I usually have two 5 gallon buckets goin at once so they are more easily managable. so one of them the bottom 1/4-1/3 has crystilized. I tried a sink bath in hot water to liquify the honey again not wasnt very effective. Anyone have a easy way to reliquify honey? i thought about setting the bucket on a heating pad just havent gotten around to it.
one of my honey buckets crystalized
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It will dissolve with mixing with water. Tiresome by hand, but it will. If you have a 1/2" drill you can use one of those white plastic wine paddles, chop off the small end, chuck into your drill. You could pour off any liquid honey, add water to crystallized remains, stir it up.
I've actually thought about doing that, pouring a bunch of warm water in it and starting a must. Prob the easiest also.
Oh I thought that's what you were doing now. I have found the power mixer doesn't care much what your water temp is, with groundwater temps of 80F in the winter here I have to prechill my water to around 55F to account for warming up from ambient plus honey additions during the mixing. The mixer takes care of business pretty quickly.
Heating pad, heating blanket around the bucket, or just scoop out what you need into a smaller container that you can put into a hot water bath on top of the wood stove or stove. I've had some measure of luck setting the pail in front of the wood stove, rotating it regularly, and getting it at least part liquid.
But the scoop method is usually the way I go. I kind of like it crystallized to move around. It's less drippy.
But the scoop method is usually the way I go. I kind of like it crystallized to move around. It's less drippy.
I use an old fridge with a light bulb put in there. After 2-3 days the honey will be liquid again. In winter I use two light bulbs or a higher wattage one. Monitor the temperature, and ensure that the lightbulb cannot get water or honey dripping in it for fire safety reasons.
Like Shelley, I actually like using honey that's crystallized, I use a big metal ladle to scoop it out and the nice thing is it drips and runs way less than liquid honey. I just make sure the water I use for making up my must is on the warm side and it really doesn't take that much more stirring than liquid honey, in my experience anyway. Plus you can tell when it's dissolved because you can't hear the crystals brushing the bottom of the bucket and no crystals come up on the stirring spoon!
I have a number of buckets of honey that have crystalised (according to some stuff I've read, how quickly it does this is something to do with the mix of sugars in the honey - which varies from where the bee's sourced the nectar).
I just use a spoon to "cut" it out to the approximate weight suggested by the recipe/method, then put it in a bucket and top it up with however much water is needed, clip the top on the bucket and give it a bit of a shake a couple of times a day.
2 or 3 days later, it will have dissolved and can be tested in the same way as if you'd have mixed up "runny honey" and water.
Honey will do this because its hygroscopic (attracts water).
If you do the "warm/hot water in a sink" trick, it will dissolve eventually, but any left in the bucket will recrystalise.........
I just use a spoon to "cut" it out to the approximate weight suggested by the recipe/method, then put it in a bucket and top it up with however much water is needed, clip the top on the bucket and give it a bit of a shake a couple of times a day.
2 or 3 days later, it will have dissolved and can be tested in the same way as if you'd have mixed up "runny honey" and water.
Honey will do this because its hygroscopic (attracts water).
If you do the "warm/hot water in a sink" trick, it will dissolve eventually, but any left in the bucket will recrystalise.........
