Thank you all for the ideas. We ended up letting this batch sit, and all the grit did settle to the bottom. We poured/scooped the syrup off & reheated it. Looks good. Yes we did find cheesecloth at a local hardware store. I should have thought of that, as this fall we ended up getting extra canning jars there when we couldn't find them anywhere else! With getting ready for the storm (maybe 12 inches or more expected) it was just easier to let it sit, anyway. I found out from the owner of the trees that they are mostly Red Maple. Ours are Norwegion Maples according to grandma. One other tip I can give is to have a good thermometer. Ours wasn't accurate, it was old, then we bought another one & it was hard with those huge pots to get a reading. My brother then bought one of those meat forks with the thermometer in the handle, it's working very well, long enough to reach down into the half empty pots. I suspect by our 4th batch we'll be very ready for processing & get it down pat! Oh, I didn't know it at the time, but apparently our first batch overflowed, so I think my ratios were off by a bit, that could be why others were surprised by our yield. (It's out on a stove on the backlawn, so I never even knew until I started asking questions about the type of trees & why our yeild was so low). Brendasue

We live in Central Ontario. We've only tapped 6 trees so we're not going to get any more than we can use ourselves and maybe give a few 350ml bottles to some friends. He's cooking to the recommended 4 degrees celcius over the boiling point of water (this is what the local syrup supplies store advised, as well as a couple books). It's really quite light. Tastes amazing, but it's reeeally light. We are cooking outside using a propane fire and stock pot set up. When it gets dark and he only has about a half hour to hour left, he brings it inside to finish on the stove. So far, we have just under 5 litres of finished syrup, with another ~60L of sap waiting to go, plus whatever we'll collect today. The filters are staying relatively clean compared to what you've described, brendasue. Where are you located? This is our first attempt at doing this, so we're definitely learning as we go! It's producing far more than we imagined. My boyfriend is already talking about "expanding operations" to tap a few more trees at a different property that his dad owns.

Well, my syrup making evening went rather well. The blueberry and peach/apricot came out rather thick, but the purees were on the thick side. I though about adding water, but decided I'd rather have them thick than too thin. Flavors all came out wonderfully. For the BBB pecan praline, as others had indicated, 1 c pecans was not quite enough and I did unseal those and reprocess with more. Is there a way to get the nuts to more incorporate in the jar--store upside down? Right now they're all floating in the top. I'm sure when they are opened they'll stir in, but I was wondering. I haven't canned any conserves or anything with nuts before. Also, if I wanted to try lower the sugar levels a bit, what does that affect. I would assume as in jam, that they would not gel as well, but the acidity in the fruit will keep everything safe. Probably a shorter shelf life too as in jam. I'm mostly thinking just a little reduction (this time was pretty much 1c sugar to 1c puree). Maybe down to 3/4 c sugar per cup of puree--I don't have a specific dietary need like diabetes to consider, just that they're awful sweet to our taste (I don't mind, DH doesn't have my sweet tooth).

Here's one made with low-glycemic agave nectar. I won 1st prize in the dessert division in an International Low-glycemic Recipe Contest with this chocolate syrup recipe and vanilla ice cream (also sweetened with agave nectar). I usually only make 1/4 or 1/2 the recipe because it doesn't keep as long as commercial chocolate syrup. -Grainlady Agave Nectar Chocolate Syrup 1/2 c. HersheyÂs Cocoa Powder 1 c. Light Agave Nectar 1 c. Cold water 1/2 t. Vanilla 1/2 t. Guar gum (optional - as a thickener) 1/8 t. Sea Salt 1. In a large saucepan, combine cocoa, Agave Nectar and salt. Stir in water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until smooth - about 5 minutes. 2. Add 1/2 t. guar gum for a thickener. 3. Place the pan in a sink of cold water and stir with the whisk until cool. Stir in vanilla. Pour into a covered container and refrigerate. 4. Shake before using.