sugar in syrup

[kitkat]

Can I reboil my syrup with more sap? Looks like I over cooked it and have sugar in bottom of jars. Hygrometer was right on when I bottled it.

[Run Forest Run!]

Kitkat, that's what I'm doing right now. If your syrup filtered nicely and is clear, don't reboil the syrup with sap or you'll create new niter and have to refilter. If you use distilled water to thin down your heavy syrup and heat everything up slowly to 190F (without having your syrup boil) then you can rebottle into clean jars.

[kitkat]

Thanks I'll try that. It looked good on the hygrometer, but I must have over cooked it. My 1st batch came out perfect.

[Run Forest Run!]

I did the same thing, except with both my first and second batches. The density looked great when I originally bottled it, but then little crystals started to appear. The telltale sign that I somehow screwed up, and I've no idea how. The good news is that it's an easy fix.

[bawplank]

I had the same thing happen, the hydrometer was good but its too thick. I was thing that the temp was off so that made the hydrometer off. I didn't convert it I just went to the line.

[bigschuss]

Can I reboil my syrup with more sap? Looks like I over cooked it and have sugar in bottom of jars. Hygrometer was right on when I bottled it.

Are you sure that's not just niter? If the hydrometer was spot on I think you might be fine.

[saphound]

Maybe it's because you used a hygrometer instead of a hydrometer, ha.
Now I don't feel so bad...I've overcooked both my batches so far. I thinned mine with sap. The first time I used heated sap after the syrup had been filtered, the second time cold sap before filtering. Worked great both times.

[wiam]

If the "sugar" was there like the next morning it's probably niter that settled out. Sugar crystals take a while to show up.

[buckeye gold]

It depends on how long you are keeping it hot while filtering and bottling. If you extend that process under say 185 degrees for long enough you will actually lose more water content and make your syrup heavier. I actually run mine through the filters just a tad light and by the time I've bottled it's good. I checked it several times this year and once I was heavy on a batch that was slow to filter and I had reheated it for a second run through the filters. I checked it cold just before bottling and had to thin it. Cold testing your syrup with a hydrometer is the best check for true density as the temp is steady and not changing as you test.

[jrm]

I did the same thing, except with both my first and second batches. The density looked great when I originally bottled it, but then little crystals started to appear. The telltale sign that I somehow screwed up, and I've no idea how. The good news is that it's an easy fix.

So this happened to me this morning... No problems on my first boil last weekend. Evaporated yesterday and filtered, after reaching syrup per hydrometer. Refrigerated it and heated to 190 this morning. First four jars, 4 oz mason jars are clear. 3 8 oz syrup bottles all have crystals. I'm guessing it got too hot while waiting to bottle those, but my thermometer never read higher than195.

Maybe it's because you used a hygrometer instead of a hydrometer, ha.
Now I don't feel so bad...I've overcooked both my batches so far. I thinned mine with sap. The first time I used heated sap after the syrup had been filtered, the second time cold sap before filtering. Worked great both times.

I have sap that I could add - no distilled water as Karen has used -. Saphound how hot did you heat the sap before adding to the heated syrup?

Other than "my syrup has crystals" is it problematic to leave the bottles as they are? Are they likely to crystallize even further as they cool?

Also, two of the four jelly jars have popped. The remaining two have not -- I only bottled a couple hours ago. I've canned, but haven't used the mason jars for syrup before. What shall I do if they don't pop. And, could I just add these two jars, and bottles back to reheat and rebottle if I wanted?

Janet