Emergency Food Storage Items.
You could often hear that honey should definitely be present among other foods in your emergency food storage. Honey does not spoil without any preservatives and additives. At the same time it is a natural source of valuable nutrients which is highly important to have during an emergency. Another advantage is the fact that honey is sweet and you will definitely want to have something sweet when you are stressed out and have to survive a disaster. This article will give you some information on how to store honey properly to save all valuable nutrients in it over a long period of time.
Some chemical and physical changes could occur in honey during storage. Honey usually becomes darker and loses some flavor over time. Liquid honey tends to crystallize and it could get lumpy over time. Even though it does not affect the taste and the quality of honey, it could change its appearance a lot. Therefore you could see limited shelf life written on the labels on honey bottles. This is done for commercial reasons only.
Most specialists suggest to store honey at room temperature. They think it should not be kept neither in a cool nor in the hot place. Cold temperatures usually speed up granulation processes. However, this depends on the type of honey. Different types of it crystallize to different degrees. For example, tupelo honey remains non crystallized much longer than other types of honey.
The general recommendation is to store honey at 70 to 80 degrees F in a dry place. It is also recommended to close honey bottles tightly as it usually absorbs moisture from the air. When honey has much moisture in it, it could not be called a top quality product any more.
Direct sunlight is also harmful for honey. Never expose your honey to direct sunlight. This could change its properties. That is why honey is sold in dark containers sometimes. However, dark containers are not used very often as they prevent customers from estimating the quality, the color and the crystallization of honey.
It is also recommended to keep your honey in glass containers. Glass is a neutral material and it is a full oxygen barrier. It does not react with honey and allows it to remain in good quality.
It is also really easy to make granulated honey liquid once again. All you need to do is put the jar into hot water and leave it. As soon as the crystals are dissolved take the jar out of the water and cool it down. It is important to make it as fast as possible. And do not forget that honey could not be boiled. Most valuable substances are ruined under the heat.
This planet gets “hot” – it is high time to be prepared. Find out more about food storage – this information can save your life and the lives of other people you care about. Visit this food storage site for interesting updates in the food storage industry.
