If you've ever opened a jar of honey to find it's turned cloudy, thick, or grainy, your first instinct might be to think something went wrong. The good news is that crystallization is not only normal, it's actually a strong sign that your honey is raw and unprocessed.
Honey is a supersaturated sugar solution, meaning it holds more sugar than water can typically dissolve at room temperature. Over time, that extra sugar naturally starts to form crystals. Raw honey, which hasn't been heavily filtered or heated, crystallizes faster because it still contains small particles like pollen and wax that give the sugar something to crystallize around. Our raw Wildflower Honeycomb is about as unprocessed as honey gets, so it's a great example of honey in its truest form.
Heavily processed honey is often heated and filtered specifically to remove those particles and slow down crystallization, which is why some grocery store honey can sit on a shelf for a long time looking perfectly smooth. That doesn't necessarily make it better. It just means more of the natural elements have been stripped out.
If your jar of raw local honey, like our Local Wildflower Honey 12oz, starts to crystallize, there's an easy fix. Set the jar, uncovered or with the lid loosely on, into a bowl of warm water. Let it sit for a while, stirring occasionally, and it will gradually return to a liquid state. Avoid the microwave, since overheating honey can damage some of its natural enzymes and flavor.
So next time you notice your jar of River Bluff wildflower honey turning a little cloudy or firm, don't toss it. That's just raw honey doing exactly what raw honey does. Explore our full shop to stock up on more.