Subject: honey question

From: [email-masked] (Jane Wamback)
Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 19:56:36 GMT

I have a plastic bottle of honey with the date 12/03/93 stamped on it;
this appears to be an expiration date.  I have the impression that honey
doesn't "go bad" -- so that this honey should be safe to eat.

Would a knowledgeable reader of this group let me know if this is indeed
the case?  Thank you very much.

----

Jane Wamback
Center for Astrophysics
[email-masked]

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From: [email-masked] (Pollinator)
Date: 4 Jan 1995 00:38:03 -0500

It is unlikely that a closed honey jar would go bad.  If it is left
open during humid weather, it could absorb moisture from the air and
ferment, at least at the surface.
Sometimes honey that is left crystallized for a long time will also
acquire a slighty fermented taste, even after restoration by warming.
That's because some water will form on the surface of the crystals and
yeasts will grow.  In neither case should this be harmful.
   I just packed out a four-year old barrel of honey.  It was
crystallized, and there was a thin wet *crust* on top that tasted a little
nippy, so I skimmed it off before warming and using the rest.  It's mighty
fine honey in the jar.
   Very few bacteria can survive in honey (the cell membranes rupture), so
there is no danger of spoilage, in the sense that it could make you ill.
   One of the few bacteria that can survive is botulism, but only in a
dormant, spore form.  It cannot grow and make its poison, so it is safe
for humans - EXCEPT:  There are some who hold that even a few botulism
spores are hazardous to young children, because they can begin to
reproduce and produce poison within a young child's digestive system. So
some pediatricians recommend that honey not be given to infants and
toddlers.   I wonder if this is alarmism, as honey has traditionally been
used in infant formulas, and botulism spores are just about everywhere. 
(-- Mom in the kitchen sterilizing the baby's bottle; baby in the living
room, eating dirt out of the flowerpot!)
   I have heard that honey has been found in the tombs of the pharoahs in
Egypt, and is still edible after thousands of years.  Of course the air is
so dry, that it cannot absorb water.
   If the honey is crystallized you can reliquify it in the microwave. Be
careful not to overheat it, as this can spoil the flavor, and even can
melt the plastic container.

[email-masked]      Dave Green,  Eastern Pollinator Newsletter, PO Box
1215, Hemingway, SC  29554