I have some "bad syrup" to get rid of

[maple flats]

After going thru all of my old syrup stock I found that I have some that is not good for prime time. I found some that had been "lost" in a corner from previous years, some is just a few years old while some is from 8-10 years ago and upon opening it to check, some has fermented other has molded, the rest looks and smells good.
Can anything be done with fermented product to even make it salable as commercial? I've never sold commercial. Can it be boiled to proper density, filtered and packed for commercial or does it just need to get dumped?
In the past I had multiple storage locations with less than ideal organization, but I now have just one and it is organized. I need to get this mess cleared out. Any help out there?

[GeneralStark]

I have made good sugar from fermented syrup. I have also heard you can dump it in the flue pan at the end of next season and boil it through. I have never done that myself...

It terms of what can be sold as "commercial", the buyer I sell c to will take pretty much anything, but the price varies depending upon if it is filtered. I would speak to a potential buyer to determine what they will buy.

[wiam]

I have run off syrup back through the evaporator when making late season syrup. I pour in a gallon or so at a time. Then I wait a bit and pour in more. By this time I am usually making very dark or commercial. I have also made sugar with some and off flavors usually go away.

[wally]

the moldy syrup can likely be heated to packing temperature, filtered, and canned.

the fermented syrup was likely too low density, and not syrup when packed. i have not tried to repack or sell fermented product.

it happens that i found a half-gallon of mine on the shelf from 2004 a few weeks ago, and it is unspoiled.

wally

[lew]

Moldy syrup, skim off as much mold as possible, boil, adjust density, filter. Fermented syrup, boil, you will get a lot of foam. I have a 2x5 gas finisher that works great for such projects, it has a portion down the middle and 2 tube burners under each side. I bring the syrup to a boil. Shut off the gas to one side and let the foam get so high it goes over the partition into the other half of the pan. I then shut off that side and fire up the other side and let it boil over into the outside, repeat. After 3 or 4 times the foam dies off and I adjust for density and filter.

[GeneralStark]

Moldy syrup, skim off as much mold as possible, boil, adjust density, filter. Fermented syrup, boil, you will get a lot of foam. I have a 2x5 gas finisher that works great for such projects, it has a portion down the middle and 2 tube burners under each side. I bring the syrup to a boil. Shut off the gas to one side and let the foam get so high it goes over the partition into the other half of the pan. I then shut off that side and fire up the other side and let it boil over into the outside, repeat. After 3 or 4 times the foam dies off and I adjust for density and filter.

Yes the foam is insane from fermented syrup...alcohol cooking off has been my hypothesis on that one. I also find if you let it foam and then cut the heat and repeat a couple times, the foam then dies.

[markcasper]

Being that commercial, processing is not worth much, I'd just wait until next year and blend it in while cooking.

[maple flats]

I don't really want to risk making additional bad product by adding it to some that is going to be good product but very dark. While I'd like to get something for this I will not carry it over to possibly contaminate new product.
I realize how it fermented and that it obviously was under density. At this point I have no idea how it might have happened. I just need to either come up with a viable fix or just dump it and move on. I'd rather sell it as commercial than risk tainting new product next season and if that's not an option, I'll just dump it. I have an excavator and it digs deep holes, far from anybody's well if necessary. Or another option would be to pay the fee and take it to the local water treatment facility.

[Russell Lampron]

I don't know where you sell your bulk syrup or if you do sell any bulk. If you were coming to NH Bascom's would buy it. It isn't worth much but it would pay for the gas and maybe a little more. I don't know how much syrup you've got to get rid of. Bascom's has their open house in the early part of May and it would be a good excuse for a road trip.

The syrup I am referring to is the fermented stuff. The mold can be skimmed off of the other syrup then it can be checked for density and heated to 190* and repackaged.

[markcasper]

I don't really want to risk making additional bad product by adding it to some that is going to be good product but very dark. While I'd like to get something for this I will not carry it over to possibly contaminate new product.
I realize how it fermented and that it obviously was under density. At this point I have no idea how it might have happened. I just need to either come up with a viable fix or just dump it and move on. I'd rather sell it as commercial than risk tainting new product next season and if that's not an option, I'll just dump it. I have an excavator and it digs deep holes, far from anybody's well if necessary. Or another option would be to pay the fee and take it to the local water treatment facility. Hopefully I don't put my foot in my mouth, but how could you even consider paying a fee to dispose of it? Its not hazardous toxic waste.

How many gallons of this do you have?

I'm sure you could sell it as processing grade, but like russ said, you won't get much for it. Don't feel bad....I lost my whole flue pan contents this week because I didn't get there soon enough. I thought I had at least had two days. Thankfully the front pan was not stringy and I salvaged that.

[maple maniac65]

Last I new a $1.00 a lb was the going rate for commercial. So if you had a drum that would be about $440.00. I used to be embarrassed to bring nasty commercial in but every time I did the buyer would show me syrup that was worse than mine. It has paid for alot of extras at the sugarhouse over the years.

