> A while back someone on the list mentioned that when frozen comb
> honey is taken out of the freezer it will crystallize sooner then if
> it had not been frozen.

I've never heard this, but I have often stated the opposite, and have
written on this topic on this list.  (See archives).  In fact, years ago,
when we produced tens of thousands of comb sections, we routinely 'froze'
them to maintain them in a fresh state and to temper them against quick
granulation.

Another method of keeping honey liquid is to maintain it above 80 degress F
or so.  I recall buying sections from a gentleman in California who kept his
orange blossom sections in a special room in his house for up to a year.
Orange blossom honey is known to otherwise crystalize quite quickly,
apparently.

The problem with using warmth, rather than 'freezing' to maintain the liquid
state is that 1.) the honey may darken and change over time, and 2.) if
there are any wax moth eggs, they can hatch and make a mess.

'Freezing', on the other hand, kills wax moth and very much slows the
chemical activities in honey, and also vastly slows the migration of
molecules that can result in crystalization or separation.  What we see when
we examine 'frozen' honey, is a very thick, viscous substance, that handles
like 'solid' tar, or like toffee.

'Freezing' is possibly the wrong word for what happens to honey when
subjected to the temperatures we can achieve in a freezer or outdoors,
since, (for these purposes), honey can be considered to be basically a
supercooled and supersaturated solution of sugars and water.   As such, it
is a natural anti-freeze.

I'm not sure at what temperature, if any, honey could be considered to be
actually frozen, but, if it actually freezes, my thoughts are that the
freezing point is very low.  My understanding of these phenomena is limited.
Perhaps someone can correct me, or add to this.

As for the after-effects of 'freezing', I have compared it to tempering
steel, although I am sure that is not an exact analogy, either.

At any rate, what I do know, is that after 'freezing', *our* honey took very
much longer to granulate after removal from cold storage that honey not so
conditioned.  Although, I had heard previously of this effect, and have
always assumed it to be general, I cannot say if it applies to the honey
from your region.

allen
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