Comments on: All that Grows (in Maple Syrup) Is Not Mold

By: Kim Burtnyk

Kim Burtnyk — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 20:35:31 +0000

Okay, talk about sugar crystals…. I just opened my pantry to use up what was left in my maple syrup jar (shaped like a maple leaf) and what did I find?????? A GIANT SINGLE SUGAR–I think–CRYSTAL growing at the bottom of the jar! It looks like a piece of quartz (I am NOT joking around here). I’m trying to take photos of it in the jar. But given the shape of the jar it’s a bit tricky but I’m going to keep trying. I’d like to break the jar to get the crystal out but I’m afraid it’ll break in the process. Has anyone else encountered such an amazing phenomenon???

By: Tig Tillinghast

Tig Tillinghast — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:05:25 +0000

Great idea. One of my customers actually broke open a glass bottle to get at the rock candy formed at the bottom. Which was probably pretty indistinguishable from the broken glass shards. Would make for a pretty funny warning label, though: “Don’t crush this bottle and eat it by mistaking the glass for sugar.” Worth considering.
I really doubt heating maple in the way you suggest would hurt the flavor at all. Unlikely to even affect color very much. A great idea, especially as syrup that takes up crystals while hot remains overstrength and thick (the way I like it) until the sugar again comes out of solution given time and colder temperatures. I’d venture to guess it would work just as well with plastic jugs, although the opaque walls of those jugs don’t let people know that there is sugar there to be dissolved.
Can’t wait to try it myself. -tig

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 23:34:14 +0000

I have often reheated maple syrup once it has crystallized. This melts the sugar crystals and turns it back to syrup. You don’t even have to take it out of the glass bottle. Just heat some water and dip the glass in. Just a word of caution don’t heat the glass to quickly or it could crack.
What do you think of heating maple syrup like this? Does this effect the flavor of the syrup?