[OldManMaple]

I know a guy......that was given 4 partially filled galvanized drums of old syrup that had sat in a sugar house for years. He took it home, put it in 3 stainless drums, took it to the packers and walked out with a check for $2550.00 No Lie!
Many sugar makers walked past those old drums and thought that syrup was worthless

[maple flats]

Thanks all, I guess I'll process it, again, get to proper density and put it in some SS barrels. I'll need to recheck, but I likely have 50-60 gal in that mess. The other moldy ones in 5 gal jugs i know I can skim, then boil again, skim again, density verify, filter and pack. They will all go.
I think this whole lot I found will total 100-120 gal.
I'll then take it with some very dark from this year, I sell some but very little very dark at retail, and I made 2 barrels of it this year, I'll keep 1 and sell the other bulk.
I have gone to Bascoms a few times, always to one of their open houses, but lately I've sold my bulk at a local dealer when they have a buyer come in for 3 days either Late April or early May, that will do again this year.

[maple flats]

I'll start working on making the syrup in question saleable on Monday. I did get a more accurate count. It looks like I have 70-75 gal to deal with that is fermented, and then about 20 gal that is molded. I'll boil and skim the moldy stuff first, then move on to the stuff that fermented. That part smells like it has a vinegar smell to it. I'll know next week what the end results are.
After that I'll also have a fresh barrel (26.5 gal) very dark to sell too. Then I will pull the taps and begin the dry cleaning of the lines. I did some of that today, having pulled the end tap on each lateral, and having re-connected the reds that were removed just before their buds opened. Then I ran the vacuum sucking sap from the lines. I have just 2 mains at the sugarhouse but with both open I only got 10" of vacuum, then I closed one main and the remaining main then had 17.5" vacuum with the 12 or 13 laterals each having the end tap pulled. On Monday I'll do the same on the other main. Each main will get about 4-5 hrs for vacuum to dry the lines before they're done, maybe more.

[maple flats]

I processed all of the misc. very dark syrup I had found from years gone by today, got it to proper density (after boiling just a short while I had to add about 5.5 qts of distilled water to bring it down to the right density) and filtered it, then put it filled a 26.5 gal barrel, with 3 qts left over which got jugged. Then I pumped all of the fermented product into the finisher and started boiling. It foamed a lot to start but after skimming the foam enough it settled down. Tomorrow I have more boiling to get it to proper density. About an hour after starting the boil the 'Vinegar" smell was gone, and it now smells like it might be good syrup. I'll finish tomorrow and post the results then. Originally I figured it would all be commercial, now I'm thinking there's a slight chance it might end up as Very Dark, but that might just be wishful thinking. Tomorrow I'll find out.

[maple flats]

I finished the fermented old syrup, got it to proper density then put it in barrels. I filled a 26.5 gal and a 16 gal barrel. Hot it tasted ok but after cooling it had an off taste, thus it is processing or commercial grade. Will be sold soon.

[DrTimPerkins]

Fermented syrup, even after it is reprocessed, will often taste a bit "fruity." Not necessarily bad, just unusual. It can sometimes also pick up a metallic off-flavor depending upon what it is stored in, since during fermentation it will get somewhat acidic.

[wiam]

I have taken syrup with slight off flavor to Bascom's and not be "commercial"

[markcasper]

Yes, if it isn't too off flavored, and just a little bit, meaning 25% off flavor, it may go as grade A. I have had buyer tell me before that I had the "right kind of off flavor".

Didn't know there was such a grade, but whatever.

[maple flats]

I'd be happy if they tell me that when I take it in, but I won't count on it.

[wally]

yesterday, i got around to canning my 2015 syrup that was stored in the basement for two years. 3 five-gallon pails with tight covers, but it wasn't canned. it was syrup that was filtered directly during draw-off, but then poured into the buckets.

very little mold, and no spoilage. screened it, heated to 200-205, then filtered and packaged. one med, one dark, and one very dark, total of 8.5 gallons. the dark had excellent flavor. very happy with the results.

[markcasper]

I'd be happy if they tell me that when I take it in, but I won't count on it.

Any updates? I'm very curious.

[maple flats]

I will be going to sell my bulk a week from today. I'll let you know how this works out after that.

[DannyHo]

yesterday, i got around to canning my 2015 syrup that was stored in the basement for two years. 3 five-gallon pails with tight covers, but it wasn't canned. it was syrup that was filtered directly during draw-off, but then poured into the buckets.

very little mold, and no spoilage. screened it, heated to 200-205, then filtered and packaged. one med, one dark, and one very dark, total of 8.5 gallons. the dark had excellent flavor. very happy with the results.

Sounds like a good batch!

[maple flats]

I sold my "bad" syrup. The bad stuff was from 3 barrels that fermented over the last 8-9 years, for a total of 46 gal total. I had reprocessed it, re filtered and packed it in clean BBLs. It certainly had an off after taste. It still sold for processing grade and I got $1.25/LB for it. I also sold some very dark grade from this year as well as some left over from the previous 3 years. Other than this year's crop it was all re processed, filtered, density checked and made right and packed in SS barrels. For the very dark I got $1.85/LB. All I have left in stock now is this year's grade A crop. It felt good the clear out all of the stock from previous years that was less than perfect. While the prices were down this year, it sounds like they may continue in a downward trend for years to come.