Buddy Syrup use?

[sportfreak15]

So after spending about 17 hours boiling down 110 gallons of sap and bottling in fancy half pint glass bottles we set out the glasses and shared a shot. The after taste wouldnt go away struck us by surprise. Now what do we do with it? Can it be used for baking or making sausage or anything? I sure aint putting any on my pancakes! Ive searched around and see where people have made it but I cant find what they do with it. I have to assume it has a use, or should we dump and save the bottles for next year?

[Cabin]

So after spending about 17 hours boiling down 110 gallons of sap and bottling in fancy half pint glass bottles we set out the glasses and shared a shot. The after taste wouldnt go away struck us by surprise. Now what do we do with it? Can it be used for baking or making sausage or anything? I sure aint putting any on my pancakes! Ive searched around and see where people have made it but I cant find what they do with it. I have to assume it has a use, or should we dump and save the bottles for next year?

Depends. Some posters have made dry sugar out of it. The last buddy syrup I made went down the drain, there was almost no sweet to it.

[sportfreak15]

This had decent flavor, just the aftertaste that wouldn't go away

[Cabin]

Maybe use it for cooking then. Do you think it would work as a glaze when grilling?

[happy thoughts]

If it tastes bad on pancakes it's going to taste bad in sausage. You can always try the following method coauthored by Dr Tim to try to remove the taste. From what others have posted here sometimes it works, sometimes not. Basically you heat it up way past syrup to boil off the compound that causes the off taste then dilute back to syrup density with water.

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/off-flavor2.pdf

[sportfreak15]

Good read... Now I wish we had bottled in gallon jugs! Thanks

[madmapler]

Very interesting. I wonder how many sugarers use this method and if they find it worth the trouble. Had I known it I would have certainly tried it. I dumped a lot of sap this year.

[Big_Eddy]

That's for metabolic syrup as opposed to buddy syrup. I've tried it and it worked for me.

[madmapler]

I'm afraid I don't know what metabolic is. Can anyone elaborate?

[DrTimPerkins]

You can always try the following method coauthored by Dr Tim to try to remove the taste.

This works for metabolic off-flavor. It is far less effective for buddy off-flavor.

[happy thoughts]

This works for metabolic off-flavor. It is far less effective for buddy off-flavor.

Then I am confusing the terms metabolic and buddy. I purposely left a tap in this year to experience buddiness for future reference as someone suggested here... but my helper helpfully removed it, before the buds broke. lol. I've definitely had end of season syrup that smells like cardboard which I mistakenly assumed was the start of buddiness, but have never gotten to the dirty sock stage as buddiness is sometimes described. For others confused like me, here's how Cornell Maple extension describes the difference.

http://maple.dnr.cornell.edu/pubs/MapleFlavor&SyrupGrading.pdf


Metabolism – This is an off-flavor that is attributed to changes in the metabolism of the tree due to a warming of temperatures. This can be present at any time during the sugaring season, from the first run on. A metabolism off flavor robs the product of most of its maple flavor. The resulting flavor has been described as woody, peanut butter, or popcorn. An almost cardboard like flavor may be present. A chocolaty smell may be detected.

Buddy – Buddy syrup is usually produced during the late season, depending on the weather conditions present. The tree begins to produce buds, and the sap takes on a distinctive quality that is transferred into the syrup. Buddy syrup usually tastes chocolaty, almost a tootsie roll type flavor. If very strong, it may take on a bitter chocolate characteristic.

That said, I remain confused since I've seen both metabolic and buddy syrup described as possibly bitter with a chocolaty smell or taste and though metabolic sap can happen at any time, I'll assume it is fairly common as the weather warms and the season ends. Next year I'm going to crazy glue a tap in place and make sure to boil some buddy sap.