Last night I was able to finish off the first batch of Maple Syrup!!!
This is nearing a point of being done, I do not own a hydrometer, so I cannot tell
exactly how many
brix it is at, but I can tell by the way it behaves,
ie does it act like syrup? is it syrup-y? you know...
Out of the pan and into the jars, I filter mine, but it is not absolutely
necessary. It is common practice to do so to remove 'tree sand' See picture below.
This is why I filter, that filter was absolutely pure white and
brand spanking new. You can see the sediment that has been filtered out. I think I'll go back to what I used last year for filtering, felt as it did a much better job. When I checked the product this morning what hadn't filtered out had settled to the bottom. Harmless, but just makes it look bad.
Finished product, dark amber, maple deliciousness! Waffles anyone?
This is nearing a point of being done, I do not own a hydrometer, so I cannot tell exactly how many brix it is at, but I can tell by the way it behaves, ie does it act like syrup? is it syrup-y? you know...
Out of the pan and into the jars, I filter mine, but it is not absolutely necessary. It is common practice to do so to remove 'tree sand' See picture below.
This is why I filter, that filter was absolutely pure white and brand spanking new. You can see the sediment that has been filtered out. I think I'll go back to what I used last year for filtering, felt as it did a much better job. When I checked the product this morning what hadn't filtered out had settled to the bottom. Harmless, but just makes it look bad.
Finished product, dark amber, maple deliciousness! Waffles anyone?
wow it looks beautiful,but it truly must be a labor of love for all the work it is. How did it taste?
ReplyDeleteGreat job! We did this the first year we were here with the one maple tree growing right in our yard just to show the boys how it works. Hubby turned it in to maple candy though. ;-)
ReplyDeleteLaura, it tastes delicious! I'd been a "pancake syrup" for quite a while and when I tasted real maple syrup I'll admit that it was an aquired taste for me. I ran out of what we made last year and was in a pinch, so I yeilded to the immitation stuff again, just to see which I would prefer.... I assure you I'll not make that mistake again. It was flavorless gelatenous goo! I spit it out and will always go with the real stuff from now on! And it's really not much work, mostly just time and patience. It just takes a lot of boiling to get syrup, but it's worth it all and makes you savor every drop!
ReplyDeleteBerry Patch, Faith asked if we could try our hand at maple candy this year if we get enough syrup, I told her we could, so I'm hopeful we'll have a good year.
..."I think I'll go back to what I used last year for filtering"...
ReplyDeleteSo.........which kind of socks do you prefer as filters, tube, or fitted? ;-)
sweaty gym socks! or as we call them here rank farm socks! Actually I used a milk filter, as I don't have a filter press, but the felt worked great last year, I'll just need to go dig it out.
ReplyDelete