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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology

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Informed Discussion of Beekeeping Issues and Bee Biology <[log in to unmask]>
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Fri, 6 Sep 2013 14:54:49 -0600
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> What can I safely do with this honey? Can humans consume it without
> worry?

Unprocessed honey under 17% moisture is stable when  extracted and not
likely to ferment.  Commercially packaged and pasteurized honey is
normally blended to 18.6%.  Pasteurization kills the yeasts which
otherwise can cause the honey to spoil. Spoiled honey is not necessarily
unpalatable.  In fact honey normally becomes mead when it ferments, and
mead has been a popular and legendary drink for all of recorded history.

In a wet year, high moisture can be a problem, even in a big outfit, but
usually the buyers will take 'wet' honey at a discount as they can use
it to blend the drier honey down to 18.6%.  The discount should reflect
only lower sugars content, but some buyers are predatory and try to buy
cheap if the seller is not savvy.  'Wet' honey needs to be handled with
added care as to storage time and temperature, and blended before it
begins to 'turn'.

Small amounts of 'wet' honey can be stored in a home freezer, where it
will keep indefinitely -- and stay liquid, too.  Honey does not actually
freeze at home deep  freezer temperatures, so it can even be 'frozen'
safely in glass jars.

You can also pasteurize it yourself using the same time/temperature
tables as used for pasteurizing milk.  With honey, though, it is
advisable to stay down around 130 degrees and be careful not to create
hot spots on the vessel with direct flame..

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