How do you store honey after harvesting?
Honey bees are endowed with special and unique skills in making honey. They collect nectar from flowers, mix it with special enzymes to change the chemical makeup, and dehydrate it to lower the moisture content. Once ready, they store it in honeycombs and seal it with wax. The wax capping acts as a food storage seal. While they consume the reserves in winter, humans also benefit from their labour.
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How do you store honey after harvesting?
Given the incredibly long shelf-life, honey is one of the easiest products to store in your pantry. It is one of the most stable natural foods you will ever have! After extracting and storing it in a tightly sealed container( glass jar or food-safe plastic container), you just need to keep it in a cool place away from direct sunlight. Room temperature is ideal for honey storage. However, you should avoid exposing it to heat or allowing moisture into the container. Keeping honey in a refrigerator is not necessary. It causes it to solidify, making it hard to use when you need it. While it may also be frozen, there is no need for that.
What are the rules for packaging honey?
Cleanliness
Ensure the extracted honey is strained well to remove parts of wax, bee parts, and dirt.
Store Quickly
Leaving honey in open containers will cause it to pick up moisture from the air. Excess moisture will make it spoil. Worker bees spend their time and energy to ensure it has an ideal moisture range for storage.
Use Clean Containers
The containers you use to store honey should be clean. If you use previously used containers, ensure they are well-cleaned, rinsed and dried. You should also avoid detergents with strong smells not to alter its taste or smell.
Use Plastic or stainless Steel Containers
You should avoid storing them in metal containers since they can oxidize. This process changes the taste of honey.
Avoid Direct Sunlight
Honey stored in direct sunlight produces a chemical known as (hydroxymethylfurfural). While it may not harm you, it changes its flavour. A kitchen cabinet may be an ideal spot.
Avoid high Temperature
You should not store honey in temperatures above 35 degrees.
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Use Airtight Containers
Honey has a moisture content of between 18% and 20%. Introducing water into it will cause it to ferment. This lowers its quality. To prevent moisture from seeping into the product, you should use a container with a tight seal. A seal also prevents other contaminants.
Can you store capped honey frames without extracting them?
Full honey frames can be stored, although it is a little harder than extracted honey. You can keep them for 2-3 days. However, ensure they are wrapped well to keep off insects and pests. It also tends to crystallize, which makes it hard to extract. If you want to store longer than this, it is best to freeze the honey frames. The best thing to do is to leave them in the hive until you are ready to extract them. Bees take care of them ideally. Fermentation may also occur if the frames have many uncapped cells.
