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The Great Syrup Disaster of 2025
Jun. 15th, 2025 03:13 pmWe have a hummingbird! Yay! She's very shy and flits to the feeders, sips quick, and vanishes, but she's here. We're hoping she has a nest and we'll have babies soon.
I decided it was time to freshen up the feeder syrup, which is getting old. I put sugar and water in a covered pan to boil it. (If you don't, the sugar will eventually recrystallize.) Then Darwin called me outside, so I turned off the stove to finish the project later.
About an hour after that, Darwin and I were sitting on the back deck when the smoke alarms went off. We ran into the house and found the kitchen filled with choking gray smoke. Both upstairs alarms were shrieking. The source of the smoke was the syrup pan. Apparently I hadn't turned the stove all the way off. Furious with myself, I snatched up the pot and took it outside. The sugar water inside had turned to a burned black goo.
Darwin and I spent considerable time clearing the house of smoke. The stuff was stubborn, hovering up near the ceiling and refusing to move. We had to open all the windows and put box fans in strategic places. The whole house smelled of burnt sugar.
At bed time, the smell was still there, and it was getting chilly. Darwin wanted to close the windows, but I plumped for keeping them open so the house could air out overnight. It would be in the 50s, a bit cool but not cold. So that's what we did.
In the morning, the burnt sugar smell was completely gone. Whew!
Meanwhile, I was worried about my pan. It looked like the black goo had welded itself to the bottom, and it wouldn't be feasible to scrub it away. Hoping against hope, I filled the pan with soapy water and left it overnight. In the morning, I poured the water out, and a LOT of the black goo had dissolved. I sprayed the pan with hot water, and more goo dissolved. Well, good! With luck and lots more soaking, the pan should be fine.
And I still have to make hummingbird syrup!
I decided it was time to freshen up the feeder syrup, which is getting old. I put sugar and water in a covered pan to boil it. (If you don't, the sugar will eventually recrystallize.) Then Darwin called me outside, so I turned off the stove to finish the project later.
About an hour after that, Darwin and I were sitting on the back deck when the smoke alarms went off. We ran into the house and found the kitchen filled with choking gray smoke. Both upstairs alarms were shrieking. The source of the smoke was the syrup pan. Apparently I hadn't turned the stove all the way off. Furious with myself, I snatched up the pot and took it outside. The sugar water inside had turned to a burned black goo.
Darwin and I spent considerable time clearing the house of smoke. The stuff was stubborn, hovering up near the ceiling and refusing to move. We had to open all the windows and put box fans in strategic places. The whole house smelled of burnt sugar.
At bed time, the smell was still there, and it was getting chilly. Darwin wanted to close the windows, but I plumped for keeping them open so the house could air out overnight. It would be in the 50s, a bit cool but not cold. So that's what we did.
In the morning, the burnt sugar smell was completely gone. Whew!
Meanwhile, I was worried about my pan. It looked like the black goo had welded itself to the bottom, and it wouldn't be feasible to scrub it away. Hoping against hope, I filled the pan with soapy water and left it overnight. In the morning, I poured the water out, and a LOT of the black goo had dissolved. I sprayed the pan with hot water, and more goo dissolved. Well, good! With luck and lots more soaking, the pan should be fine.
And I still have to make hummingbird syrup!
