Honey is a delicious healing delicacy. An important quality of a tasty beekeeping product is the ability to maintain its healing properties for a very long time. However, few people know the secrets of storing honey in a city apartment, which will allow it to maintain excellent quality.

How to store honey at home (in an apartment)

Honey is eaten, added to baked goods. It is used not only in the treatment of colds, but also in many other diseases. There are countless tips on how to store natural honey on the Internet. They all agree on one thing: a properly selected container will preserve the taste and healing qualities of the product. In addition, such dishes will increase the duration of their storage.

Note! One of the properties of honey is hygroscopicity, so immediately after purchase it must be poured into a container with a tightly fitted lid.

Suitable cookware:

  • a glass jar (bottle), since glass does not chemically interact with honey (the container must be sterilized in advance);
  • if short storage is planned (up to 90 days), you can take a plastic container with a hermetically sealed lid;
  • as an option - earthenware or wooden dishes, which preserve the healing properties of honey. In addition, the bee product will acquire an amazing aroma (it is important that the container is not treated with a chemical);
  • it is permissible to put the honey mass in an enameled, nickel-plated container or in plastic intended for food.

It is forbidden to keep a beekeeping product in a zinc, lead or copper container. As a result of contact of honey with metal, harmful substances are released, which can end in disastrous ways: lead to severe poisoning. The aluminum can only be used for transporting honey. It is not recommended to take a barrel of pine needles. The ban also applies to oak. It is unacceptable to use dishes made of synthetic materials.

How to store honey at home (in an apartment)

So, when buying honey, you must not lose your vigilance. You must refuse to purchase if it was originally in an unsuitable container.

Important! Keep honey in a clean container. You cannot pour it into an unwashed container, where old honey used to be. The film of the previous product will ferment the new one.

After purchasing honeycombs, many people pour honey from them into a jar. You don't need to do this, as it is better retained in the frame. Therefore, it is recommended to cut the honeycomb into pieces and put them in a sterilized glass container with a tight lid.

The advantages of this type of storage:

  • so you can save vitamins in honey, which usually disappear during the pumping process;
  • chewing wax improves the condition of the oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract;
  • wax contains many valuable substances;
  • there are no germs in the sealed honeycomb.

Another option is to place the frame in a plastic bag and wrap it in an opaque cloth. But at the same time, you should inspect the package approximately every week so that moths do not start in it.

In addition, the "commodity neighborhood" is carefully selected, since wax has the property of absorbing all sharp odors.

How can sugar be avoided

Crystallization (sugaring) is a natural process. The formed glucose crystals go down, and gradually the beekeeping product becomes harder. There is no need to worry as the candied honey does not lose its properties. On the contrary, only a natural product can be candied. It is directly related to the glucose content in honey, as well as storage conditions. What can not be said about the fake.

If you can enjoy fresh honey for longer, delaying its sugaring. To return him to a liquid state, it is worth warming up in a water bath.

How can sugar be avoided

To prevent sugar crystals from forming in the honey mass, it is recommended to purchase honeycombs immediately. Then cut them into pieces and put in different glass jars, and put on tight lids on top.

You can sometimes warm honey in a water bath. However, care must be taken that the surface of the container does not come into direct contact with fire. The temperature of the heated product should not reach 40 ° C.

note! Hot processing of honey reduces its healing qualities.

Honey storage temperature

The ideal temperature, which will have a beneficial effect on the state of honey, while maintaining its best characteristics - from -6 ° C to 15 ° C. If this figure is higher, then chemical processes will inevitably begin, in which toxic substances are released. In a too cool room, honey will harden, which is undesirable for him. Cold will also negatively affect the quality of the product, but not so much. Frequent changes in temperature will cause uneven crystallization of honey.

Important! The sun's rays, as well as high temperatures, are detrimental to vitamins, enzymes, and bactericidal substances found in honey. After that, the sweet medicine will turn into a common treat.

Storage location in the apartment: which is better than a refrigerator or a pantry

To understand where it is desirable to store honey, you need to evaluate the chosen place. It should be dry enough with a moderate temperature. And it should be dark in it.

In room conditions, it is advisable to put honey in the refrigerator either on its bottom shelf, or on the door (away from the freezer). In this household appliance there are no temperature extremes, high levels of humidity, sunlight, which will contribute to better preservation of the product.

Pay Attention! Refrigerators that have a dry freeze system are considered an excellent option for storing honey.

There are pantries in the Khrushchevs. Such a small room with no heating or windows is also a valid place to store honey. As for a private house, the best place would be a cellar. Both light and temperature conditions are observed here.

When choosing a storage location for a sweet and transparent beekeeping product, you need to exclude the kitchen area, since the temperature remains high here. In winter, not a very suitable place - living quarters that are heated.

Storage location in the apartment

The most vulnerable place are the loggia and the balcony (even with glazing). It is hot there in summer, and too frosty in winter. In addition, humidity increases significantly during the seasonal rains.

It is undesirable for honey to be adjacent to many specific smelling products:

  • cheese;
  • pickles;
  • fish;
  • sauerkraut.

The honey storage room should be isolated from harmful substances that have a poisonous odor.

Subtleties and features of the storage process

Compliance with these recommendations does not guarantee that after some time there will be no problems with the beekeeping product. The most common of these is delamination. This is when the thick part of the product sank to the bottom, and the watery part remained on top. Most likely, an unripe product was pumped out of the honeycomb. Despite this, the healing and taste characteristics of honey have remained the same. It can be mixed and eaten.

When stored properly, honey will be beneficial for a long time

But the white foam on the top of the product should alert you. Here you need to figure out what kind of foam it is, or rather, when it arose. If this happened soon after buying honey, then it is safe for health. The white foam is most likely the result of poor filtration. If it appears after a long time after storage, it means that the dishes with the honey mass were poorly closed and moisture penetrated inside. The fact clearly indicates the fermentation process. It is forbidden to use such honey.

Note! Small amounts of fermented honey (4–5 g) can be added to baked goods. This will give it a delicate scent.

Storage period

Many people believe that after a year, honey ceases to be an effective remedy for the treatment of colds, moreover, it can harm health. However, this assumption is not true. Naturally, in a year the product will change: it will have a different texture, color, and a specific smell. But its properties will remain unchanged.

Usually on packages with ready-made honey the shelf life is clearly marked. It is 1 year old. However, even after 2 years, delicious honey can be safely eaten.

Any beekeeper will recommend making honey stocks in combs. The frame is stored in a sterilized glass jar for 12 months. If fresh honey is poured into the container (directly on the honeycomb), then sealing with molten wax and a lid is put on, then the shelf life will increase to 10 years.

If honey is stored following simple rules, even after 2-3 years it will not lose its healing properties. Experienced beekeepers are confident that the shelf life of honey will be unlimited if you strictly follow the rules for its storage. This is facilitated by the preserving properties of natural honey. This fact has been scientifically proven. During one of the archaeological excavations, an amphora with a viscous composition of golden color was discovered. Expert analyzes showed that scientists have found natural honey. It is surprising that after several centuries the bee product could still be consumed.

Note! In a hive of wild bees, molasses can be stored for many years. By its shade, beekeepers recognize the age of the bees living inside.

So, the best conditions to store honey are a moderately cool place, a complete absence of sunlight, a container (preferably made of glass) with a tight-fitting lid. In order to enjoy a fresh beekeeping product for a longer time, all the above requirements must be clearly met.