Where should honey be stored? What and how to store liquid honey at home

Honey is a classic Russian delicacy. Especially during Shrove Tuesday, when freshly baked hot pancakes can be dipped in honey.

Honey is also indispensable as a remedy for colds. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to know how to properly store this amazingly healthy and tasty product. In this article, we will tell you how to hurt honey, including honey in combs.

How to store honey?

First of all, it is worth learning that you need to store honey only in a clean container made of glass or aluminum. In no case should honey be poured into a jar where a film of old honey has remained. It will entail the fermentation of a new product, as a result of which the taste of honey will deteriorate.

Also, barrels made of beech, cedar, linden, birch are suitable for storing honey. You can store honey in enameled dishes, as well as in milk cans. Ceramic containers with enamel on the inner surface are also suitable.

You can not keep honey in jars and jugs made of copper, lead, zinc or alloys of these metals. As a result of the interaction of the metal with the acids contained in honey, extremely harmful substances are formed that can cause serious poisoning. Do not store honey in iron jars, as this will spoil its taste. For the same reason, you should not take honey out of the jar with metal spoons, and even more so leave it there for a long time. It is better to transfer some honey with a wooden spoon into a small container and eat it from there.

Since honey perfectly absorbs all odors, you should not store it together with strongly smelling substances: paints, acetone, kerosene, etc. In addition, to avoid fermentation, it is better to keep honey away from salt, which retains moisture in the air.

If honey is poured into glass jars, it is better to store it in a dark place, as it quickly darkens in the light, and this can reduce the quality of honey. If you need to melt crystallized honey, you need to put it in a water bath. However, you need to use only the amount of honey that is necessary at the moment, since in the melted state it can quickly ferment.

How to check honey for naturalness?

At home, honey is best stored in a refrigerator or cellar. Temperatures up to -20 degrees are allowed. This will not affect its taste and medicinal qualities in any way. In winter, honey is generally found mainly in crystallized form. If you bought liquid honey in winter, it is most likely a fake or very overheated honey.

The higher the storage temperature of honey, the more useful properties it loses. Therefore, try to store it in a dark, cool room without strong odors. The optimum storage temperature should be below 20 degrees.

How to store honey in combs?

What to do if you were presented with a frame with honeycombs and honey sealed in them? First, start to rejoice: such a gift is very valuable and useful.

To keep honey in combs for a long time, honeycombs must be cut into pieces and laid out in clean containers, and tightly closed with a lid on top. Such honey can be stored both in the refrigerator (at a not very low temperature), and in a dark and cool room.

Honey in combs is good because it contains a very useful wax and is simply indispensable for colds. If ordinary honey is swallowed immediately, then honeycombs can be chewed for a long time, which helps very well with sore throats and colds. In addition, honeycombs can be cut and eaten with tea and rolls.

Useful properties of honey

Accustomed to modern sweets, we sometimes forget about such a tasty and healthy product as honey. Meanwhile, it contains mineral and bactericidal substances. It has an anti-inflammatory and tonic effect. Honey is indispensable for cardiovascular diseases, as well as for colds, digestive problems and gums. It contains natural fructose and is very tasty during tea drinking.

Benefits of honey

During World War II, infected wounds were treated with honey. This helped stop the infection and saved many lives. It turns out that honey helped to defeat fascism.

The most expensive honey in the world costs 12,500 rubles. It is produced in Israel. Alexander Goroshit, a native of the Soviet Union, guessed to feed the bees with Siberian Ginseng extract, which gave simply amazing qualities to the product.

And in ancient Greece, the inhabitants explained the immortality of the gods by the fact that they eat honey, nectar and milk. However, even today, many believe that the use of honey contributes to the prolongation of life.

Thus, honey is not only a delicious delicacy, but also a useful tool that can help with many diseases. With it, you can cook a truly royal treat, even from a hill of pancakes, if you pour them with honey.

You can also add it to a cosmetic mask, and then honey will help maintain youthfulness and freshness of the skin. The main thing is to properly store this wonderful product. It should be kept in a cool dark place in a glass, enamel or ceramic dish with a tight lid.

