Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Have you ever bought a bottle of pure Maple Syrup and wondered why it wasn't filled to the very top? Maple syrup is hot packed to ensure it is protected from mold and other contaminants but in the cooling process it actually shrinks in volume by about 15%. Maple syrup also has a tendency to foam during processing and while we try our best to skim off any foam, occasionally a little bit might end up in your syrup. Not harmful at all and still tasty. One other thing you might notice is a residue in bottom of the jar. This is naturally occurring "sugar sand" which is actually minerals found in the sap which is boiled down into syrup. Maple syrup producers work hard to filter their syrup, often 3 or 4 times but these minerals are very fine and sometimes make it through the filters. One other thing you might notice is crystallization. Tiny sugar crystals form when the brix or sugar count in the syrup goes above 67%. Maple syrup must reach 66% brix to be considered finished syrup. When it is boiled past 66 brix, the saturation of sugar causes crystals to form. They are pretty to look at but hard to pour out of the bottle! Some folks melt them with boiling water, not wanting to waste even a drop of their precious syrup. Maple syrup is natural, tastes amazing and a little bit of Canadian heritage. Enjoy!

Posted at 11:07 PM