When consuming honey, the most important thing is to eat it as fresh as possible, ideally produced within the last two years, as it shows the best effects during this time. Although honey can be safely stored for thousands of years without spoiling, its biological effects decrease significantly because the biologically active substances in honey slowly but surely degrade the longer it is stored. Be sure to keep it away from light, as light breaks down the enzymes in honey.
It is also best to never decrystallize honey, but rather consume it in its crystallized form to retain its maximum properties. If you prefer it liquid, decrystallize it by placing the jar in water heated to no more than 45 degrees Celsius and remove it as soon as it liquefies.
When using honey in tea or, even better, in milk, allow the tea or milk to cool to drinking temperature before adding the honey and then enjoy the drink. Milk is preferable because it inhibits the growth of beneficial bacteria in the intestines, but when honey is added, these bacteria start to multiply. An additional boost to the growth of gut flora is to eat mixtures of honey and fresh, non-dried pollen, which is stored in the freezer from the time it is harvested until it is mixed with honey. Crystallized honey is used for mixing to prevent the pollen from floating to the surface, and the mixture should be stored in the refrigerator immediately after mixing.
Contrary to the widespread belief among some honey consumers, crystallization is a completely natural characteristic of honey. In fact, fakes are made to never crystallize, due to the mistaken habits of consumers who are used to liquid honey. Since cold is one of the factors that promotes crystallization, honey crystallizes faster in northern countries, where people have developed the correct culture of consuming only crystallized honey, and when they see liquid honey, they view it with suspicion. However, in our region, many people still mistakenly believe that crystallization is a sign of added sugar, which is a serious misconception and error.
Source:
spos.info