The editors of the site advise buying honey from trusted sellers and being healthy.
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We are often asked questions about where and how to store honey. There is a huge amount of useful information about this. Even more - rumors and speculation, which often cause damage to a valuable product.

In fact, there are only a few basic rules that will help you keep the beneficial qualities of honey for a long time.

Rules for storing honey at home:

Honey should be stored in glass hermetically sealed containers.. It is also possible to use enamelware, without damaging the enamel, and ceramics.

It is a mistake to think that it is best to store honey in the old fashioned way, in wooden barrels. The fact is that not all types of wood are suitable for this. In an aspen barrel, honey can become bitter, in an oak barrel it can turn black over time, and in a pine barrel it can become saturated with resin.

That's why, if you are not sure about the properties of the material from which the container is made, then it is better, nevertheless, to prefer a glass jar.

For aesthetes in our time, there are a lot of beautiful glass containers. Or you can dream up and decorate an ordinary jar so that it will delight you and your guests for a long time to come!

At home, it is best to store a jar of honey at room temperature (18-25ºС) in a dark place (in the closet, for example). Such a storage temperature will allow the maximum time to preserve the original consistency of honey.

The honey of the last pumping of the last season (end of September) still (end of March) remains in our apartment liquid and transparent, like amber. This refutes the popular belief that only adulterated honey can remain liquid after November.

Not all varieties of honey, even at room temperature, can remain liquid for a long time. So, honey with a high content of sunflower under any conditions (not violating the properties of the product) will crystallize in the first 2 months after pumping.

In the cold (at a constant temperature), honey will retain more useful properties, but very quickly (in a few days) it will crystallize and become thick (or even hard). If you plan to eat purchased honey within a year, then there is no significant difference when stored in the refrigerator and at room temperature. It should be remembered that nature provides for honey to fully retain its properties until the start of the honey harvest of the next season. Therefore, it is considered that during the year, honey does not lose its value.

We prefer not to store our honey in the refrigerator, because. noticed that natural homemade wine, for example, which over the years at room temperature and in the cellar only becomes better and more valuable, becomes cloudy in the refrigerator and deteriorates even in glass sealed containers. Researchers argue that prolonged exposure to radiation from the operation of refrigeration appliances adversely affects "live" products, which, of course, include honey.

Worst temperature conditions when storing honey there will be a high temperature (30ºС or more), including the close proximity of heating devices. And also - a constant change in storage temperature. Studies show that under unstable temperature conditions (for example, on a balcony), honey will lose its beneficial properties much faster.

A prerequisite for storing honey is a dark room.. According to studies, a jar of honey, standing on the windowsill, completely loses its biological activity within 2 days! (Professor Kashkovsky) If it is not possible to store honey in a cabinet, then you can use an ordinary cardboard box or carefully wrap the jar with foil.

It is worth considering the quality of honey purchased from the open-air market.

Honey has a high hygroscopicity, i.e. well absorbs moisture and smells from surrounding space. That's why the container with honey should be hermetically sealed.

If you leave a loosely closed jar of honey in a humid room, then after a while the honey will be saturated with water, become liquid, and may ferment and turn sour. Honey in a jar with a tight nylon lid can acquire the smell of smoked fish that was stored nearby! Therefore, even in a closed container honey should be protected from high humidity and strong odors.

In contact with air, honey very quickly loses aromatic substances.. If you often open a jar of honey or it is not tightly closed, then over time the honey will become not so fragrant at all.

Do not add honey to hot tea (water or milk). At high temperatures (above 40ºС), honey loses its biological activity.

Of course, there is no competition Honey comb. Until now, it has not been possible to find an alternative to the same effective way to preserve all the properties of honey, which nature has provided. Even in our time, beekeepers and foresters find hives in the hollows of centuries-old trees, in which several hundred kilograms of honey sealed in honeycombs are stored. A bee nest in such a hollow grows and expands until there is no more free space left for breeding. Given that bees store honey every year with a 10-fold supply, then over many years a whole pantry can accumulate! Honey in such hollows does not deteriorate, it, like good wine, simply changes its qualities over time.

