Adding Sugar during the boiling process

[carpedium]

I was adding back some syrup and crystals that was a little on the heavy side (first batch) back to some almost syrup, and I wondered... what would stop an unscrupulous producer from adding table sugar to their sap to increase their yield? Especially since most people seem to like the lighter, sweeter and more bland tasting stuff.

I would never do this, but just was wondering if anyone has heard of it.

[DrTimPerkins]

... what would stop an unscrupulous producer from adding table sugar to their sap to increase their yield?

Testing can detect adulteration of maple syrup with other sugars.

[Cedar Eater]

I think this is what happens when our local FFA makes "maple syrup" This year, they said that they had 800 gallons of sap, from which they were going to make 80 gallons of syrup. The math doesn't work out unless they add sucrose from some other source (probably Michigan beet sugar to maintain the made in Michigan status). Of course, they can get away with it if they don't advertise it as pure maple syrup and they properly list the ingredients. They do it as a fundraiser, so it probably doesn't matter that much.

[saphound]

I would never do this, but just was wondering if anyone has heard of it.

I wouldn't do it either, but now I'm wondering what the syrup would be like if you did add sugar. Has anyone ever tried it?

[maple flats]

Bad idea, keep maple syrup legal and pure. Besides it's illegal.

[OldManMaple]

Note illegal if labeled as such. Maple Grove blended syrup for Cracker Barrel, as well as some of their "maple" candies listed cane sugar as a ingredient.

[saphound]

Seriously tho..what if you had some sap testing around 1..not a lot..20-30 gallons. Would upping the sugar content with a few boxes of brown sugar still be a bad idea? Seems like you would save boil time and fuel. I know it's probably sacrilege to even talk about around here, but I'm just wondering what you would end up with. This would be for your own use, not to sell. I'm not saying I would ever do it...just something to talk about.

[DrTimPerkins]

Has anyone ever tried it?

Some have definitely tried it. After paying their fines and (for some) spending some time in jail, they probably didn't think it was such a good idea.

We know quite well how to detect this, and we do test syrups as part of the ISMI Adulteration monitoring program. Testing in the U.S. is facilitated by the UVM Proctor Maple Research Center. Testing in Canada is through Centre Acer.

[saphound]

Well they should be fined and/or jailed if selling it as pure maple syrup. I was talking about doing it for your own personal use to doctor up some low sugar sap. (see post 7)

[markct]

If for your own use then when you head to the store to get sugar just walk a few aisles over and grab some pancake syrup fake crap and save some work since thats what your gona make!

[TonyL]

I think it would be an interesting experiment, if conducted just for oneself.

[Cabin]

I think it would be an interesting experiment, if conducted just for oneself.

How about adding maple sugar?? ;)

[michiganphil]

How about adding maple sugar?? ;)

maple sugar + water = maple syrup

When we make maple sugar, we are removing the excess water from syrup. If you have a bag of PURE maple sugar, and blend water back in to the correct proportion, you will have maple syrup again.

[Cabin]

maple sugar + water = maple syrup

When we make maple sugar, we are removing the excess water from syrup. If you have a bag of PURE maple sugar, and blend water back in to the correct proportion, you will have maple syrup again.

I have a few pounds left over from last year. This year I am running 80 gallons of sap for one gallon of syrup. Maybe I will stretch out the last boil.

[Cedar Eater]

Seriously tho..what if you had some sap testing around 1..not a lot..20-30 gallons. Would upping the sugar content with a few boxes of brown sugar still be a bad idea? Seems like you would save boil time and fuel. I know it's probably sacrilege to even talk about around here, but I'm just wondering what you would end up with. This would be for your own use, not to sell. I'm not saying I would ever do it...just something to talk about.

If you used brown sugar, that's basically pure sucrose + molasses. There would be no need for molasses, because the sucrose would caramelize fine, and the molasses would add a flavor that's "foreign" to maple syrup. The need would be for the missing ingredients that come in with the sap. You would basically have maple syrup with less maple flavoring, aka, pole syrup. The consistency would be fine, but the taste would be weak. I've had syrup made with plain white sugar and water. It's sweet. That's about all you can say for it, unless it's burnt.

[saphound]

If for your own use then when you head to the store to get sugar just walk a few aisles over and grab some pancake syrup fake crap and save some work since thats what your gona make!

I don't hardly think so, Mark..you'd have something far better than that stuff..which is mostly corn syrup with artificial flavorings.



Cedar, I mentioned brown sugar because I don't like using a lot of white cane sugar, and a hint of molasses might not be bad on pancakes. Now, maple sugar didn't occur to me..if you had some leftover maple sugar that would be a better choice.

