The Science Behind Honey's Eternal Shelf Life (2013)

downbad_

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11951860

robthebrew

There is an interesting story (only slightly relevant) about glycerine. It was a pure liquid, held in many labs throughout the world. Until for some reason it crystallised in one lab. Wishing a short amount of time all the world's samples crystallised.

ge96

Tangent vulture bees yuck

wolfi1

I don't know for the US, but in Europe fake honey is a big problem. There were several grocery chains who had to call back their honey because of it

rickydroll

2,000-year-old honey that's still edible? Oh, I so want to taste. My grandfather was a beekeeper, and I learned about the different flavors of honey as he harvested from different locations throughout the season. It's fun to purchase honey from beekeepers a hundred miles away and see how the flavor changes. I personally like late-season honeys, which tend to have richer flavors from late-summer and fall flowers. A rare treat I've had was honey from Pitcairn Island. This is how you get in the queue for a jar. https://pitkernartisangallery.pn/products/pipco-pitcairn-isl... https://livebeekeeping.com/honey/pitcairn-island-honey/

mhb

> So if you’re interested in keeping honey for hundreds of years, do what the bees do and keep it sealed Doesn't this make honey somewhat less unique? Aren't there many foods that will keep for hundreds of years if kept sealed?

ynac

To some degree and depending on the brew style, mead is also a very very long ager. Plenty of stories of finding vessels in archaeological digs - still ready for a sip. I still have some bottles from my first batches of mead back in the 90s, and I have to say, they continue to evolve slightly - especially given how hot they were when I was a beginner.

tocs3

Maybe there is a new business model here. Aged honey. I wonder what it taste like (of course different honeys taste different already). I have some bees and will start labeling the honey and saving a jar or two every year.