It is known that the honey found in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs was edible and has not lost its honey taste after thousands of years!

Pharaohs are far from us, and finally I will tell you an interesting story about the preservation of honey, as they say, firsthand:

This winter, my husband (Ruslan) stopped by a small local beekeeping shop for foundation. One of the buyers turned out to be a very advanced grandfather (I thought: “Really, a beekeeper?”).

When the husband's turn came (just all the visitors had dispersed), it was impossible not to ask what the owner was talking about with that elderly man for so long.

It turned out that grandfather was not simple. He went through the whole war. And he told the store owner an incident from his military life.

At the end of the war, when our troops were liberating Poland, their detachment entered a Polish village. He and three other soldiers stopped at a wealthy pan. Word for word, we went to see the house, reached the cellar, and there was a wooden barrel - a huge one, sealed.

They are the owner: "What's in it?".

"Centennial honey," he says. He opened it, took out a knife and cut out an amber cube the size of a fist.

“We then ate this honey and got drunk better than wine.

That grandfather is gone, but curiosity still eats me! Well, how could you tell so little about such a miracle!?

All the best!

The benefits of honey and restrictions on use

Honey is a valuable product with a unique composition.

It contains fructose, iron, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium, ascorbic acid, and many B vitamins.

The calorie content depends on the variety of flowers: a light-colored product from linden, mint or acacia has 305 kcal, and a dark product from buckwheat, chestnut or heather has more than 400 kcal.

The benefits of honey are invaluable to humans. It is often used in folk medicine, cosmetology and cooking. High nutritional value helps to restore strength after physical exertion. With a cold, it increases immunity, kills viruses and has an anti-inflammatory effect. When applied externally, it exhibits antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties. The high content of iron (especially in buckwheat) helps with anemia.

And how much can you cook! For example, many barbecue marinades, thanks to the bee product included in the composition, make the meat simply delicious:,.

Attention!

With virtually no restrictions on use, the product is contraindicated for people who are allergic to it. With any manifestations of the disease (reddening of the skin, rash, rhinitis, tearing), you should stop taking honey and drink antihistamines.

The use of the product in large quantities can serve as the development of obesity and diabetes. and also cause dental caries. The recommended dose per day for an adult is 100-150 g, for a child - 40-50 g, which is divided into 3-4 doses.

And in order to fully enjoy all the benefits of the amber sweet bee gift, it is important to properly preserve it.

All about the proper storage of honey

The surest way to store honey is to keep it in a dry and cool basement in lime barrels.

But in modern conditions of living in city apartments, this is not feasible.

Yes, and we do not buy in such volumes.

However, even in an ordinary apartment, honey will stand for many years and completely retain all its useful properties, while not changing its appearance and smell.

But for this you need to follow the basic rules of storage. After all, an incorrectly chosen place, container or temperature regime will forever spoil the taste of the product.

How long to store honey?

Almost as much as you want! The statement that the product has a shelf life of 1 year, and then it loses its useful properties is not justified. Fresh honey continues to ferment during the first year. It may darken and lose some of the aroma, but due to the processes taking place in it, it acquires additional useful properties.

When buying a store-bought product, the shelf life according to GOST is 1 year. However, if honey is truly natural and properly stored, it can last for several years.

Temperature conditions

The temperature regime at which honey retains its consistency, aroma, taste and nutrients is quite wide.

Small deviations from the norm can slightly affect its important parameters:

• at a high temperature > 40 degrees nectar loses all useful properties, produces substances dangerous to humans, turns useful elements into harmful toxins;
• in the range of 20-40 degrees, the product delamination occurs;
• allowed, but the maximum allowable is 10-20 degrees, that is, storage is possible at room temperature;
• the ideal temperature conditions are constant indicators from 10 heat to 6 frost;
• during storage< -6C происходит затвердевание и заморозка меда.

When choosing containers, it should be noted that the product increases in volume when frozen.

Another main requirement for temperature is its constancy, because. drops negatively affect the quality of nectar.

Where to store honey at home

When choosing a specific storage location, it is necessary to take into account not only temperature indicators, but also the presence of light. It should be a cool dark place where the rays of the sun do not penetrate, which can harm the honey.

