Can I Mix Syrup Batches

[Leckster]

I made syrup 3 weeks ago and it was very dark. I just finished another batch which is very light. Can I take the 2 completed batches of syrup and mix them together??

[Run Forest Run!]

Sure. No problem at all.

[Leckster]

Also should I heat it back to a boil when mixing it??

[Michael Greer]

165 degrees is enough.

[abbott]

Nope, can't mix it. It will just have a "marbled" look, but they won't blend.

Sorry, couldn't resist.


Also should I heat it back to a boil when mixing it??

If you want it to sterilize the containers its going into I would go for 185*. If that's not a factor, no need to heat it.

[Leckster]

So 1 Yes and 1 No, Anyone want to respond for the Tie Breaker.

[Run Forest Run!]

Leckster, abbott was just teasing when he said you'd get marbled syrup. You're fine to blend the batches.

If you don't want to bother with reheating and plan on enjoying the syrup now, just put the bottles in the fridge. If you want to enjoy the syrup later, you can store the bottles in the freezer. Should you want to make the syrup shelf stable, then do as abbott suggested and heat the syrup to 185* and put into sterilized bottles or canning jars.

[wnybassman]

Marbled syrup is "in" though :D

[Leckster]

Thanks All :) first time making syrup. You got the Newbie Good.

Lived here for 20 years with 15 maple trees and did not think about it until I saw a place making syrup in Upstate NY Last year. So far so good thanks to all you people on this website

[Woodsrover]

You can, by why would you? Save the light stuff for pancakes, etc and cook with the dark stuff.

I ended up with a good amount of golden and amber this year, which I cherish, but even more dark stuff. Looking forward to finding cool recipes and promoting the use of dark syrup for cooking. Think beyond the pancake! I think I'll copyright that!

[Ghs57]

Beware of the maple syrup police! They have special radar that can hone in on columns of steam rising from the trees.

I tend to agree with woodsrover. Why mix light and dark? Enjoy them for what they are. My trees don't give up much light syrup, so it's nice to have some. There's this great recipe for maple glazed salmon the works well with light syrup... My preference is for dark, which is good because I get plenty of it. Also, it only takes a small amount of dark to darken your light syrup.

Being a so called purest, my conscience would haunt me if I mixed dissimilar syrup batches. But that's just me.

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

We mix a pail of light and a pail of dark all the time to get a medium amber. No worries!

[motowbrowne]

If I couldn't hide my light syrup by mixing with dark syrup I'd never be able to sell it. My customers pretty much exclusively want dark syrup.

[Woodsrover]

If I couldn't hide my light syrup by mixing with dark syrup I'd never be able to sell it. My customers pretty much exclusively want dark syrup.

Isn't that funny? Totally opposite here. If you weren't so far away I'd swap you case-for-case!

[mainebackswoodssyrup]

Anyone who actually tries dark seems to prefer it. We only really sell medium for our online sales. Most local customers request Very Dark. I am a little worried we won't have enough this year. We sold 25 gallons of very dark last year and only have about 3 gallons left.

[Trapper2]

I'm on the dark bandwagon, save the dark for yourself and give the light away.
Maybe the dark vs light is a regional thing.. From what I see, Wisconsin prefers the dark.

[maple flats]

I mix light to get dark frequently, however you need to realize, it will take a very small amount to change light to dark. If you mix much of the very dark you will then have all very dark.
As an example, when I mix light to make dark, I might start with 5-7 gal of light and only need to add about 1-2 pints of very dark to get dark. So, start with the light all heated up to 185-190, then slowly add in the very dark, blend and check the grade (color),you will soon have dark. If you want it all to be very dark, just mix it all together, at the 185 F and bottle it. You will have a hard time noticing if it gets any lighter than what the original very dark was. A Hanna checker may see a slight lightening.