If you notice that honey acquired not so long ago ceased to be liquid, and turned into a thick sugary substance - this is absolutely not a reason for frustration. Today we will understand why this is happening, as well as find out how to return the bee product to a liquid state and not deprive it of its useful properties.
Liquid and candied honey: the differences
Regardless of whether it is thick honey or liquid, the product is considered equally useful.
Honey is good for health - this fact does not cause any doubts. The healing properties of the product have been known for a long time. It is believed that the most useful types of honey are: buckwheat, lime, acacia, chestnut, espartsetovy, sunflower, dandelion, rapeseed, cypress, and sweet clover.
Its consistency depends on many factors, which we will examine a little later, and now consider the differences between liquid and crystallized product:
- The high content of fructose helps to ensure that the treat remains liquid for a longer time, and if glucose prevails in it, it begins to crystallize very quickly, already 3-4 weeks after pumping.
- The sooner the honey is pumped out, the longer it will remain liquid - May and acacia honey is famous for this. And a product that is pumped out later, for example, buckwheat and sunflower seeds, is quickly saccharified.
Crystals in the thick product of beekeeping can be different - from small to large:
- The presence of large grains of sugar indicates that it contains a lot of sucrose.
- Grains of sugar of medium size and delicate texture indicate that a large amount of glucose is present in the delicacy.
- Small crystals - an indicator of high fructose content.
Also, the size of the crystals depends on the storage temperature: the cooler in the room, the larger the sugared particles in the sweetness.Important! The more useful minerals in a treat, the more homogeneous it crystallizes.
Should honey be sugared?
For some reason, a candied delicacy causes distrust and does not attract customers as much as its more liquid counterpart. Although it should be noted that the suspicion should cause, on the contrary, too liquid product, in which it is much easier to add various impurities.
Yes or no?
The answer is unequivocal - yes. Natural honey must crystallize, and depending on its composition, collection time and storage conditions, this process can proceed faster or slower and can be influenced.
It is interesting to learn how to make honey with your own hands from dandelions, watermelon and pumpkin.
Are useful properties lost?
The change in consistency has absolutely no effect on the quality and beneficial properties of the product. All the vitamins and minerals in it are preserved, and at the same time it acquires a beautiful shade and a pleasant sugar content. 
Does sugar make for longer shelf life?
The answer to this question is negative: crystallization - This is a natural process that can not affect either its properties or the shelf life.. Whatever the consistency of sweetness, you can store it for a very long time. Depending on the honey plant, storage times vary from 12 to 36 months.
Did you know? The chemical composition of honey is very similar to human blood plasma. This product is absorbed in our body at 100%. Simple carbohydrates of which it consists, quickly split up and at the same time sate an organism with vital energy.
Causes of crystallization
In addition to the fact that there may be a different content of fructose and glucose in the product, several reasons are possible for sugar to be sugared:
- his age;
- method and place of storage;
- collection time;
- type of honey plant;
- weather;
- impurities (water, pollen).
Video: why honey crystallizes
It will be useful for you to learn how to check honey for naturalness.
How long does the honey thicken?
The time it takes to crystallize depends on several factors:
- Composition - the more glucose in it, the faster it crystallizes.
- Collection time - the earlier the bee product is pumped out, the longer it remains liquid. The last harvest, that is, harvested in August-September, is sugared in 2-3 weeks.
- Storage method - subject to certain rules, it is possible to keep the product liquid longer.
Can honey not thicken and is it good?
There is also such honey that can remain liquid for years, of course, subject to the rules of storage. Namely, this includes the product collected from the nectar of clover, willow-tea, fireweed, heather, chestnut, and honeydew.
Did you know? One of the incredibly useful components that make up honey is called acetylcholine, which is known as growth hormone. Therefore, the presence of such sweetness in the diet of babies contributes to the development of the child’s body. Also, acetylcholine is necessary for pregnant women for the correct development of the embryo.
How to influence the process of sugar
Despite the uniqueness of this product, we can have a certain impact on its consistency, observing the rules of storage, as well as buying it from trusted vendors at certain times.
How to keep liquid honey
It is better to buy a treat until the end of September, since it is at this time that its collection ends, and there are much more chances to affect the preservation of the consistency.
Honey must be stored in a tightly closed glass or wooden container, protected from sunlight. In addition to the material from which the containers are made, their volume has a big role. 
So, in a large container, crystals will form on the surface of the treat, and in a small container all the honey will evaporate.
The optimum temperature for storing bee products is considered to be + 15-20 ° C.
Important! It is best to acquire sweetness during the season of mass gathering (August-September) from proven beekeepers at specialized fairs.
How to quickly crystallize honey
The crystallization process can not only slow down, but also accelerate. If you want the delicacy to thicken faster, then you need to add a little candied to the fresh product. Do this at the rate of 9: 1 and mix the mixture thoroughly.
In order to make it easier to knead, you can warm it in a water bath to a temperature of + 27-29 ° C. After that, the honey is placed in a cool dark place. After 2-3 weeks, the sweetness will acquire a pleasant fine-grained texture and a beautiful golden hue. 
How to melt candied product
It seems that everything is simple: in order for the honey to become liquid again, it must be heated.
And this is true, but it is necessary to produce heating in such a way that the product does not lose its useful properties, and there are several proven methods for this:
- Water bath - a container with sweetness can be placed in a water bath and slowly melted at a temperature that does not exceed 50 ° C.
- Warm place - for example, near a battery or cooker: after some time, the product under the influence of heat will return to its original liquid state.
Honey is not the only healthy product that bees give us. Also valuable are: beeswax, pollen, pollen, royal jelly and drone milk, bee venom, zabrus and propolis.
Alternatively, you can take a jar of sweetness in the sauna or bath: at a temperature of 35 ° C, the candied crystals quickly dissolve.
Video: how to melt the candied honey Now you know that the density of honey does not affect its healing properties: it is equally useful in liquid and candied form. Do not forget about compliance with the rules of storage of bee products and enjoy the sweetness.
