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Don't be alarmed if your honey becomes cloudy or thickens during storage. This is called crystallization. It is not harmful nor is it any indication of deterioration.
Raw honey with high pollen content will crystallize faster than most commercially produced honey. Cold temperatures also cause crystals and sometimes it's desirable. We filter our honey, after gradually warming to 95 degrees, through a double screen filter followed by cheese cloth. We remove any particles that are not desirable but leave the pollen and enzymes.
If your honey crystallizes, you can easily re-liquify it. Simply place the jar in a pan of hot water and stir while gently heating it. Do not overheat it though. Excessive heat may alter the flavor and color if the sugars begin to caramelize.
"Heating up to 98.6 F causes loss of nearly 200 components, part of which are antibacterial. Heating up to 104 F destroys invertase, an important enzyme. Heating up to 122 F for more than 48 hrs. turns the honey into caramel (the most valuable honey sugars become analogous to sugar). Heating honey higher than 140 degrees F for more than 2 hours will cause rapid degradation. Heating honey higher than 160 degress F for any time period will cause rapid degradation and caramelization." (John Skinner, University of Tennessee)
Also, avoid the microwave as this can get too hot too quickly. If stovetop warming is out of the question, use a bowl of hot water instead. It may take a little longer to liquify and you may need to replace the water if it cools too much, but it will work eventually.
The key is slow gradual warming of the honey at the lowest temperature possible that will reduce or remove the crystallization.
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