# 10 year old honey with slight fermented smell



## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Welcome to Beesource!

Honey weighs about 12 lbs per gallon (compare to water at 8.3 lbs), so its not surprising the barrel is 'heavy'.

Difficult to say what you mean by 'viability' of the honey. Most likely it is fine to feed back to bees, or to make mead from. Most likely, it will be fine for humans to eat also, but whether the taste of what may be slightly fermented honey is appealing is a personal choice. 

Honey can generally be de-crystallized by warming it.


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## ldpetchell (Apr 13, 2014)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> Welcome to Beesource!
> 
> Honey weighs about 12 lbs per gallon (compare to water at 8.3 lbs), so its not surprising the barrel is 'heavy'.
> 
> ...



Is there a way to really know if it's safe to eat? I would like to move it into smaller containers, but see know reason in doing this if it's not safe to eat. If I move it to smaller containers, should I filter it in some way? Would making mead be the safest thing to do with it?

Thanks for your time.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

> Is there a way to really know if it's safe to eat? 

Monitor your mother's health! 



You can have honey tested if you are prepared to pay for it ...
http://www.honey.com/honey-industry/honey-testing-and-regulations/find-a-honey-testing-lab/

I personally would eat that honey - _if _I liked the taste. 
But then I also eat fruits and vegetables directly out of my garden without washing them.


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## ldpetchell (Apr 13, 2014)

Rader Sidetrack said:


> > Is there a way to really know if it's safe to eat?
> 
> Monitor your mother's health!
> 
> ...



Ha, ha! Well my mother hasn't shown signs of sickness, but she only tasted a bit from her finger. It only worries me because I'm not sure it's storage was the best. The shed was a dirt floor, with no insulation. So the temps I'm sure affected it. Plus, although the metal drum looks ok inside, the outside is rusted. The lid was tightened down well enough, but under the lid the honey was just covered by a layer of plastic. I guess I need to taste it myself too.

Me too about the veggies; cucumbers straight from the vine are the best! Thanks for the link and info.


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## Rader Sidetrack (Nov 30, 2011)

Stored honey is a pretty safe food ...

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scien...ind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/?no-ist


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## flhultra (Jun 14, 2013)

it's fine, send it to me I'll eat it.
put a cloth over the barrel let it breath a couple days ,smell should be gone.


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## Bee Man (Sep 19, 2004)

honey should be fine! honey itself has antibacterial and antifungal properties.


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## BeeGora (Oct 22, 2013)

Would there be any concerns about the honey being stored in a metal drum vs a wooden one? Just wondering if the metal would leach into the honey over the years.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

>Is there a way to really know if it's safe to eat? 

There is no reason to believe it's not. But of course you had no control over it before you got it, so you can't know what might be in it, but I see no reason to believe it's not just good honey.


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