The main storage places in the apartment and the correct use of them:

1. Is honey stored in the refrigerator? Yes, it's a great place. Here, the temperature regime with low humidity and lack of light is fully observed.
2. Cabinets in the kitchen - not always the best place for the treasured jar. The proximity of the stove will maintain unwanted heat. It is better to store a small container with honey in such a place, regularly replenishing it from the main stock.
3. Pantry - A good place to stay. The absence of light is fully guaranteed, which cannot be said with certainty about humidity and temperature. If at all times of the year this room will maintain the optimum temperature for the product, then it will do, otherwise it is better to refrain.
4. Unglazed balconies and loggias are bad places to save. The product is difficult to hide from the sun, it will be constantly exposed to temperature changes, and during the rainy season, humidity will be high for it. But glassed-in rooms are a completely different matter., there you can save the honey properly.

What to store

With proper storage, the container in which honey is located is very important.

All dishes can be divided into several groups from the most to the least suitable.

• Perfect option : glass jar or clay pot with a tight lid. It is better if it is a dark glass jar, which will further protect the product from the sun.
• A good option : enamel or ceramic dishes, aluminum foil glasses or waxed paper containers. The latter option is only suitable for candied honey.
• Satisfactory option : plastic container, bottle and other food grade plastic containers. This packaging is only suitable for short-term storage.
• Negative option: iron, enameled and galvanized containers, honey will oxidize in it. And the active components of the product, reacting with the metal, emit toxic substances.
• Temporary option: molded or corrugated cups made of pressed cardboard with moisture-proof impregnation for transportation and short-term storage of the product.

The selected container should have a tightly closed lid so that the honey does not absorb foreign odors. It is better to wash the dishes with laundry soap, followed by a plentiful rinse. During storage, it is not recommended to add fresh product to “old” residues.

Additional requirements: humidity, light, smell

Bee honey perfectly absorbs moisture. Therefore, storage in a room with high humidity will spoil the product, making it too liquid. And with additional heat, it will generally ferment and turn sour!

The sun's rays not only heat the product, changing its temperature, but also destroy the enzyme inhibin, which is responsible for the antimicrobial properties of honey.

It is forbidden to store honey next to strongly smelling objects, because. even in a closed container, it absorbs other people's odors.

A little about crystallization

Crystallization or sugaring is a natural process of a natural product.

Honey does not crystallize for the longest time in combs, and the speed of sugaring depends on the type.

Buckwheat and flower products have a high degree of sugaring, while linden remains in a liquid consistency much longer.

Thickened honey does not taste different from liquid, it’s just that the liquid version is more convenient to eat, it looks more aesthetically pleasing and is used when added to pastries, salads, marinades.

If necessary, you need to properly melt the thick product in a water bath

How to store honey in combs

Honey in its natural packaging - in wax-sealed combs - is the most useful.

Frame storage requirements are exactly the same as for liquid honey.

A small nuance will differ in the safety of the whole frame.

In this case, it should be wrapped with an opaque material.

And so that the moth does not start, honeycombs are best stored in the refrigerator. But the correct and convenient option would be storage in a bank. Cut the honeycombs from the frame into convenient pieces and put them in a glass container with a tight lid. Further storage is no different from the usual.

Useful video

This video briefly talks about the basic storage conditions for honey:

Honey is a delicious healing delicacy. An important quality of a delicious bee product is the ability to retain its healing characteristics for a very long time. However, few people know the secrets of storing honey in a city apartment, which will allow it to maintain excellent quality.

How to store honey at home (in the apartment)

Honey is eaten, added to baking. It is used not only in the treatment of colds, but also in many other diseases. There are countless recommendations on how to store natural honey on the Internet. All of them agree on one thing: a properly selected container will preserve the taste and healing qualities of the product. In addition, such dishes will increase the duration of its storage.

Note! One of the properties of honey is hygroscopicity, therefore, immediately after purchase, it must be poured into a container with a tight-fitting lid.

