Adjust Density of Light Syrup

[Amber Gold]

I submitted my syrup in to judging and it was 0.1 Baume light, so I lost a few points. My hydrometer was off more than the correction factor I was using. Fair season's coming up and I want to adjust it, so it's at least at density. The syrup barely made the medium amber grade, so I'm concerned about heating it up to remove the excess water. What's the safest way heat it up without releasing niter and darkening the syrup? I figure if I can gently heat it to 150F or something, if I agitate it, it should release some moisture.

I have the honey jar I submitted which I'll be leaving alone just in case. I have about 1.25 qts I can play with to get the density right. This doesn't leave me much to run it through a set of filters, or through the press.

Thanks

[happy thoughts]

The lightest syrup I made this year was evaporated slowly in a crockpot. It was the color of pale ginger ale that I would consider VT "fancy". The temp maintained around 155-160F which I think is what kept the color lighter than the syrup I made under fire from the same sap.

I used the "high" setting and left it uncovered once the pot got hot. It's a slow process. You'll see light steaming but no boiling. The amount should reduce by half in about 8-10 hours without any tending or watching.

If you give it a try you'd want to use a crockpot small enough for your amount of syrup to keep it more than 1/2 full since the heating element is supposedly around the sides. The smallest pot I used was a 2 QT one but they also come in smaller sizes made for dips and sauces if you only have a quart to play with.

You could also try a water bath or double boiler.

Good luck going for that blue ribbon! :D

[Amber Gold]

The double boiler method worked good...too good. The syrup temp stayed low and didn't release any niter...still crystal clear. I did this outside to get a greater temp. difference and the excess water came off much quicker than I thought...ended up about 2pts heavy and needed to be thinned out. Syrup did darken though. Not much, but enough to bring it into a dark amber. Thanks for the replies.