Syrups
Making a syrup, and the number that is the product
Updated
On this page9
Sugar concentration is the preservative, the texture and the legal identity all at once, and it is the only one of the three you can measure. Too thin molds, too thick crystallizes, and the window between them is narrow enough that it has to be measured rather than judged.
Getting started
Before the first batch.
The number
What it is, how to measure it, and why it is bounded on both sides.
Making a batch
The day it gets made.
What goes wrong
Named failures, with the cause for each.
Bottles and closures
Where the container decision lives.
Selling it
Standards of identity, grades and labels.
Growing the operation
What breaks first.
Tools and directories
Things to use rather than read.
Written from 21 CFR 168, the USDA grade standards for maple syrup, the Vermont maple products regulations and published extension guidance. Every page names its source.