Suitable cookware:

• a glass jar (bottle), since the glass does not enter into chemical interaction with honey (the container should be sterilized in advance);
• if short-term storage is planned (up to 90 days), you can take a plastic container with a hermetically sealed lid;
• as an option - earthenware or wooden utensils, which retain the healing properties of honey. In addition, the bee product will acquire an amazing aroma (it is important that the container is not treated with a chemical);
• it is permissible to place the honey mass in an enameled, nickel-plated container or in plastic intended for food products.

It is forbidden to keep the beekeeping product in a zinc, lead or copper container. As a result of the contact of honey with metal, harmful substances are released, which can end badly: lead to severe poisoning. An aluminum can can only be used for transporting honey. It is not recommended to take a barrel of needles. The ban also applies to oak. It is unacceptable to use dishes made of synthetic materials.

How to store honey at home (in the apartment)

So, when buying honey, one should not lose vigilance. It is necessary to refuse the purchase if it was originally in an unsuitable container.

Important! Honey must be kept in a clean container. You can not pour it into an unwashed container, where there used to be old honey. The film of the previous product will cause the new product to ferment.

Having purchased honeycombs, many people pour honey from them into a jar. This can be omitted, since it is better preserved in the frame. Therefore, it is recommended to cut the honeycombs into pieces and put them in a sterilized glass container with a tight lid.

Advantages of this type of storage:

• in this way, vitamins can be preserved in honey, which usually disappear during the pumping process;
• chewing foundation improves the condition of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract;
• wax contains many valuable substances;
• there are no microbes in the sealed combs.

Another option is to place the frame in a plastic bag and wrap it in an opaque cloth material. But at the same time, you should inspect the bundle about every week so that moths do not start in it.

In addition, the “commodity neighborhood” is carefully selected, since wax has the ability to absorb all pungent odors.

How can sugaring be avoided

Crystallization (candied) is a natural process. The resulting glucose crystals sink down, and gradually the bee product becomes harder. Do not worry, because candied honey does not lose its properties. On the contrary, only a natural product can be candied. It is directly related to the content of glucose in honey, as well as storage conditions. What can you say about a fake.

If possible, enjoy fresh honey longer by delaying its sugaring. To return it to a liquid state, it is worth warming it up in a water bath.

How can sugaring be avoided

So that sugar crystals do not begin to form in the honey mass, it is recommended to purchase honeycombs right away. Then cut them into pieces and put them in different glass jars, and put tight lids on top.

You can sometimes warm the honey in a water bath. However, it must be ensured that the surface of the container does not come into direct contact with fire. The temperature of the heated product should not reach 40°C.

note! Processing honey in a hot way reduces its healing qualities.

Storage temperature of honey

The ideal temperature, which will have a beneficial effect on the state of honey, while maintaining its best characteristics, is from -6°C to 15°C. If this indicator is higher, then chemical processes will inevitably begin, in which toxic substances are released. In a room that is too cool, honey will harden, which is undesirable for it. Cold will also negatively affect the quality of the product, but not so much. Frequent temperature changes will cause uneven crystallization of honey.

Important! The sun's rays, as well as high temperature, are detrimental to vitamins, enzymes, bactericidal substances found in honey. After that, the sweet medicine will turn into a regular treat.

Storage location in the apartment: which is better refrigerator or pantry

To understand where it is desirable to store honey, you need to evaluate the chosen place. It should be fairly dry with a moderate temperature. And it must be dark.

At room conditions, it is advisable to put honey in the refrigerator either on its lower shelf or on the door (away from the freezer). In this household appliance, there are no temperature fluctuations, high levels of humidity, sunlight, which will contribute to a better preservation of the product.

Payattention! Refrigerators that have a dry freeze system are considered an excellent honey storage option.

There are pantries in Khrushchev. Such a small room without heating and windows is also a valid place to store honey. As for a private house, the cellar would be the best place. Both light and temperature conditions are observed here.

When choosing a place to store a sweet and transparent bee product, you need to exclude the kitchen area, since a high temperature remains here. In winter, not a very suitable place is living quarters that are heated.