[Ausable]

I think this is what happens when our local FFA makes "maple syrup" This year, they said that they had 800 gallons of sap, from which they were going to make 80 gallons of syrup. The math doesn't work out unless they add sucrose from some other source (probably Michigan beet sugar to maintain the made in Michigan status). Of course, they can get away with it if they don't advertise it as pure maple syrup and they properly list the ingredients. They do it as a fundraiser, so it probably doesn't matter that much.

Hey! Cedar - Why would an FFA Group do something that silly. Works out to more like about 20 gallons of Pure Maple Syrup - not 80. Could it have been a typo? A lot of folks make Maple Syrup in Our County (Alcona) - So - Why would a group like FFA make Junk Syrup? When it is so easy to make the real thing - especially a group of Young People. I hope it was just a typo or mis-speak by someone that didn't know any better.

[Cedar Eater]

Hey! Cedar - Why would an FFA Group do something that silly. Works out to more like about 20 gallons of Pure Maple Syrup - not 80. Could it have been a typo? A lot of folks make Maple Syrup in Our County (Alcona) - So - Why would a group like FFA make Junk Syrup? When it is so easy to make the real thing - especially a group of Young People. I hope it was just a typo or mis-speak by someone that didn't know any better.

It could have been a typo and a misspeak. I heard it from two different sources, one newspaper and one person repeating heresay. Supposedly they weren't collecting enough sap for the annual Maple Syrup Celebration Day on March 21, because it was so cold around here this year. They only had 800 gallons to work with and the only way I can think of to get 80 gallons of syrup (their stated goal) is to add sugar and make "maple flavored syrup". I'd sure like to hear if they had another way. Maybe they purchased maple sugar and mixed that with their sap.

[saphound]

Hmmm...if you added pure maple sugar to sap, would it still be illegal to sell as pure maple syrup? :confused:

[Flat Lander Sugaring]

Hmmm...if you added pure maple sugar to sap, would it still be illegal to sell as pure maple syrup? :confused:
think about what you just asked.................

[saphound]

Lol Flat Lander...seems like a silly question, but how do I know what would be considered an adulteration? If it was orange juice they'd make you label it "from concentrate". Maple sugar could be considered concentrate for all I know.

[zandstrafarms]

Hehe, definitely a sore subject and I totally understand! It's a heck of a lot of work to make syrup! Surre you can add sugar to sap but wouldn't recommend brown sugar though as most brown sugar has added ingredients such as molasses to it and is not real brown sugar. you're better off using cane sugar unbleached as this is sugar and its natural form. with that said you can also make artificial maple syrup using sugar at home. you basically are doing just that making artificial maple sugar wi5h little bit more maple taste to it. look it up on YouTube many people do it all the time nothing too hard about that. That's how aunt jamima was invented! Lol

[Ausable]

LOL! This discussion brings back a lot memories. Not the subject - But - The back and forth. ----Finally My Father would look at his teen age son (me) and snarl something like - "Judas H Priest! - Just shut the hell up Son - Just do it this way - because I said so - It doesn't have to make sense to You - 'Cause we always did it this way and it always worked." So then - I knew I had better back off the old man a bit or die. lol - Ya gotta admit - adding maple sugar to maple syrup is way out there - It would even get my Dad mad as reaching a new level of dumb. lol

[TonyL]

LOL! This discussion brings back a lot memories. Not the subject - But - The back and forth. ----Finally My Father would look at his teen age son (me) and snarl something like - "Judas H Priest! - Just shut the hell up Son - Just do it this way - because I said so - It doesn't have to make sense to You - 'Cause we always did it this way and it always worked." So then - I knew I had better back off the old man a bit or die. lol - Ya gotta admit - adding maple sugar to maple syrup is way out there - It would even get my Dad mad as reaching a new level of dumb. lol

Maybe not so dumb. If you wanted syrup but were out, but you had maple sugar on hand.... Doesn't have to make financial sense, not everyone produces syrup as a source of income. Just add water.

[Ausable]

Maybe not so dumb. If you wanted syrup but were out, but you had maple sugar on hand.... Doesn't have to make financial sense, not everyone produces syrup as a source of income. Just add water.

LOL - I shall stop here - As it is starting to sound like I am having an argument with myself. I have sap to gather - to make into syrup - to make into sugar - to add water too and make back into syrup - Hey!!!!! LOL I have Fourteen Great Grandchildren - I understand the logic.............There is none. Even my long gone Father is smiling on this one.

