All About Honey - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 109

mesh strainer to remove any debris that can cause coarse granulation. Then the honey
is heated to 140°F (60°C) for one minute. To prevent overheating, the honey must be
stirred constantly. This dissolves any crystals that may be present. Next, a small por-
tion of already finely textured creamed honey is added to the liquid honey. This step
is called seeding the honey so the same fine crystals will grow inside the newly heated
honey.After being mixed well, the heated honey is placed in a cold room ofabout 57°F
(14°C).Withintwoweeksthehoneyshouldcompletelycrystallizetoaluscious,creamy
texture. If it is too hard to spread, it should be moved and stored at room temperature
until it becomes spreadable. Crystallized honey stored at high temperatures will return
to its liquid state, because some of the crystals will dissolve and not form again. Honey
appears lighter in color after crystallization.
F ERMENTATION
If you've ever opened up a jar of honey only to find that it smells a bit like vinegar, it
has probably fermented. All honey contains yeast cells. Fermentation occurs when the
yeast cells divide and multiply in honey that contains more than 19 percent water. This
can occur when a beekeeper removes the honey from the beehive before the bees have
completely removed all the excess water from the honey. Or, if you drip some water
into a jar of honey by mistake, the next time you open it, there is a chance it will have
fermented.Honeyalsoabsorbsmoistureinhumidconditions,whichcancauseferment-
ation to begin. Moisture is one of the two archenemies of honey, the other being too
much heat.
O RGANIC H ONEY
Organic has become a household word, and many people seek out and prefer organic
foodsandproducts.Presently,theU.S.DepartmentofAgricultureregulatesthelabeling
of honeys as organic. Among other requirements, it states that the management of hon-
eybeesandproductionoforganichoneycannotusechemicalssuchaspesticides,insect-
icides, and herbicides. Organic honey producers must determine that no chemicals are
being used where their bees naturally forage. But since honeybees may travel up to two
milesfromtheirhivetogathernectarandpollen,howcanweknowforsurethatthey're
notcomingincontactwithchemically treatedplants?Feedingbeessugar-watersupple-
ments in spring and fall, when there is no nectar flow and pollen naturally available, is
alsoprohibitedinorganicbeekeepingunlessthesugarisorganic.Beekeepersoftentreat
their bees with FDA-approved medications because honeybees are living creatures and
they occasionally play host to pest or diseases; the use of these mainstream treatments