Storage space in the apartment

The loggia and balcony (even with glazing) are considered the most vulnerable place. It is hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. In addition, during the rainy season, humidity rises significantly.

The neighborhood of honey with many specific smelling products is undesirable:

• cheese;
• pickles;
• fish;
• sauerkraut.

The honey storage room should be isolated from harmful substances that have a poisonous odor.

Subtleties and features of the storage process

Compliance with these recommendations does not guarantee that after some time there will be no problems with the beekeeping product. The most common of these is stratification. This is when the thick part of the product sank to the bottom, and the watery part remained on top. Most likely, an unripe product was pumped out of the honeycombs. Despite this, the healing and taste characteristics of honey remained the same. It can be mixed and eaten.

If stored properly, honey will be beneficial for a long time.

But the white foam at the top of the product should alert. Here you need to figure out what kind of foam it is, or rather, when it arose. If this happened shortly after buying honey, then it is safe for health. Most likely the white foam is the result of poor filtration. If it appeared after a long time after storage, it means that the dishes with honey mass were poorly closed and moisture penetrated inside. The fact clearly indicates the process of fermentation. Such honey is prohibited.

For your information! Fermented honey in small quantities (4–5 g) can be added to pastries. This will give it a delicate scent.

Storage period

Many people believe that after a year, honey ceases to be an effective remedy for treating colds, moreover, it can harm health. However, this assumption is not true. Naturally, in a year the product will change: it will become a different texture, color, acquire a specific smell. But its properties remain unchanged.

Usually, the shelf life is clearly indicated on packages with ready-made honey. It is 1 year. However, even after 2 years, delicious honey can be safely eaten.

Any beekeeper will recommend making honey stocks in combs. The frame is stored in a sterilized glass jar for 12 months. If you pour fresh honey into the container (directly on the honeycombs), then seal it with melted wax and put on the lid, then the shelf life will increase to 10 years.

If honey is stored following simple rules, even after 2-3 years it will not lose its healing properties. Experienced beekeepers are sure that the shelf life of honey will be unlimited if the rules for its storage are strictly followed. This is facilitated by the preservative properties of natural honey. This fact has been scientifically proven. During one of the archaeological excavations, an amphora with a viscous composition of golden color was discovered. Expert analyzes have shown that scientists have found natural honey. Surprisingly, after several centuries, the bee product could still be consumed.

For your information! Golden molasses can stay in a hive of wild bees for many years. By its shade, beekeepers recognize the age of the bees living inside.

So, the best conditions for storing honey are a moderately cool place, complete absence of sunlight, a container (preferably glass) with a tight-fitting lid. In order to enjoy a fresh bee product longer, you must clearly fulfill all the above requirements.

Honey is an unprecedented natural product with invaluable health benefits. But in order to use them to the maximum, it is not enough just to purchase a quality product. You also need to know where, in what and how to properly store honey at home.

You can buy directly from our apiary "Svіy honey".

Where should honey be stored?

The answer to the question of where to store at home is obvious. Your fridge is the perfect place. However, some housewives manage to find other places that fully meet all the conditions. Their full list is later in the article.

At what temperature should honey be stored

The optimum storage temperature for honey is from +1 to +20 degrees. You can slightly exceed this rate, but be prepared that the beneficial properties will slowly fade away. But the temperature of +40 degrees and above will become critical for the bee product - when heated to such a level, it will turn into a useless sweet mass.

The storage temperature of honey according to GOST is slightly higher - no more than +25 degrees. But the document does not say anything about the lower limit of the temperature regime.

Related Articles:

How to melt honey so that it remains useful?

Can honey be added to tea?

Is it possible to freeze honey - it has been proven that a temperature not lower than -5 degrees will not cause significant damage to the healing composition. However, it is better to avoid such a cold regime - some of the vitamins will still be lost.

Humidity level

Please note that storing honey at home requires a minimum level of humidity. That is why the balcony and the loggia will become unsuitable places - even if the optimum temperature regime is maintained there, at any moment the weather can change to rainy.

Keeping the product in a kitchen cabinet is good in terms of humidity. But are you sure that your home will always be maintained at the right temperature? Agree, + 18-20 degrees for the room - cool enough.

