maple mud

[sparky13850]

Hi -About 10% of my syrup batch at the bottom of my pot is what I call Maple Mud. It's a sludgy mix of whatever..... Am I not flitering enough? Thanks .

[Woodsrover]

Boiling in a big pot I'm guessing?
No, niter or "sugar sand". Normal. Filter by one of many means before bottling.

[Run Forest Run!]

Hi Sparky. If you don't want to have to deal with filtering when you are only making a small amount of syrup you can let your syrup settle out in widemouth jars and then ladle the clear stuff off the top. It's not fancy, but it works.

[jmello6085]

I have the same stuff in the bottom of my jars... is this stuff bad for you or is it just more concentrated syrup? Just wondering if it is a "must" to get rid of it or if it is no big deal


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[Snappyssweets]

No expert here.

The deposits depend on many things. One being the amount of filtration the way you boil. Propane, wood and such. Along with minerals themselves.

All I know is here is what I have done.

Buckets and jugs get filtered through a clean white chunk of cotton material nearly like a thick bed sheet bought it at a fabric store cut it into squares.
That keeps debris and dirt out of the sap before it goes into storage containers anyhow.

Then I boil. This year over wood years past propane.
After I get it close to finish stage I take this and filter through large Bunn Coffee filters.
This takes out many sludge like impurities and this year ash that may have gotten in while boiling.

Then on to finish stage. When finished I am filtering through (past cheesecloth) this year I bought barkeep towels just for this.
I have had clear syrup and as it is only for our consumption I am very happy. :D

[DrTimPerkins]

I have the same stuff in the bottom of my jars... is this stuff bad for you or is it just more concentrated syrup? Just wondering if it is a "must" to get rid of it or if it is no big deal

It is called "niter" or "sugar sand" and is composed predominantly of calcium malate (a mixture of naturally-occurring calcium and maiic acid--the compound in apples that give it the tartness"). If any of the collection or processing materials you use contain any amount of lead, the niter will have a good amount of lead in it, and thus should NOT be consumed. In addition, if your equipment is lead-free and you do choose to eat it, consuming more than a small amount can cause gastric distress and diarrhea....but hey....your choice I suppose. :D Most people choose to filter it out. If you sell it, you are required to filter it so that the syrup is "clear."

[Asthepotthickens]

Hello nice to be back. Niter is not a problem for me I can filter it. What I am seeing in the bottom of my finishing pan this year looks like mud. Also the foam has a red tinge? Anybody

[Asthepotthickens]

Ya what she said