can anyone tell me what this settlement in the bottom of syrup is??

[wvmapleclan]

7293

I tasted the syrup it taste fine just has this settlement in the bottom of the jar, this is after filtering thru 2 prefilters and a wool filter.

[Zamkev]

Are your filters new? if not, did you wring them out last year or hang them to drip dry? Seems like a filter issue to me.

[sugarman3]

its sugar sand- AKA-NITRE-your filters are NFG-plain and simple,time for new ones and don't wring them out

[wnybassman]

What the others said, unless you brought the syrup back to a boil just before bottling, and after filtering.

[Ausable]

Yep - Just like the rest of the Gang said Sugar Sand or Nitre. LOL - It is on the same order as sediment in a bottle of homemade wine. When You go to use a jar or bottle of your maple syrup - just decante it into another container and rinse the nitre down the drain - it is just a waste byproduct. Like most Backyarders - I don't have a filter press which really cleans up the maple syrup. I do Filter a couple of times and find that if I soak a felt filter in very warm water and wring it out and then use it - I filter out more of the nitre. Another trick some do - is to let the syrup settle out overnight and decante into another pot - bring the syrup temperature back up to canning temperature and can - leaving the nitre behind in the other pot. If I was a commercial producer and selling what I make - I would invest in a filter press. I'm not - it is a favorite hobby of mine and I use it and give it away. -- So - why buy a filter press. -----Mike-----

[Zamkev]

I do Filter a couple of times and find that if I soak a felt filter in very warm water and wring it out and then use it - I filter out more of the nitre.

It's my understanding that if you "wring" out your felt filter it will break down the fibers that actually do the work of filtering effectively.

[crawflyer]

try some diatomaceous earth or DE. you don't need much and nothing makes it trough that stuff. I stir in a tablespoon or so per gallon just before i run my finished syrup through the filter.

[wvmapleclan]

The filters have never been wrung out always drip dry, thanks for the info though its very helpful. How do you eleminate this problem? Not every run we do has it and we do it the same way every time

[Ausable]

Zamkev - I believe You are correct. I used the term "Felt Filter" a bit loosely. As I do not own a true Felt Filter. I should have phrased it Filtering Material and I apologize for the mis-information. -------Mike-------

[Zamkev]

The filters have never been wrung out always drip dry, thanks for the info though its very helpful. How do you eleminate this problem? Not every run we do has it and we do it the same way every time

It does seem strange to have that issue with some and not others. If it were me, the first thing I would do is get new filters. You should get crystal clear syrup (or darn close to it) with two pre-filters and a wool or felt filter. The only other thing I would question is method. If you are stirring or assisting the syrup through the filters in any way(like scraping the side of the filter with a spoon or something), it is possible you are forcing not only the syrup through the filters but the sugar sand as well.

[buck3m]

We occasionally have had nitre in jars after running syrup through good filters. For us I think the problem has been heating up batches of clear syrup to can a little too hot (over 190 F.) or heating a little too fast. Now while heating we either use a double boiler or stir to avoid near-boiling syrup on the very bottom.