Sugary Syrup?

[Newbie]

This spring was my first time making syrup. It seems to be a tad cloudy with a bit of sugar grains in some of it. Does that mean I boiled too long or got a bit too hot? Pics don't really show what I am seeing. Very light in the early bottles and got s bit darker towards the end.

[sweetwater sugar shack]

How did u filter most of the time sugar sand will settle

[Newbie]

I prefiltered sap before boiling with a krylon filter then filtered again with a cloth filter before finishing. I didn't filter from finishing pan to bottle.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

It is probably sugar sand (nitre) then. Just minerals and will do no harm. Your syrup should be filtered after it is finished and before it is jugged.

[Ausable]

The picture you have posted is just cloudy syrup and will settle and clear. Nitre or Sugar Sand is common - like sediment in a bottle of home made wine. Just decante into another container when using and leave the nitre behind. Nitre or Sugar Sand is just a waste byproduct and forms when the syrup is doing a boil. That is why - when bottling and reheating maple syrup - the temperature is maintained about 190F so as to not make more sugar sand - yet - hot enough to can or bottle. Years ago - prior to using a maple syrup hydrometer - I heated a batch on the kitchen stove and boiled it and went a bit beyond maple syrup. We canned it in mason pints. The next morning - each jar had a blob of rock hard white maple sugar on the bottom with syrup on the top. The Maple Syrup was very thick and I had to pitch some of the jars as the rock hard sugar stuck to the bottom. - LOL - I only did that once - thank goodness. ---Mike----

[Newbie]

Thanks for advice! I am already getting the itch for spring again!

[maple flats]

If the rock hard part sticks to the bottom, just put some water in the bottle and heat it some in the microwave and let set. Then shake the bottle and dump, or empty into a sieve, the hard is rock candy. If some still is stuck on the bottom, repeat. No need to toss the bottles, for home use, I never reuse glass (or plastic) for sale to the public.
You just need to filter it, use 3-4 pre filters inside a cone or flat filter. As the 1st pre filter gets plugged, slide it out, and continue filtering. Syrup should be filtered at above 195, then bottle it between 180-190, your syrup will be clear. For density, get a hydrometer.

[Newbie]

I think that might be my problem. I just went off the hydrometer and not temp. I also think I need to filter more. The full bottles show it best and it is just like a light cloud in floating in it. I will try another pic. image.jpgimage.jpg

[n8hutch]

That could be sugar sand, if you're syrup is a little over on the density It may be that much harder for the fine particuls to settle out.