Maple Syrup Report

[highpockets]

I don't know much about Maple syrup but I do enjoy hearing about the gathering and cooking.  You guys need to let us know how things are going. 

[Furby]

Been waiting to hear how things are this year as well.

[sprucebunny]

The buckets are up in many places but the daytime temps are still only 29F .

[SwampDonkey]

Nothing much up here yet,we had one week of spring and now back into the deep freeze (20's F). No sap running in that weather.

[Vermonter]

I made a half gallon last week.  I've got another half gallon frozen in the pan.
Looks like towards the end of the week around here.
I only tap about 32, so I expect about 7 or 8 gallons total.

[wiam]

Andy when should I bring the raised doughnuts. ;)

Will

[mike_van]

I finished off over 5 gal. last Sunday, Qts. & pts.  Was dead in the water all week, no freeze. Last night, 23F. Today 42, even with a north wind I had 50 gal. sap this afternoon. [50 taps]  Smelled good in the barn tonight -  8)

[Don_Papenburg]

Its all over for the year now .   

[Ernie_Edwards]

Been a crazy year in this area. I have 100 taps out, somedays get 100 gal of sap and other days only 10 gal of sap. Have to be careful not to keep the sap too long or it will ferment so have only had enough to boil twice so far, have canned 36 pints.

The sap didn't run for a week as the temps were bad. Just started running good again yesterday and the sap is testing sweeter, right at 32 gal sap per gal of syrup. Hope to boil today and can some more tonight.

Not an expert on this, only my second year making syrup, but can't help but think that the very warm Jan. we had has also affected the run.

[highpockets]

I did not realize that it took so much sap to make a gallon of syrup.  It is a shame you can't can the smell also.   I'd love to see the cooking.   
8)

[Dana]

Our neighbor pulled his taps on Monday. He caught the early run and had all he wanted. (2 1/2 gal.) He gave me a quart. It should have been dripping good this week warm days and freezing nights. I would like to make some we have the taps and buckets, but no pan.

[Captain]

Anybody selling Grade A Fancy??  We always buy anyhow, and would love to give the business to a forum member.  We'll buy a couple of gallons...

Captain

[mike_van]

Captain, i'd be happy to - You can email or pm me -

[Steve]

I'm also interested in buying some Maple syrup from someone?

Thanks

[Furby]

Dana, don't let a lack of pan stop you!
There are other ways. ;)
I bought a food grade 35 gallon I belive, drum with the whole end removeable.
Used that for a couple years. Wasn't as good as a pan, but still worked.
This drum was set inside a 55 gallon drum that I used as a stove.
Boil it down most of the way and finish that last little bit on the kitchen stove.

[Paschale]

Dana, don't let a lack of pan stop you!
There are other ways. ;)
I bought a food grade 35 gallon I belive, drum with the whole end removeable.
Used that for a couple years. Wasn't as good as a pan, but still worked.
This drum was set inside a 55 gallon drum that I used as a stove.
Boil it down most of the way and finish that last little bit on the kitchen stove.

Hmm..Furby...that intrigues me.  So you say it was a food grade drum, like for holding veggie oil or something?  And then you placed it inside a 55 gallon drum.  What was your heat source for that venture?   ???

[SwampDonkey]

What grandpa used to use is one of them drums furby talked about and cut out an oval shape from one of the sides and drill holes on each end to attach wire from which we would tie up on a tripod over a fire pit. Then we'de have a nice shelter/lean-to and keep a hot fire under the drum. Boil most of the water off and bring into the house on the kitchen stove to finish off. Now did ya catch all that?  ;D

[Coon]

We have only had three days run so far.  Temps have and still are in basement.  Maple will finish it's run soon but the birch will run for another couple of weeks if the temps straighten around.  So far I have about 3/4 of a gallon of maple syrup done and 2 1/3 gallons of birch syrup. 
Brad.