Related article: How to store bee products: instructions and expiration dates

In this case, we once again come to the conclusion that the refrigerator is the best place to store bee products. You can control both temperature and humidity.

Additional terms

When choosing a place where you need to store honey, also pay attention to indirect factors:

• it must not be exposed to direct sunlight
• there should be no toxic or dusty products nearby
• recommended to keep out of the reach of children

The last rule is explained quite easily: like any other medicine, honey has its own daily allowance. If the baby, having decided to enjoy the sweetness, exceeds the maximum dose, this can provoke certain ailments: from diarrhea to an allergic reaction.

Related article: TOP 5 rules for drinking honey

What is the best way to store honey?

There are three main options for containers where it is better to store honey:

• glass
• plastic
• enamel
• tree
• clay
• wax honeycombs

The last option cannot be called a “package”, since the honeycombs also need to be stored in some kind of packaging. Nevertheless, it is believed that it is best to buy a product in a natural shell - wax combs. This is where bees store honey in their natural environment. So it retains the maximum of its beneficial properties and remains liquid longer.

Related article: Honeycomb: a sweet dessert in a natural shell

In what kind of dishes to store honey - the best option is glass jars. This is an environmentally friendly container. Plus - jars can always be closed with a sealed lid to prevent moisture or odors from entering.

Enamel and earthenware, as well as wooden barrels, are considered equally eco-friendly. But when choosing how to store honey at home, remember: you may have problems with the tightness of such containers.

Plastic containers can be used to store bee products, but only for a short time and provided that you use food-grade plastic.

How long honey can be stored - the answer to this question is still a mystery. Many argue that the product generally has an unlimited shelf life. But there is a condition: honey must be of high quality, that is, natural, mature and without additional impurities. Whether the product you bought is such is easy to check even at home.

Interesting fact: A few years ago, archaeologists found honey in the tomb of an Egyptian pharaoh. According to historical information, this ruler was buried several thousand years ago. It is not known exactly how many years honey is stored in such conditions. However, it remained perfectly edible.

In some sources, you can get a completely different answer to the question of how long honey is stored. If you follow GOST, the shelf life of a natural product is no more than 2 years. But every beekeeper is well aware that a natural delicacy can remain fresh, tasty and healthy for even several years - if stored properly.

Related article: Does honey have an expiration date?

How long can honey be stored at room temperature - if the optimal mode is violated (from -5 to +20 degrees), then the shelf life will be reduced. How much depends on the variety. For example, sunflower and acacia varieties are considered more “hardy”. But rapeseed honey is very “capricious” and without a refrigerator it can ferment after a few days.

Any honey has its own period of crystallization - the process, as a result of which it becomes more viscous and hard. The duration depends on the variety and the ratio of glucose and fructose. If there is more of the first (for example, sunflower honey), the product will sugar faster. If glucose prevails (for example, acacia honey), there is a chance that the dessert will remain liquid longer.

Related Articles:

Rapeseed honey: an exquisite bee dessert

His Majesty, Acacia honey!

Sunflower honey: about the benefits of the most common variety

Storage conditions have almost no effect on how long liquid honey is stored at home. However, you can make the honey sugar later rather than earlier:

• storage in a natural shell - honeycombs. Buying comb honey, you will be able to keep the product liquid longer, subject to all the rules.
• temperature regime. Store the product in a place where it is stable from +18 to +20 degrees Celsius. Low temperature, on the contrary, accelerates crystallization.
• frequent stirring. If the honey is often stirred, this will slow down the crystallization a little.
• whipping. There is a special technology in which honey is beaten with a powerful mixer at a temperature of about + 12-14 degrees. “Sugar” crystals are crushed, the delicacy acquires the consistency of a cream and a more delicate taste.

Related article: Cream honey: how to turn a bee product into a delicious dessert

Does honey spoil during crystallization - no. This is completely natural and should not be feared. However, if you are a passionate lover of liquid honey, you can always heat it up a little - but not above +40 degrees. This will return the product to its original consistency.

Source

Wikipedia: Bee Honey

Video "Honey storage conditions"