Fermentation Support Forum

Hi all, wonder if anyone has had this experience? I found myself with a spare liter of raw maple syrup (after cancer I have stopped using any form of sugar) and thought I would try using it to make a lemon maple syrup mead. I took two whole lemons and chopped them, together with the liter of maple syrup and four liters of water (the proportions recommended by Sandor Katz for raw honey mead) and stuck em in a bucket, stirring a few times a day. After a couple of days, the mixture started to thicken. I added another liter of water but it has continued to thicken. It has a runny gel-like consistency. It is fermenting, but not incredibly actively.

I guess the question would be: does raw maple syrup contain pectin? Is there any other reason it might get this consistency? Would increasing the water proportion remedy this? And by, say, doubling the water would it affect the fermentation?

Anyone had a similar experience? Any ideas very welcome.

Search for _dextran_.

Some microbes will product dextran as part of their metabolism and then sometimes it's later metaboloized away. So you might get lucky and have it thin back out to nothing.

Christopher Weeks wrote:Search for _dextran_.

Some microbes will product dextran as part of their metabolism and then sometimes it's later metaboloized away. So you might get lucky and have it thin back out to nothing.

OK, I'll check that out, thanks Christopher