loading
reading
writing
saving
searching
Old Honey
QR Code Link to This Post
Approximately 375 glass jars with plastic lids of the 2 lb size.
Approximately 675 glass jars with metal lids of the 4 lb size.
This old vintage honey is roughly 25 to 35 years old and has been stored inside of a honey house.
Honey is one of a few foods that doesn't spoil with age when properly contained, sealed and stored.
However, it does get darker looking and stronger tasting with age.
This honey was produced and bottled by my late father.
He was a self-employed beekeeper that kept hives in Minnesota year around.
The honey is unstrained but was heated up before being bottled.
It was originally bottled and labeled to sell to stores for human consumption.
I'm not exactly sure why it was never sold but am guessing the two biggest possibilities could be
because there was a surplus left over from the previous season and / or because some was buckwheat.
Roughly 75% of the honey in each jar is crystallized and 25% is liquid.
Honey can be decrystallized by heating it up for a period of time.
Wikipedia says crystallized honey can be liquefied from 104 to 122 F depending on the kind of honey.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey
Honey looks and tastes different depending on what blossoms the bees get the nectar from.
This old honey is stronger tasting and darker looking because of its old age and because some is buckwheat.
I've eaten many jars of the old honey and lived to tell about it.
I remember the top portion of a jar or two tasted funny.
I'm not exactly sure why it tasted that way.
Maybe because there wasn't a tight seal on that jar or two which possibly could lead to it fermenting some ... who knows.
I didn't notice anything unusual about the jar, lid or honey other than it tasted a little funny.
I believe I ate everything in the jar or two.
The majority of the jars I've eaten seemed to be OK but definitely wasn't as tasty as fresh honey.
I've consumed some of the honey but that doesn't mean you should.
This honey is not for human consumption, not for bee feed, not for resale and is sold as is.
----------------------------------------
HMF (hydroxymethylfurfural) -
HMF forms when honey is heated and when it ages.
Baking and cooking sugary foods that have added sugar or have natural sugar increases the HMF in them.
Breads, cereals and dried fruits contain HMF.
HMF is found in other foods.
HMF is supposed to be bad and good.
I don't know how much HMF is in the honey or if it's at an unacceptable level.
My understanding and opinion is a little unclear.
Is HMF bad? Is HMF good? Is HMF OK?
You can decide what to think.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxymethylfurfural
healthywithhoney.com/what-is-hmf-an-indicator-of-fake-honey-or-processed-honey/
The graphic in figure 3 is interesting.
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5884753/
beesource.com/threads/influence-of-heat-treatment-on-formation-of-hydroxymethylfurfural-and-hydrogen-peroxide-as-heating-indicators-of-honey.366057/#post-1844459
----------------------------------------
Shelf life of honey -
smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/the-science-behind-honeys-eternal-shelf-life-1218690/
beesource.com/threads/shelf-life-of-honey.314788/
beesource.com/threads/old-honey.185874/
beesource.com/threads/old-honey.194143/
beesource.com/threads/25-year-old-honey-still-good.339881/
beesource.com/threads/what-to-do-with-30-year-old-honey.247961/
beesource.com/threads/honey-how-long-can-it-last-or-be-used-for-human-consumption.256799/
beesource.com/threads/did-the-honey-in-egyptian-tombs-taste-like-sump-oil.319295/
beesource.com/threads/honey-wax-1000-years.199399/
----------------------------------------
Possible uses for the old honey -
Bear bait -
Bears are supposed to like honey so could it be used as bear bait?
I've heard that it's unlawful to use liquid honey for bear bait in Wisconsin.
Keep bait stations that use honey far away from known bee hives.
Fungi food -
I've heard that honey can be diluted in water to create a culture which can be used to grow mushrooms.
Would this work for plants too?
Livestock feed -
Could it be mixed in with the feed for farm livestock (beef cattle, goats, hogs, horses, sheep, etc.) or poultry (chickens and turkeys)?
Soap making -
Would old honey work just as well as new honey in soap making?
Note -
Feeding old honey or honey that has been heated to bees could cause the bees to get dysentery.
Feeding honey to bees from a different bee hive could transmit American foulbrood which is a bee disease.
----------------------------------------
Possible uses for the glass jars -
Beehive feeders -
After the jars are emptied and washed out beekeepers could possibly use the 4 pound jars for bee hive feeders.
I'm not talking about feeding the old honey to bees but about using the empty clean jars as a bee feeder.
Food -
Could the jars be used to store dry foods?
Honey -
Could the jars be used again for honey?
Liquids -
Could the jars be used for liquids and syrups?
Note about the jars -
I've heard that it's unlawful to refill and resell containers in Minnesota.
I haven't been able to verify this and don't know about other states.
The jars have been filled but haven't been sold to the end consumer yet so I don't know if that counts or not.
Most jars have labels which are attached with water soluble glue. Soak in water to remove the labels.
If reusing the jars they should be washed and the seals and maybe some of the lids should be replaced with new ones.
The 4 pound jars use the same lids as 5 pound honey jars which is also the same size as canning jar lids.
The honey jars shouldn't be used in canning because they are not designed for the heat and pressure.
----------------------------------------
New glass jars and lids for honey -
Approximately how much would brand new empty glass honey jars cost?
Brand new empty 2 lb jars sell for $16.55 per case divided by 12 jars = $1.38 per jar (Betterbee glass jars with 63mm white plastic lids).
Brand new empty 4 lb jars could sell for $16.68 per case divided by 6 jars = $2.78 per jar (Guesstimate price as I did not find any 4 lb honey jars that were the same).
Betterbee -
2 lb, classic glass jars, with 63mm white plastic caps, quantity 12, item code: CB2C, $16.55
Discount for large quantity orders.
betterbee.com/glass-containers/cb2c-classic-glass-jar-2lb.asp
Caps and lids
betterbee.com//containers/caps-and-lids.asp?rpp=100
Dadant -
2 lb, Queenline glass jars, with 63mm white plastic lids, 12 pack, SKU#: M001982, $38.50
Discount for large quantity orders.
dadant.com/catalog/m001982-queenline-jars-2-c-12-w-plas-lids
Lids
dadant.com/catalog/honey-harvesting/honey-selling/lids-labels-seals?product_list_limit=all&product_list_order=price
Mann Lake LTD -
2 lb, traditional Queenline glass jars, without lids (add $2.95 for a 12 pack of 63mm white plastic lids with liners, product code: CN357), 12 pack, product code: CN140, $32.25, total for jars and lids is $35.20
mannlakeltd.com/honey-containers/traditional-queenline-glass-jars/
Lids
mannlakeltd.com/extracting-bottling/honey-containers/lids/
----------------------------------------
Misc -
1 gallon of honey weighs about 12 pounds.
There maybe other sizes and styles of containers listed in the future.
Some of the original cardboard cases should be replaced and I'm working on that.
This honey is not for human consumption, not for bee feed, not for resale and is sold as is.
Contact me for price per pound of honey.
Thank you and have a great day.
----------------------------------------
cane sugar corn syrup fructose high fructose corn syrup honey maple syrup molasses nectar sorghum sucrose sugar cane sugar syrup syrups sugars sugary