WHY DOES HONEY SET?

Many people think that the runny liquid state of honey that you see in the commercials is the only, natural and preferred form when it’s actually a matter of taste. This mistake bemuses beekeepers greatly, because real honey will set on you surprisingly quickly. It hasn’t gone off if your once runny jar of golden deliciousness has had set like concrete in the bottom of the jar, it has simply formed enough sugar crystals to change consistency. And, solidification isn’t permanent either. If you like your honey runny, fear not, simply make a cup of tea, let the kettle cool down a bit, place your lidless jar in a bowl and then steep in shallow pool of warm water. By the time you’ve finished your last hobnob, it will already look different.

The reason why real honey sets is actually quite simple to explain. It gets cold for one thing – which is why you never put honey in the fridge. And, sugar crystals begin to from upon to the surfaces of the microscopic pollen and wax granules that only real honey contains. These elements provide a perfect growth ‘substrate’, as it is known.

Honey, whether runny or set, is just as wholesome and just as delicious. It’s your choice how you eat it. Makes you wonder why Supermarket honey is still runny after a long voyage from China an a sojourn on the shelf? It’s because it has been denaturalised and the pollen, et al, has been removed. One reasons why honey from your local beekeeper is best.