Making maple candy

 Making Maple Candies

                             
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                                      Maple trees offer a sweet sap, high in fructose a natural sugar.  Each tap may give as much as 2 gallons of sap a day. The season may run for 3 – 14 days. When boiled down to about 1/20th the original volume you wind up with the delicious sweet syrup we all love so much. 20 gallons of sap cooks down to about 1 gallon of syrup. Taking that syrup one step further by heating to a point 32 degrees above the boiling point, and cooling it gives you candies of different types depending on the temp you heated and cooled it to and the method  of cooling as well.  The 32 degrees above boiling is used because water boils at a different temp than 212 degrees when you go up in altitude, so in the mountains it may be higher and thus the use of 32 above the boiling point.
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                                      We have made soft and semi hard candies so far. It is fairly easy to do and the results are awesomely delicious. Almost pound for pound of syrup to candy is what you get out of about 30 minutes of effort. So if you cook off 1 pint of syrup you will get about 1 pound of mouth watering candies. Serve warm or room temp. Even dip in a chocolate coating to create a fantastic treat for your family or guests.

Maple candy making equipment 

Candy and Deep Frying Thermometer



$11.97

 
 

The list of equipment needed for making Maple sugar Candy is a deep pan, A candy thermometer, and high temp molds to pour the hot candy in. We recomend a fire extinguisher be nearby and no children in the kitchen. Trust me on this one , you do not want the HOT candy on your skin. Burn cream might not be a bad idea to have handy as well.

This is the beginning of the foaming up part of boiling syrup. Remember this is hotter than steam do not get it on you.

and  this is about 214 degrees now and bubbles are rising!

Aproximately 230 degrees and the bubbles have just about risen as high as they will. Temp hits 243-244 degrees here and it is ready.So when your temperature has risen to 32 degrees above the boiling point in your kitchen, shut off the heat and begin to gently stir the syrup with a metal or wood fork or spatula.

Holding the pan flat is perhaps the safest way to stir.

     Maple Leaf High Temp Mold


    $9.97

 

 

For me I find it makes for an easier stir and a better feel for the syrup thikening to the point which we want pour it into the mold.

When the syrup turns from clear to slightly cloudy start to pour it into the mold. Sorry about the not so great imge here but you must work fast or you will have solid candy in the pot!

Kind of like this here! Not to panic though! All is not lost. Add a 1/4 cup water and place over heat again and it will soften. Just bring it to a boil and repeat the beginning steps to get the syrup to the candy pouring point and there you go!

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