This is a current ad on Craigs List:
Craigslist honey ad

That honey is still probably good...The jars are for sure...That's a lot of honey! At the very least feeding bees with it would be fine!


I'd like to know Warrior's thoughts...

Why is it so dark? Could it be all buckwheat? Is it a natural process? I never heard of honey changing color; just crystallizing with age.

It is dark like buckwheat honey...That would be my guess as to the colour...

Bait ,feed or beer making should work

Could make one heck of a batch of mead!!

Would be good for Bear Baiting where legal.

Asking for trouble feed it to bees. Can transfer foul brood doing that.

When the buyer says the top of the honey taste funny.=warning lights are flashing
Probably was too moist when put down so some oxidation has occurred there fore the dark colour.
one thing about it being that old there was not the diseases that they have in honey bees now

those plastic lids do not age very well so lining up replacements may be a challenge

Honey is the only food that will not spoil, they used it in Egypt for embalming purposes and found it in vessels that is still good over 4000 years old. Make sure it real honey and not full of corn syrup lots of fake honey out there tons of it comes from China now and has been for years.

Honey will darken with age, light or heat (or combinations of either/all).

It may be buckwheat honey....or not. My guess is its just old and succumbed to one of the above.

Is it edible? Yes, likely. Is it good honey? Probably not.

I wouldn't feed it to my bees but that's just me. Realistically you're just buying it for the jars, IMO.

Probably OK for coon bait mix in, though. Maybe sell it for the latest and greatest DP bait

The honey if properly cured at bottling should be perfectly fine and safe for consumption.

By cured I mean moisture content below 18%. At that level and below there is not enough H2O to support the growth of yeast or bacteria.

However, the funny taste on top is a clue. When honey crystallizes it's nothing more or less than sugar falling out of a supersaturated solution. In some cases this can raise the H2O content of the liquid remainder which will be on top. This could begin to ferment but again would not be toxic, merely the start of a natural mead. Foam, froth or bubbles would be a dead give away. But not to fear as this can be rather quickly corrected if not to far gone. Merely heat the honey to reliquify it and mix well to restore proper H2O levels. Any fermentation will cease and if not of extreme degree any off flavor should be masked assuming the parent honey is of good flavor.

Bottled honey that ferments or any honey stored in a sealed container such as the standard drum used in the industry can and will build up enough pressure to blow the top or shatter.

To heat bottled product I would suggest a heat cabinet. Basically an enclosed insulated box with a mild heating element that can hold temps at or around 115°. Do not exceed 120° as that begins to degrade the natural esters that effect flavor. It will also darken at high temps.

Were it an open product such as honey supers or drums you could set up a drying room with forced air heat and dehumidifiers to offload the water.

As for the color. It could have originated as a dark honey such as buckwheat or as said darkened with age. All honeys can darken with age whether through oxidation if exposed to air or UV/sunlight. Honey is best stored in a cabinet out of the light to best retain color.

That honey as described would best be marketed as bakers grade though not wholesale as the lack of record keeping and traceability would get it kicked from the commercial supply chain. Darker honeys do not command a premium on the table honey market as Sue Bee has convinced the buying public that honey should be light amber with a clover/alfalfa flavor profile. Some specialty markets understand the true nature of honey and prize flavors over color. But generally a darker grade is baker grade as darker honeys tend to be strong enough flavored to come through in finished baked goods.

Taste it. If it is good put it on a butter biscuit and send me a jar.

That would make great Minnesota bear bait....for a lifetime

And I thought this thread would be about Nancy Pelosi. There is an email virus going around. Free nude pictures of Nancy Pelosi. Do not open as that is what it contains

Honey is the only natural food that will not spoil, might could use it to cure Hams, or other meat.

That is what I have always understood, too. This stuff sure don't look too appetizing, though. As several have suggested, it should be fine as some kind of ingredient. The only fool proof suggestion I can think of might be "honey shine".

Baked goods, and marinades might be a close second.

Animal bait is, of course, the obvious....assuming you could get it for under the price of the jar.

Oh if you could see some of the micro-biological growths some honey can produce, you might retract that thought.

That 18% is only a guideline and certain regions needs to be lower

What will happen is the buyer will get someone paying full price and he will think the rest will sell that way
30-40 years ago there was a turn-around with the honey market so pops tried to hold, when he should have folded them there deck of cards.

Yes, 18% is a generic guideline. I've actually seen honey in the comb capped by the bees bubble. Even the bees can be wrong occasionally. It's not common though. Far more likely to see it crystallize in the comb than ferment, particularly canola.