Fermented honey is not something you will typically find available for purchase from most honey retailers.  It is often reviled by beekeepers and consumers as honey that has “gone bad” and is fit for no other use than making mead or dumping in the woods for nature to clean up.  Here at Maran Atha Homestead, we vehemently disagree with this opinion, but we understand that many of our buyers may have some questions.   

“What exactly is fermented honey?”

Fermented honey results from honey being inhabited by beneficial yeasts and lactobacilli, who eat the sugars in the honey and convert it into lactic acid.  This process is entirely natural, and even occurs in the comb in the bee colony under certain conditions.  Most honey bee colonies eat some fermented honey as part of their diet, and certain honey varieties are prone to fermenting. 

“What conditions cause honey to ferment?”

Honey is made by bees collecting nectar and storing it in their comb.  The raw nectar is around 70-80% water, and in order to get the nectar to be shelf stable and never spoil, the bees evaporate the water out of the nectar, making a much more concentrated sugar solution, on average around 18%.  This concentration inhibits almost all yeast, mold, and bacterial growth.  However, if conditions are very humid or the nectar is coming in very rapidly, the bees may cap the honey sooner, when it is more watery, say 20-25% water.   

Maran Atha Homestead is situated in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina, which many don’t know is actually a temperate rainforest ecosystem.  We get over 60 inches of rain annually here, and it’s not unusual to see relative humidity as high as 90%.  As a result, drying honey is sometimes difficult for our bees, and they often cap the honey when it’s not all the way down to that typical 18% water.  Our climate also contributes to a large amount of beneficial yeasts and lactobacilli in our environment, who will sometimes colonize the honey in the hive, especially when we have a lot of rain or high humidity during a big nectar flow.   

Another factor can sometimes lead honey to ferment in the jar, and that is crystallization.  When honey crystallizes, the dissolved sugars in the honey come out of solution to form solid crystals, leaving the remaining liquid honey more watery than it was when it was bottled.  This lower concentration of sugars can create conditions where dormant yeasts and bacteria can begin to multiply in the honey and ferment it. 

“So your honey may crystallize and/or ferment.  I’ve never had that happen to grocery store honey.  Why does that happen to your honey?  Does it mean it’s going bad?”

No, honey that is crystallizing, fermenting, or both, is not going bad, it is simply aging, like a fine wine or a good cheese.  Grocery store honey is pasteurized, to kill any yeasts and lactobacilli who could ferment the honey.  The high heat also helps to dissolve any microscopic crystals in the honey that will eventually lead the honey to crystallize.  But pasteurizing also destroys all beneficial enzymes, microorganisms, healing properties, and delicate flavors of the honey.  Our honey is always raw and never heated at all, much less pasteurized.  

“Does all honey with a water content above 18% ferment?”

No.  There are other factors at play than just the honey’s concentration.  For example, honey that has a naturally lower pH will not ferment, as the yeasts and lactobacilli cannot survive or multiply in this acidic of an environment.  Honey that is high in fructose, as opposed to other sugars, is generally very inert, and resists both fermentation and crystallization.     

“Will fermented honey never expire, just like other honey?”

Yes and no.  There is a point at which honey would get so fermented that it wouldn’t be delicious to most people’s palates, as the alcohol and lactic acid content would be too high.  It would likely still be pretty shelf stable as long as it wasn’t exposed to air, in the same way that wine is shelf stable. 

There is one serious risk with fermented honey, and that is a buildup of pressure.  The yeasts and lactobacilli also give off carbon dioxide, which can build up, like in a soda can, and cause a honey jar to explode if the jar is forgotten and the pressure builds too high.  All fermented honey should be monitored for pressure buildup and should be kept in the freezer if you’d like to store the honey long term, as freezing will drastically slow the fermenting process. 

We do not sell honey that is that is strongly fermented or rapidly fermenting for both of the reasons stated above: the risk of pressure buildup and the risk of a lack of deliciousness.  (We know all the honey we sell is delicious because we always taste it ourselves!)  We only sell honey that is lightly fermenting or fermenting due to crystallization. 

“So fermented honey is safe, right?”

Due to fermented honey being unfairly maligned by both beekeepers and honey consumers alike, we have been unable to find any scientific research categorically stating that fermented honey is safe to consume, since startlingly few people consume it straight up.  However, fermenting other foods like garlic or fruit in honey is common and is considered to be safe.      

Here at Maran Atha Homestead, we have been eating fermented honey regularly for over 5 years with no ill effects.  It is our belief that any honey around 30% water content or lower is a sugar concentration strong enough to inhibit pathogenic bacterial growth.  This estimate is based on the fact that the general recommendation for jams and jellies is 40% water content or lower, and the fact that we have never seen the bees cap honey that is 30% or higher.  It is also our belief that the alcohol and lactic acid produced by the yeasts and lactobacilli lowers the pH of the honey, which is already pretty low at around 4, to a level that would keep even a very watery honey safe from pathogenic bacteria.  This same principle is one reason why lacto-fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi are safe to consume raw.  Keeping the honey stored in an airtight container should keep it mold-free regardless of these other conditions. 

Everyone should always make their own decisions regarding what they feel comfortable feeding themselves and their families and friends.  If you are still not comfortable purchasing a lightly fermenting honey from us, then that is perfectly acceptable, and we often have varieties of honey in stock that are naturally almost inert if that is your preference.  If, however, you are adventurous enough to embrace honey as a living food, one that is not static or homogenous, but always with something unique and exciting to offer in every single batch, I hope you’ll give one of our fermenting varieties a try.  And I hope you view your jar of honey that may have started out liquid with us, but ended up on your counter half-eaten, half-crystallized, and half-fermented, not as something to be feared but something to be enjoyed and celebrated.