Honey Twigs

When you start eating healthy, honey is the first superfood you go to. But the ‘not so appealing’ image in the head about storing honey puts you off, right? In this blog, we aim to give you some practical and easy tips for honey storage. Read on to know how easy it is storing honey without refrigeration.

Let us first look at some instances which prove that honey is edible even after a thousand years. 

Did you know – the oldest honey in the world was discovered in 2003, in West Tbilisi, Georgia, when a construction company was laying down an oil pipeline. Estimates by archeologists indicated the honey was about 5,500 years old. Another instance was when a 2,000-year-old jar of honey was found in King Tut’s tomb in the year 1922. And as honey rarely spoils, it was still edible. An extremely old jar of honey was enjoyed as though it was a day old!

These instances show that honey is one of the few foods that comes without an expiration date. The long shelf-life and medicinal properties in honey makes it a superfood. 

Let us delve and find out what gives honey the long shelf life: 

Most foods contain water which aids in growth of microbes, leading to food spoilage. Honey, on the other hand, is mostly free of water. This means that honey does not support growth of microbes. And, in addition, sugar and antimicrobial compounds in honey aid in preventing its spoilage.

Like it is said, for honey to go bad, there should be something in the jar that goes bad!

Honey, however, can undergo changes at a physical and chemical level that may change its colour, flavour, and aroma when exposed to elements like sunlight, temperature fluctuations, and addition of moisture.

Here are 3 tips to help you store honey and keep it fresh for long:

1. Store the honey in the right container – if the original container is not an air-tight container, you may want to transfer the content in another container. Honey, when left exposed to air, sucks in moisture causing it to spoil. For this reason, a sealed plastic or glass container (as metal can oxidize honey and lead to spoilage) are preferable honey storage containers.
2. Store the honey at the right temperature – It is recommended that honey should be stored in a cool location. This does not imply that the storage of honey is necessary in a refrigerator. If honey is stored in the refrigerator, it tends to crystallize into a semi-solid goop. Therefore, when required after refrigeration, honey may be thawed by placing it in warm water. This process however is an extra step and consumes additional time.
3. Store honey away from direct sunlight – Best way to store honey after opening is away from direct sunlight. Room temperature or a cool location works as the perfect temperature for honey storage.

Refrigerating honey as a method of storage isn’t harmful, but it is not recommended as it leads to crystallization at a faster pace. Also, when honey is stored in the freezer, it tends to expand. Hence, you may have to transfer some honey to another container to leave room for it in the freezer.

Honey exposed to direct sunlight or to warm temperatures can cause subtle changes in flavour and aroma. Hence, we at Honey Twigs provide directions on each of our packaging to “store in a cool dry place away from direct sunlight”.

But storing a giant bottle of honey can take up a lot of space. Frequent opening and closing of jars also pose the danger of exposing honey to heat and moisture, which can decrease the shelf life of honey in the long run.

At Honey Twigs, we believe that storing honey shouldn’t be a messy affair. 

Keeping this idea of your precious honey in mind, Honey Twigs has come up with an innovative solution that makes the woes of honey storage a thing of the past! Honey from Honey Twigs is available in a mess-free, easy-to-use, single-serve packaging.