Can cold germs live in syrup?

[lindnova]

The reason I ask is I had a great flow last week with warm weather forecasted (correctly) this week. I have had a cold since last week. Bad nasal congestion with mild cough. I boiled all day Saturday and sunday outside and finished up 2.5 gallons last night in the kitchen. I was careful to not cough near the syrup and washed my hands. I washed all the jars in the dishwasher and hot filled them.

My brother already told me he doesn't want any and my wife thinks we shouldn't give any away because it might have germs in it. I was hoping to give some to the neighbor that let me tap some of his trees.

Can cold viruses live in the syrup to infect someone else? If so I will be eating this fine syrup for a few years myself.

[Bucket Head]

I'm not a doctor, but I doubt that anyone will get sick from the syrup. They'll get it from airborne stuff, touching door knobs, faucet handles, etc., etc. Everything that everybody comes in contact with.

If their still afraid of it, so be it. At least you'll have some for a while!

[motowbrowne]

If your brother had a better understanding of the health conditions of the people who grow, harvest, package, prepare, and serve his food and treated everything with the same unnecessary caution that he's showing your syrup, he would not be able to eat much if anything.

I am also not a doctor, but no, your syrup does not contain pathogens if you treated it as you describe. The heat from packing the syrup will kill any bacteria or viruses and the concentration of sugar in the syrup is a very inhospitable environment. If only everyone in food handling was as safe and conscious of contamination as you were.


That said, if he were my brother I'd tell him to go make his own d@mned syrup.

[Snappyssweets]

Ask your brother if he ever eats in a restaurant.

Then ask him sit down of fast food?
Then tell him someone who has in the past worked in both he is MUCH safer eating your syrup than eating in a sit down restaurant. We wont even mention fast food. Let us just say fast food is the most dangerous food if you are afraid of bacteria and or contamination there is.

[red dorakeen]

I don't think the syrup would give anyone your cold but heck, it's a good excuse to keep all the syrup for yourself.

[lindnova]

Thanks for the replies! That is kind of what I thought. I will make sure to give some to the neighbors. I like the comment on him making his own syrup.

[Diesel Pro]

Thanks for the replies! That is kind of what I thought. I will make sure to give some to the neighbors. I like the comment on him making his own syrup.

Your brother sounds like mine and if they are at all alike the making his own should elicit ROTFLMAO.

Mine will not eat the Amish eggs that we deliver every week to Ma's neighbors because he "got a bad one" which is quite surprising considering they are weeks fresher than what you find in the store and I have never had to toss one...

[Clinkis]

Asked the wife. She's a nurse practitioner and works in infection control. Cold pathagin can only survive for maximum of about 24 hrs outside the body. In most cases and surfaces it's less then an hour. And heat kills it almost instantly. So zero chance anyone is going to get sick from your syrup. But a good excuse to keep it all for yourself!

[barnbc76]

I think the real danger is the physical handling of the bottles, since you do have to handle it after it is cooled down. Your germs are now on the outside of the bottle. Not any worse than anything else though.

[Helicopter Seeds]

And for all you know, you are suffering from allergy type exposure. I generally do not get sick often, but notice a bit of initial cold-like symptoms when standing around in the cold, smoke, and steam. couple days later I feel better. This was one of my driving reasons to put up a shelter, then tighten the smoke leaks.. but I have no issue filling my pan higher and walking into the house for an hour, if that helps keep me healthy.

[lindnova]

I wish it was an allergy. We moved our office 2 weeks ago and it was real dusty moving desks and cleaning the old space. I had a sore throat the next day and was hoping it was allergy. Unfortunately my whole family and many co workers have real colds, so that is what it is. I am around enough smoke filling the outdoor furnace that boiling sap is nothing to me. My new pan with a little chimney is nearly smokeless and real clean also. Here is a pic of it about 10 minutes after starting the fire. 15948

[John c]

I wish it was an allergy. We moved our office 2 weeks ago and it was real dusty moving desks and cleaning the old space. I had a sore throat the next day and was hoping it was allergy. Unfortunately my whole family and many co workers have real colds, so that is what it is. I am around enough smoke filling the outdoor furnace that boiling sap is nothing to me. My new pan with a little chimney is nearly smokeless and real clean also. Here is a pic of it about 10 minutes after starting the fire. 15948

Interesting little set up you you have there. How many gallons per hour can you boil off with that?
I have a similar set up, but I use natural gas instead of wood.