The Herbal Medicine-Maker's Handbook_ A Home Manual - James Green [124]
CONTAINERS FOR SYRUPS
Mixing (agitating) containers, storage containers, and any funnels or other implements used to help fill the containers must be dry to avoid dilution of the syrup, and they must be very clean in order to avoid contamination of the syrup by fermentation organisms that frequent imperfectly cleaned bottles. It is best to use small storage bottles so that a large quantity of syrup will not be exposed to the air each time the container is opened.
SYRUP DOSAGE
Standard dose for taking a syrup is approximately 1 teaspoonful as needed, or as some therapeutic literature decrees, ad libitum.
“Sugar is the cleavage of the culinary arts, chocolate the plunging neckline.”
—T. ELDER SACHS
SYRUP PRESERVATION AND STORAGE
All syrups do better if, before bottling, they are first strained through clean cotton flannel or muslin cloth that has been previously moistened and wrung out. This removes any particles of dust and dirt that might find their way into the syrup.
Finished syrups will keep unaltered for a long time if properly prepared. They are best preserved in sterile, tightly capped bottles and stored in a cool place where the temperature is uniform. It is important that, before filling, the storage bottles be clean (immersed in boiling water for a period of time), and dry to avoid dilution and possible contamination of the syrup by fermentation organisms that frequent imperfectly cleaned bottles. It is best if these storage bottles are fairly small, so that a large quantity of syrup will not be exposed to the air each time the container is opened.
Syrups, properly prepared, usually are stored at room temperature. But for those syrups that don’t keep well, at a risk of causing some crystallization due to super-cooling the saturated solution, their original quality is maintained for a longer time if they are kept in a refrigerator. Air and heat are far more detrimental to the stability of sugar solutions than diffused light, but direct sunlight should always be avoided because of the heat transmitted by the sun’s rays.
Other agents can be added to the syrup, to help prevent fermentation:
Essential oils, which of course greatly modify the taste, aroma, and other properties of the preparation.
Brandy, which is much used with aromatics, or a small proportion of pure ethyl alcohol can be added to syrups to serve as a preservative as well as a solvent for the addition of alcohol-soluble ingredients, such as essential oils. Some folks speculate that the alcohol concentrates in the vapors above the syrup and from this strategic location prevents the growth of surface molds.
Glycerin can be used in syrups as an agent to help retard fermentation. It is effective if the concentration is sufficient, 30 percent or more. It has a sweet taste, but its sweetness is not as pleasing as sucrose. Glycerin is a solvent for tannins, and as such acts as a preservative against precipitation of extracted vegetable matter.
Honey is a health-promoting substance that supplies a delightful flavor and provides excellent preservative activity.
Syrups that go off and ferment are best composted. Once a syrup has undergone fermentation it is no longer fit for use. Even if an attempt is made to restore it by boiling, it is quite likely to spoil again soon, due to the decreased proportion of sugar remaining in solution.
WATER FOR MAKING SYRUP
The best water to use for making syrups is recently boiled distilled water. Using this menstruum ensures that the syrup is free from mineral matter and from spores that might cause fermentation in the presence of sugar. In the preparation of some syrups and oxymels, however, vinegar is often used in preference to