You've tapped, collected, boiled, finished, and filtered. The last step is bottling your syrup so it stays fresh for months, or even years. The key is hot-packing: bottling syrup while it's hot enough to sterilize the container and cap.
Choose your containers
| Container | Good to know |
|---|---|
| Glass bottles and jars | The best choice for long-term storage. Glass doesn't let air through, so flavor and color stay true the longest. |
| Mason or canning jars | Easy to find and reuse. Use new lids. |
| Plastic syrup jugs | Light and unbreakable. Plastic lets a little air through over time, so syrup can slowly darken. Best for syrup you'll use within a year or so. |
| Metal tins | Traditional and giftable. Look for tins made for maple syrup. |
Whatever you choose, use food-grade containers with tight-fitting caps, and wash and rinse them well before bottling. Warming glass containers first (with hot water or in a low oven) helps prevent cracking when hot syrup goes in.
Hot-pack your syrup, step by step
- Heat the filtered syrup to 185°F to 190°F. Syrup should be above 185°F when it goes into the container, and about 190°F is ideal. Don't boil it again, since reheating too hot can form more sugar sand.
- Fill the containers to the top, leaving as little air space as possible.
- Cap tightly right away.
- Lay the containers on their sides or turn them upside down for a few minutes, so the hot syrup sterilizes the inside of the cap. Then set them upright.
- Let them cool at room temperature. Glass jars with canning lids may seal with a pop as they cool.
Tip: A clip-on or instant-read thermometer makes hot-packing easy. Too cool, and the container isn't sterilized. Syrup that's properly finished (66 to 67 Brix) and hot-packed is very shelf stable.
How long does syrup last?
- Unopened, hot-packed: a year or more in a cool, dark place. Glass keeps it best.
- After opening: keep it in the refrigerator.
- Long-term: syrup can be frozen. Because of its high sugar content, it won't freeze solid, and it keeps its flavor well.
Label your syrup
Add the date, the batch or week of the season, and the color (Golden, Amber, Dark, or Very Dark). It's fun to compare early and late-season syrup side by side, and labeled jars make great gifts.
Troubleshooting stored syrup
There's mold on top
Mold usually means the syrup was a little thin or wasn't hot enough when bottled. Many extension programs advise skimming off the mold, bringing the syrup back to a boil, refiltering, and rebottling hot. If you're not sure, throw it out. To prevent it, finish to at least 66 Brix and always hot-pack.
There are crystals in the bottom
The syrup was a bit too dense. Warm it, stir in a small amount of water to bring it back to 66 to 67 Brix, and rebottle hot. Or just enjoy the maple sugar crystals as a treat.
There's sediment in the bottom
That's sugar sand that formed after filtering. It's harmless. Pour carefully, or refilter hot and rebottle.
Thinking about selling your syrup?
Rules for selling, labeling, and grading maple syrup vary by state. In Minnesota, check with the Minnesota Department of Agriculture before you sell. Other states have their own agriculture departments.
You did it! That's the whole journey from tree to table. Go back to the start with How to Tap Maple Trees, or browse the Maple Sugaring FAQ.