Older Syrup Crystallizing

[sr73087]

I only tap 8 reds. I end up with maybe a gallon or two of syrup at the end of the season. I usually keep most of it for myself and end up with syrup from a few years back. I have a shelf full of it now from the past few years and some of it is crystallizing. Is there anything I can do with this syrup? I know with my honey I put it at a very low heat in a pot for a few hours and that does the trick, but not sure with this.

[NhShaun]

Just use the syrup and eat the maple rock candy that's left, that's what I do. I think heating it again will only make it crystallize more, unlike honey.

[Haynes Forest Products]

You can reheat and get some of the sugar to go back into suspension but I agree it isn't worth the effort. I have broken my share of bottles trying to get the sugar out.

If you sell in bulk to a wholesaler you will get dinged if it crystalizes.

[johnallin]

Sounds like you're bottling your syrup at above 67%. Check with a hydrometer and see where it's at. Get it to 60 degrees and use the cold test line and see what you have.

[sr73087]

I have always used the temperature method which from day 1 I could tell is not great. Syrup always seemed too thin/runny. I have a hydrometer, my issue is getting the syrup into the cup without making a huge mess. I use restaurant trays and a turkey fryer for my boil, which has worked out ok, but the finishing process doesn't allow me to draw off. Any suggestions? I am not trying to spend a ton since its being used personally or given away but I still want a good product.

[NhShaun]

You can try and get a large mouth funnel that fits in the top of the hydrometer cup and a big ladle that will fill it with one scoop, then some way to suspend the funnel so the mess drops back in the pans. I bought a relatively cheap stainless 20qt stock pot, and a stainless ball valve with bulk head fitting with. 90° elbow on the end, and a thermometer. Drilled 2 holes and set it up, it's worked for 3 seasons and didn't cost over 75 bucks..Cant see why it won't last me many more seasons to come, the pot still can be used off season too.

[raptorfan85]

Im kinda in the same position as you, making small batches, and my older stuff has crystalized as well. I get my sap as close to syrup as i can outside then finish in a pot on the stove. I bought the short hydrometer and cup and I just fill the cup with a ladle over the pot on the stove. Works pretty well.

[Galena]

If syrup crystallizes, it's because it's been finished at too high a temp. I know if I finish at over 225 degrees that I'm going to get *sparkly* syrup - if you put some in a glass jar and hold it to the light and see a lot of sparkles, it's light reflecting off of the sugar crystals. Checking with a hydrotherm will show that the red line is floating pretty high instead of level with the syrup. Either get the crystals out with warm distilled water, and go through all the hassle of finishing it off again...or just live with it and enjoy rock maple candy :-)

[johnallin]

I have always used the temperature method which from day 1 I could tell is not great. Syrup always seemed too thin/runny. I have a hydrometer, my issue is getting the syrup into the cup without making a huge mess.
A big soup ladle or a baster with a bulb on it should work pretty well.

[sr73087]

If syrup crystallizes, it's because it's been finished at too high a temp. I know if I finish at over 225 degrees that I'm going to get *sparkly* syrup - if you put some in a glass jar and hold it to the light and see a lot of sparkles, it's light reflecting off of the sugar crystals. Checking with a hydrotherm will show that the red line is floating pretty high instead of level with the syrup. Either get the crystals out with warm distilled water, and go through all the hassle of finishing it off again...or just live with it and enjoy rock maple candy :-)

Interesting, so drop down the heat and keep it around 7.5 above boiling? I never thought going too high would matter as long as I didn't burn it. Is that all niter that is being created? This could be why I have a hard time filtering as well.

[Rangdale]

For a hydrometer cup, I use a piece of 1.5 diameter copper pipe and cap one end. I use a short style hydrometer so the copper pipe isn't that long. Then you can us a pair of forceps to hold the copper tube while you dip it into the syrup. This works well if you are batch boiling and don't have a draw off to neatly put it into the traditional hydrometer cup.