[saphound]

Geez Ausable, Thanks so much for your contribution to this DISCUSSION. Which is all it is. We get it, your old man would kick your a$$. Glad the rest of us don't have to worry about that. We all have sap to gather..it's just a discussion. I don't know, but maybe your "long gone" dad never heard of vacuum or reverse osmosis either...because "we always did it this way and it worked!" Nobody has said to make syrup , just to make sugar ,so they could have it to add to next years batch. Where the heck did you get that from? Now it's about maybe it would be a good use of some leftover maple sugar that Cabin, and maybe others, to add to some low sugar sap so they're not boiling 80:1. Don't like the idea, don't do it..simple. But no need to ridicule discussions on new ideas. Maybe this has already been discussed and isn't new..wouldn't surprise me..but I haven't run across it yet if it has.

[TonyL]

LOL - I shall stop here - As it is starting to sound like I am having an argument with myself. I have sap to gather - to make into syrup - to make into sugar - to add water too and make back into syrup - Hey!!!!! LOL I have Fourteen Great Grandchildren - I understand the logic.............There is none. Even my long gone Father is smiling on this one.

Ah, the beauty of the internet. Where we're all free to express our opinions as fact.

Which keeps longer, syrup or sugar?
Which is easier, (less troublesome?) to transport, a liquid or a solid?
Which takes up less space, a quart of syrup in liquid form, or further reduced to sugar? Just add water to reconstitute?

Sorry to hear of your father's passing, but honored to have a role in furthering along his sense of humor. Guess it's never too late to learn to laugh.:)

[tbear]

My brother made pancakes and maple syrup for a group of four while backpacking in the Grand Canyon a couple weeks ago. Syrup made from maple sugar I gave him last year. The syrup got raving reviews!! Gave him a couple more pounds last Sunday. Back to the discussion. Ted

[Sandersyrup]

I add a bunch of organic blueberries to my sap sometimes. Sshhhhhhh don't tell. Of course I call it blueberry syrup.

You could always call your table sugar maple concoction a "Unique gourmet blend of South Eastern Caribbean Sugars and Northeastern Maple Syrup Great for those like a sweet but milder maple syrup experience." Ha!


~ John 3/16th"

[Jebediah]

I have seen it sold with a cinnamon stick in the bottle. So somebody out there (a seller and, presumably, a buyer) isn't bothered by adding certain things.

[saphound]

That blueberry syrup sounds good, John, yum. Can't go with the table (cane) sugar and maple syrup tho...blech.

[michiganphil]

If I recall correctly, there is someone here on the trader that sells granulated maple sugar to a restaurant for the purpose of being reconstituted to syrup.
I think it was Moser's Maple.

I don't remember the details, if it was a shipping issue or storage?? but they were selling granulated in bulk to a restaurant who reconstituted the sugar to syrup. So... it can be done, is being done, and is still PURE MAPLE SYRUP.

[saphound]

Thanks for that, Phil. Did you ever hear of anyone adding it to their sap to bring the brix up before boiling? Cabin, if you try it let us know how it worked out.

[Sandersyrup]

This is a very easily scaled test. Seems like you could easily take a 40oz of 2% sap which would normally yield 1 oz syrup, add 1oz table sugar and boil on the stove to finish syrup approx 2 oz. Taste and see if you like it.

This is how I test flavored syrup ideas. Make a 2oz batch and see if its worth scaling up.

~ John Sanderson

[Cabin]

Thanks for that, Phil. Did you ever hear of anyone adding it to their sap to bring the brix up before boiling? Cabin, if you try it let us know how it worked out.

Well I didn't add it to the sap but I put 3 cups into the almost syrup before I finished it off. It did add about a pint and a half. :)

Before I get hammered about the 'logic' of what I did. I got a large batch of sugar last year to test in baking/canning. It worked out OK but nothing outstanding. I am still sitting on about 4 pounds of sugar and in our house the 'best use' for it is syrup.

[michiganphil]

Thanks for that, Phil. Did you ever hear of anyone adding it to their sap to bring the brix up before boiling? Cabin, if you try it let us know how it worked out.

I don't think I've ever heard of anyone adding to sap before boiling, but I don't see why it would be any different. How many people dip their cone filters in the flue pan to recover syrup, or add the crumbs from a candy batch to the next batch? They are doing the very same thing if you think about it.

[saphound]

Well, I was thinking if you added it to the sap, it would then require less boiling time. Like 6% sap cooks down quicker than 2%...something like that. True or no?

[carpedium]

Well this thread really bloomed! Thanks for the thoughtful responses.