2 "Newbie" questions :)

[RobbieH]

Hi all. I hope everyone is starting to get a decent season for making syrup.
I have two questions. I'm sure theyve been asked before, but couldn't find anything by doing a search.
1. Boiling down a bunch of sap on a barrel stove takes all day long. From early morning till very late at night. If it's going to be a cool night out, would it be ok to leave the "almost syrup" in my pan and finish it the next day?

2. I put my finished syrup in quart size canning jars, but didn't seal shut my first 5. They will be given to family and friends who will devour them asap. So no need to seal them. But do they need to be refrigerated?

I appreciate your help. Thank you.

[madmapler]

Leaving it overnight is fine. Any unsealed container should be refrigerated. You could heat the jars to 185 in boiling water and seal them.

[psparr]

You will be fine to leave it.
You should refrigerate it. Unless it wont last more than a week or so.

[RobbieH]

thanks both for the replies. So if during a boil I decide to finish the rest the next day, should I drain it into a container and put it in the fridge (or a snowbank), or could I leave it in the pan and let the fire die out? If I left it in the pan, it would probably stay warm most of the night. Would that spoil it? Should I not do that, but instead refrigerate it right away?

[Cabin]

thanks both for the replies. So if during a boil I decide to finish the rest the next day, should I drain it into a container and put it in the fridge (or a snowbank), or could I leave it in the pan and let the fire die out? If I left it in the pan, it would probably stay warm most of the night. Would that spoil it? Should I not do that, but instead refrigerate it right away?

I think your question depends on how much heat is retained in the stove and how much is left in the pan. Last year I did 24 hour burns but with my new set up I do not need to. I time the feeding of the fire and pans so I can transfer the unfinished sap to a large pan to slow cook on the cabin wood stove while I sleep. Then next day I place the sap back on the block arch.

[happy thoughts]

If it's going to be a cool night out, would it be ok to leave the "almost syrup" in my pan and finish it the next day?.

Depends. How critter proof is your set up?


I put my finished syrup in quart size canning jars, but didn't seal shut my first 5. They will be given to family and friends who will devour them asap. So no need to seal them. But do they need to be refrigerated?

Yes, refrigerate any unsealed jars. But curious why you didn't bother to seal them. It takes no more time and the syrup could be kept at room temp for a long time until opened.

[smokeyamber]

On leaving almost syrup in the pans, the phrase "sweetening the pans" comes to mind. I will run my evap for a day without drawing anything off just to get to close to syrup, second day I can draw off and finish. So leaving stuff in pans is no issue. I do cover my pans once they cool down and if it is going to be super warm the next day ( aka the 80deg sugaring of two years ago ) I would maybe worry a bit about it. the caveat to this is that the more times you do leave the sweet in the pans the darker the syrup will be when you finally draw it off. Hence why the bigger guys run it all through fast to get lighter syrup. Barrel stove style you will have dark anyway so no worries there ! Also as long as you boil it again before drawing off nothing is going to live in the syrup to spoil it.

What I did before shutting down the barrel evap was fill the pans and then fill the firebox... figured I got another hour or so of boiling and I did not even have to be awake ! Also I found that after 10pm was when I always had the best boils, so staying up til 3am was not uncommon...

Enjoy the boil !