Maple Syrup Turned Hard?

[Sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I made maple syrup a couple weeks ago using sap from the trees in my backyard. I boiled it down, strained it and poured it into a glass jar. I put it in the fridge and ever since it has been hard as a rock! I wanted to use it on my pancakes tonight, If I can make it back to liquid is it okay to eat? I placed the jar in a bowl filled with hot water in hopes to make it back into liquid form. What happened that made this so hard?

 

[~gd]

I am no expert on maple sugar but it sounds like it crystallized. You don't see this much on commercial maple because they usually quit right after the sugar content reaches the legal limit to be sold. you probally went a bit farther. you could try adding small amounts of water after you have melted the 'rock'.

 

[Rarity]

I've heard of maple sugar candy... so maybe just heating it gently will melt it back? Like you do with honey when it candies.

 

[Joel_BC]

I think gd~'s explanation is about right. Probably you simmered it down until it was a bit too thick - though that can admittedly be hard to tell when you've been simmering it. Because when the liquid is hot, it's runnier. It cools off and gets more viscous, even at room temperature. Then you put it into the fridge and it gets solid.

I had a similar problem this year. I just have one maple tree of the variety worth tapping. I was going to take a few gallons of sap and make a small amount of syrup. When I tapped, the early sap flowed, and I collected about a gallon without too much trouble. But since the weather was in flux, the slow-dripping sap flow actually stopped for a couple days.

So I had this first gallon dehydrating on the stove (I avoided actual boiling, and also didn't heat it over night). Being a slow process, you can't watch the contents of the pot every moment, and the first batch got away from me. It got too thick and darkened... got to a condition like some kind of thick glue! I discovered it because a whole area of our house started to smell like a candy factory. So I immediately added water and stirred it in. That sort of took the process back to an earlier stage.

The sap started to flow again and I added the new sap, one pail-full after another, to the big pot. In the end, I was able to stop the simmering process at a proper level of dehydration and then cool the syrup and bottle it, and put it in the fridge. It was a matter of judgment, since I didn't have any sugar-content detecting instrument to work with.

My guess would be that what you've made is fine to eat. If you can get that stuff out of the jar, you could put it in a pan, add some water, and very gently heat it until the lumpy stuff dissolves into the water. Stir it around. Then, continue to warm it until it's a uniform syrup, pour it into your jar(s), cool it slowly, and see if you've arrived at an acceptable consistency.

 

[odd_duck99]

Joel, I am starting to think there is nothing you can't do!!

 

[Joel_BC]

Joel, I am starting to think there is nothing you can't do!!

Oh, no... I'm just a learner like everyone else.

Flattering, what you said, duck... but what I don't know could fill many, many books.

Yesterday Beekissed asked me about home-making an inverter for an electric-fence charger. I don't really know much about things like that, for instance. What do I know about electronics? I know that practically speaking, you usually have two wires carrying current, plus a ground wire. That much I do understand, because I've wired two shops and part of a house, and I fix up some old motorized or heat-element equipment, etc.

The more people (female and male) that we get participating here at SS, the better it will be for all of us to learn the practical stuff we all need and want to know how to do (not just the book-knowledge stuff).

 

[Rarity]

Seems to me book knowledge is the first step, really... sure, personal experience helps, but then, if you don't have the personal experience, and no one to turn to, books are the logical first step.

Get reading.

 

[Joel_BC]

Seems to me book knowledge is the first step, really... sure, personal experience helps, but then, if you don't have the personal experience, and no one to turn to, books are the logical first step.

Get reading.

Here's how I usually look at this... A parent, mentor, or friend who can show you how to do some practical thing is generally the best. Next best would often be something like a Youtube video or series of these. Generally third best would be a book or magazine articles.

I think personal demonstration and instruction is best because the learner can ask questions along the way, or the relative/mentor can point out errors or flaws. The audio-visual media like films and videos are better than books or articles because they show things in motion and often give you three-dimensional views.

There are some exceptions to what I've said. For instance, a parent or friend may show you their personal way of doing something, and possibly some better way has been developed - which is why it's good that Youtube vids exist, because people tend to post the most recent approaches to doing things there.

 

[Rarity]

Well, everyone has their best way of learning. To each their own.

 

[Joel_BC]

Well, everyone has their best way of learning. To each their own.

Completely agree.