# How are they doing it? Raw honey not crystallizing



## rookie2531 (Jul 28, 2014)

I go to my local stores and see "local raw honey" for sale on the shelf. I see it year round. Now I know the local stuff here does crystallize. Mostly poplar around here, but mixed, so labeled wildflower.

Now I have read that beekeepers go to store ever often and change out bottles that start to crystalize with bottles that are not, but my question is, how?

I also read that if you heat it up, it will last alot longer and not crystalize as fast, but doesn't that ruin the, raw factor?


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## billabell (Apr 19, 2010)

I imagine by being careful to keep as low a moisture content as possible. Tulip Poplar is our best flow and it is also one of the least likely to crystalize. I have never had a bottle of honey crystalize (Knock on wood) and I do not heat my honey and it is raw. Now, I do not carry over honey from year to year it is all sold within a short period of time. I have for personal use some that was taken off last July and it is still fine. I last checked the local market where I sell some 2 days ago and it is also fine. If you heat it to the point of pasteurization it shouldn't crystalize but then it is in my opinion not raw.


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## jmgi (Jan 15, 2009)

My opinion is that many beekeepers label their honey as "raw" because it sounds good to customers, but its far from my definition of "raw". In order to keep my honey (mostly clover) from crystallizing quickly, say, within a few months, I would have to heat it up to at least 170 or so degrees for a short period of time, so its really no longer considered raw, in my opinion. My buckets of unheated honey usually have a moisture content of less than 17.5%, and the buckets will start crystallizing in few months, I store mine at a temperature between 65-70 degrees.


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## DPBsbees (Apr 14, 2011)

You can keep honey in a bottling tank that can keep it from crystallizing at temps that the honey is already exposed to in the hives. 80 degrees will keep it from crystallizing and my honey sees temps much higher than that before I even extract.


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## Riskybizz (Mar 12, 2010)

"How are they doing it" ? 

In my opinion they are doing it by being deceptive in their labeling. There really are no standardized definitions for terms referring to honey sold in our stores. Pure, raw, natural, etc...really don't mean much. Within the beekeeping community there are certain definitions generally referencing honey that has been maintained and bottled in a certain manner. They are so misused that really only the person involved in the bottling and marketing of the product know how the honey was handled. In my area there is a certain company that stocks all of our local stores with dark amber "raw" NM honey. It is no more raw than Chinese honey I'm sure. It also never granulates. One day I'm going to buy a jar and send it in for analysis just to confirm my suspicions. I'd bet my next pay check that its not from our country.


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## Sharpbees (Jun 26, 2012)

If it crystallizes in the bucket I put it in a warming box at 80-100 F for 18-36 hours, depending on the amount of crystallization, that generally re-liquefies it. It's not uncommon for honey to be subjected to these temperatures within the hive during summer. By keeping the temperatures in those ranges Once it's re-liquefied it will hold for a several more months but will eventually recrystallizes. I only bottle as needed and that's what works for me. Keep in mind, I'm not a honey producer, I only sell around 500 lbs retail/year. Kentucky only allows home sales of 500 lbs or $6000 without an inspected honey house.


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## mathesonequip (Jul 9, 2012)

all pure honey will crystalize, the question is how long it takes.what the bees get into has a lot to do with how long it takes to crystalize. if you hold the honey for a few hours at 105 or 110 degres f. it slows this down a lot, and it is still thought of as "raw". warm temperatures on the shelf slows things down. frozen honey does not crystalize.... now for the bad, sugar, corn syrup and/or rice syrup does not crystalize [the cheap fake stuff from asia], of course no one in the usa or canada would ever get this low.


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## aunt betty (May 4, 2015)

When my raw honey crystallizes I use a heating pad or an electric blanket. 
I'm not sure but believe if it never goes above 160 you're ok calling it raw.
The heating pad or blanket never get that hot or people would get burnt. Never measured the temps and my customers never complain.
It also works for chunk honey which really surprised me when we tried it. 
Came out pretty and clear and the wax did not melt at all. 
We put the heating pad into a cooler and set the honey on top of the pad then close it up overnight.


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## hillbeekeeper (Mar 11, 2013)

A particular honey's likelihood of crystallizing is dependent upon the ratio of glucose to fructose. The higher the percentage of fructose, the less likely it is to crystallize. My Spring and early Summer honeys are tulip poplar, dewberry, blackberry, privet, sourwood and sumac. High fructose ratios, low crystallization. I have two jars of honey from my first harvest five years ago and they still have not crystallized. Now, the later flows (soybeans, cotton, goldenrod) are a different story.


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