If you don't find your question addressed below, please contact us!

Help! My honey has gotten hard. Has it gone bad?

Not at all! With the exception of our squeeze bottles, all of our honeys are raw and retain all of their potential medicinal  properties. Raw honey naturally begins to crystallize after it is extracted from the comb over time.

If you prefer to restore your honey to a liquid state, we do NOT recommend using a microwave or directly heating a pan of water with the honey container in the pan of water.

Heating honey beyond 130F degrees quickly breaks down the natural properties of raw honey. At temperatures above 145F honey becomes caramelized and ruined, 

A better way to bring a jar of crystallized raw honey back to the liquid state is to heat up some water to around 135°F and turn the heat source off and remove the pan of water from the heat source.

Place the container of honey in the hot water without letting water cover the neck and lid and cover with a towel.  By not directly heating the water you should preserve the health and medicinal properties of your raw honey. 

Warning: Never put a closed container of honey into a pot of boiling water, a microwave or oven it could explode under pressure. 

Read more about honey crystallization here.

Will my honey ever go bad? Do I need to refrigerate it?

No and no. Honey contains very little water, so it is difficult for bacteria to grow. In very rare instances, if the honey is too moist or water is added, natural yeast can begin to ferment the honey. There is no need to refrigerate your honey, but it is best to keep it away from heat and direct sunlight.

Can You Eat Honeycomb? 

Honeycomb or comb honey is made from beeswax and is used to hold the honey as it is brought in by the worker bees. Beeswax is produced by young worker bees from eight glands on their abdomen and is an essential product of the beehive. 

Wood and beeswax extracting combs are used each season to collect honey. Comb honey or edible honeycomb is made new by the bees each year and is cut from the wood frame instead of extracted. 

Comb honey is soft and the beeswax makes it chewy. Spread it on warm toast or eat is with some nice cheese. 

Do you offer tours of your farm and orchards? Can I buy honey or apples at the farm?

We do offer occasional tours and events at the farm. The best way to find out about them is to subscribe to our newsletter and or follow our Instagram profile.

Because of the seasonal rigors of operating a bee farm, most tours and events are limited to June-September and November to March of each year.

If you have a group that is interested in scheduling a private tour, please contact us for a cost estimate and availability. Please note that the costs associated with running a bee related business are significant, so at this time we are unable to offer free tours.  

While we don't have a store you can pickup product at the bee farm in Delano Minnesota by making an appointment at sales@amesfarm.com or call 952.955.3348 9-4 pm M-F.

We also attend the Mill City Farmers Market year around in Minneapolis on Saturdays 8-1 pm 

Is your honey certified organic?

No, because bees can forage over a 1.5 mile circle which covers 3000 acres, it is impossible for any beekeeper to achieve an organic certification for honey produced in Minnesota.

However, the care we take in locating our bee yards near clean nectar sources and away from conventionally grown crops like corn and soybean in MN we think compensates for this fact.

All of our honeys are Grade A, 100% pure Minnesota honey produced by .