Almost Maple Candy can I go back?

[Brandon Yuchasz]

This very well may be my first post but I have been reading lots.

I had a batch of syrup finishing on the stove the other night and walked away. I returned when I heard it boiling over. It was the foam bubbles I am sure you have all seen. It had started to turn to candy and I thinned it back with some sweet that was in another pan. Filtered it and got lots of chunks of candy in the filter but what was in the pan after looked liquid.

So then today I went to get ready to can a bunch and I grabbed that batch. Its thick syrup probably still to thick but its got a few chunks of candy floating again. Not sure how but even after filtering they formed in it.

So here I sit trying to decided what to do with that batch its around a 1/2 gallon which is a lot for my operation. If I cant thin it more then what other choices do I have for it? Can like it is and turn it to ice cream topper? Actually that sounds good.

[brookledge]

Brandon
It sounds like it has crystals in it which is not what is ordinarilly called candy.
To make candy the syrup needs to be boiled to 32-34 degrees over the boiling point of water. Then it needs to cool and then be stirred. So if you where boiling and boiled it past syrup with out stirring it it will only crystalize.
Any ways are you using a hydrometer to tell when it is done? Or are you going by temp? Going by temp you need to know what the boiling point of water is at the time you are testing. Syrup boils at 7 degrees over the boiling point of water.
If you add sap or water to the cold syrup it will not mix so you will need to reheat the syrup. I think it can be brought back down to syrup but I don't think it will be the same as it was if it was only boiled to syrup
I never tried to thin it out if it was boiled that much
Keith

[Brandon Yuchasz]

Thanks for the feedback and your correct its crystals in it. I did not take it anywhere near the temp required for candy now that I know what that temp is ;)

Ill thin it and let you guys know how it turns out.

A hydrometer is on the list for next year this year I am going by temp and taking it 8 or 9 degrees over boiling which today took it to 224. Last year pulling at 7 degrees was to running for us and since its for personal use we are making it a bit thicker this year.

[maple flats]

At best it will be darker than it would have been had you stopped at the right point initially. You can however re constitute it.

[Haynes Forest Products]

When you say a bit thicker how thick. 2 points is thick enough and you will get crystals but not to bad. Going to far over and it will crystalize alot faster and I believe will thin it. I have gone way past syrup and into Carmel and reintroduced sap in the cooker and got it back to some of the best dark B that went first and fast to customers:)

[maple sapper]

Some guru at one point figured out that if you boil maple sap to 66% it becomes stable and does not crystalize. Then some other guru in my state (NH) or in Vermont decided they had to be different. So they figured out that if you take syrup and boil it to 66.9% it tastes better, is stable and created it as a law that superseeds the US grading standard. And thats why NH and Vermont syrup tastes so much better;) . So from what I understand, if your at 66-67% it will be stable and not crystalize. If your under it will grow mold. so for longivity that is the sweet spot.