fructose, can separate in your jar leaving fructose on top. Do not rush to mix it! Take a spoon and taste the blend of pure, unique flavors that only honey can offer.
Or, if you prefer, bring your honey to its original state by using our method to liquify Siberian Honey:
- Place a jar of honey in a pot of warm water (not above 100*F / 38*C)
- Let it sit in water
- Once the water begins to cool down, add more warm water (For faster results you can flip the jar inside the pot few times throughout the process)
IMPORTANT
-Make sure the lid is tight and is NOT letting any water into the jar.
-Do NOT microwave honey or heat it up above 100*F / 38*C if you care to preserve all the natural components, as this will change the makeup of the honey, potentially change the structure of proteins, and weaken the beneficial components of honey.
Siberian Honey: Pure, delicious, and always untouched.