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

I agree, the first two aren't actually maple syrup at all. I'd only eat/use the last one, because I AM a syrup snob, LOL. the grandkids like Mrs. Butterworth's, which has a lot of sugar/sweetener and artificial flavoring, but no real maple. I don't know what's in the sugar free stuff. The last one is what I'd use, love maple syrup. I'd not use the sugar free stuff to bake with, artificial sweeteners throw off the science of baked goods without careful substitutions. Lars, I thought of you last weekend, I was driving and passed a stand of sugar maples with the taps and buckets, it's been unusually cold here and they're still tapping. I need to pick some up myself, I'm told the local sugarbush is selling for $10 a quart. No grade, LOL, just "maple syrup", which means it's grade B or maybe darker. Annie

Last weekend my daughter came home from college and we went shopping to stock her pantry. I paid $18 for 32 oz. of maple syrup at Sam's Club. I darned near had a heart attack! But it's still cheaper for me to have her cook her own breakfast than to eat in the dining halls so I bought it. I refuse to buy it for home. My next door neighbor sells the most wonderful honey for $4 a quart and it goes a long way so that's what we use at home.

Sourbraten!? Put a steak in a very hot frying pan. When it is almost done dump in half cup of the sweet vinegar. Let the heat reduce it down to a thick sauce. Feed the steak to the dog (or family) and enjoy the delicious pan drippings mopped up on some bread. If you love someone don't let them have any or you may have to fight them to the death for the last little bits. Depending on the flavor it may go well with potatoes, potato salad, or bean soup. : ) lyra