[Galena]

Interesting, so drop down the heat and keep it around 7.5 above boiling? I never thought going too high would matter as long as I didn't burn it. Is that all niter that is being created? This could be why I have a hard time filtering as well.

I'm honestly not a diehard believer in the old maxim of finishing syrup at 7.1 degrees above the temp of boiling water, though I do find it kinda cool to see water boil at 210 or 214, both of which have happened. BTW I'm only 364 ft above sea level. I haven't finished a batch at below 222, but I know if I play around much over 224 that I'm going to get crystals. Why not just salvage a jar or two of crystallized syrup, chuck it into a finishing pot with some distilled water or fresh sap, and play around?

And as for nitre...ah good ol' nitre. Once you've made syrup, if you reheat it past 190 degrees, you will get nitre forming, guaranteed.

Strrictly fwiw I don't bottle straight from the finishing pot; I therm mine out once it's cooled (usually cause it's the end of a long night by then and I have to get to bed and get up for work) and check it then use a so-called Quebec hydrotherm, which can measure density on both hot and cold syrup. Then if it is within a hashmark or so of that red line, I reheat the syrup (still in the finishing pot) over medium and prepare the glass jugs and lids while doing so. As soon as the temp hits 185, I yank it off the heat and bottle it.

Hope this helps!

[Haynes Forest Products]

Why the heck don't you just draw off the evaporator into your hydro cup. Every second andyour syrup is cooling and every object your hot syrup touches cools it. From your cooker draw off valve into your hot hydro cup. I keep my hydro cup hanging in my draw off bucket with the last batch of syrup I tested. When I'm ready to check density again I pour it out and over fill my hydro cup allowing syrup to run over into the draw off bucket so I get a good fresh hot sample that hasn't cooled down. No I don't clean my Hydrometer with distilled water from France and lock it a safe place in between tests. I wash the hydro with fresh boiling syrup right from the valve and bingo bango I know Im up to temp.

[Galena]

Haynes, what's all this BS about washing out the therm with *distilled water from France* and locking up the therm between uses? I don't lock up the therm either, but yeah I do treat it with care cause they cost around $35.

All I did was I was give him perfectly sound advice on how to melt out the crystals, with either warmed distilled water or fresh sap, and perhaps try to make it into syrup again. And THAT advice was handed down to me by 6th-generation sugarmakers. I believe you offered identical advice earlier in this thread.

Besides...it's brands of bottled spring water that comes from France. Distilled water, last I checked, can be bought for the same price as regular North American bottled water.

[NhShaun]

Why the heck don't you just draw off the evaporator into your hydro cup. he said he used steam pans and doesn't have a draw off valve.

[sr73087]

The issue I think I had was the low depth of fluid and pulling enough up since I'm not dealing with gallons and gallons of syrup here.

I guess the simple answer here is when i'm close, switch to a deep but smaller in diameter pot, lower the heat to avoid burning anything, draw off with a turkey baster into my cup and just use the hydrometer.

This sounds like it should work right?

[Run Forest Run!]

Using a turkey baster sounds scary. Couldn't you easily give yourself a nasty burn? I finish off in small amounts too and I use a funnel and ladle to get the syrup into the cup. Otherwise, your method sounds like it would work perfectly.

[Galena]

I'm with Karen on the turkey baster. A glass one would crack and rubber or plastic would melt, at the very least the bulb would melt and get hot in the hand. Personally I just get the hydrotherm ready, stand it in the therms cup, then put it in a small pot. Ladle or use a dipper to get some syrup and pour it in. If any gets away and it will, then it just runs in the pot. Easy.

[to100]

I took my 7 gallon pot that came with my turkey cooker to a metal fabricator and he put on a draw off. Or buy a pot with one, maybe brewing supply or craigslist, Walmart.
My guy even made one like small coffee urn and added port for dial thermometer. It could be put on a kitchen range burner, the square base was larger than the cylinder so heat did not hit dial. He rounded corners off. Came with a top. Not sure about handles.