[Furby]

Pretty close to what SD said.
Took a 55 gallon drum and cut a door just below the lowest ridge of the barrel.
Left one side of the door attached and just bent it out as a wind block.
Just above that ridge I punched 4 holes so that I could slide two pieces of old pipe through.
Built a good hot fire in the bottom of the barrel.
Took an White Oak log, stood it on end in a hole in the gound and backfilled.
Made a wooden bracket and put one lag bolt through the center into the end of the log.
Found and old cedar split rail and drilled a hole through it at the right spot.
Dropped it in the bracket on the log and ran a 1/2" rod through it all.
Wrapped a short piece of chain around the end of the cedar rail and wired a coulpe S hooks (wanted to be able to remove them) to each end of the chain.
The lid clamp on the food grade drum would hold a piece of scrap angle cut to fit.
Once the fire was hot, I just swung the rail over the drum, slipped the S hooks on the angle and picked it all up and set it down in the 55 gallon drum.
You could keep feeding the fire through the door, or drop the wood along side the smaller drum.
It was crude but worked for a couple years. I think the food grade drum was about $17, my only cost in the project.
The door allowed the fire to turn into a roaring inferno if you weren't careful. ;)
Did get some ash in the mix as it swirled over head, but I filtered some out at the end and what was left was very little.

My first atempt at making syrup was with a coffee can hung over the drum in a wire basket. Worked great, made maple candy.
Just couldn't do much at a time that way. :D :D

[highpockets]

I'd be interested in a little syrup also.  I don't know about the grade or if it is fancy, I just like it.

[twoodward15]

I understand the colors of grade but is there a taste difference?  Is it all just on color/clarity, is there anything to do with thickness?

[mike_van]

Best I can explain it, compare it to coffee - The early light is like regular Columbian, the later dark is allmost expresso. Does that make any sense?  The darker, the stronger. 

[twoodward15]

perfectly good explanation.  So if I want the good strong stuff I ask for the later dark stuff.

[Ed_K]

 Its been a slow yr so far. I have canned up 18 1/2 gals so far. It looks like the middle to end of this week will warm enough to get the sap running again. In the mean time its logging more sawlogs & cordwood.

[mike_van]

It's coming Ed, hang on - I had 60+ gals of sap today, 22F last night, 37F today with a stiff wind - Man how it ran though - Tomorrow looks the same.

[Frank_Pender]

Well my $125 quart jar is now all gone.  I used it up on my Oatmeale that last several days.   :(  Most expensive sweetner I ever purchased; aside from Alice. 8)

[Dana]

Frank, If you will pay me $125.00 per quart, I can get that sap pan real quick.

[breese]

My father and I have about 250 taps out.  Had a pretty good run in late February and made about 8 gallons.  Couple other small runs here and there but nothing huge.  First day of spring and we have about 4 inches of new snow and 18 degrees this morning.   Warmer temps forecast for later in the week, fingers crossed.

[Frank_Pender]

Dana, I can't afford any more such things.  Sorry. :'(

[junkyard]

Any body that wants to make maple syrup should check out the maple forum.
Lots of Ideas on home made rigs. 
For several years I have used a 55 gallon drum laid on its side. Cutoff the top third as it lays on its side door in the end which was originaly the top. A smoke pipe hole on the other end. and two galvanized pans. Warning if you scorth the pan the zink will be in the syrup do not use it. as long as it dosen't scrortch the pan the syrup is good.
Late dark syrup is often buddy. The best is from a small operation that is in the middle of the season but because of there equipment th syrup is not finished as fast.
We are all tapped but no sap yet.
              Junkyard in the middle of maple country Town of Croghan Lewis County  New York

[Dana]

Frank, Maybe you can. ;) If thats really what its going for out there, you and I can both make some money and you can enjoy some "free syrup" as well. P.M. me if interested. Dana

[Frank_Pender]

Dana, the quart I purchased was one of the first items put on the block to support the Forum.  I really gotcarried away.  There was a ringer somewhere in the woodpile and I "bought" into the bidding by saying to myself, "They are not going to get the DanG syrup.  Boy did it get the syrup. :'( :'( :'( :'(

[beenthere]

Frank kept some other poor bidder from getting that syrup.  No matter what Frank, we won't feel sorry for you  ;D
Glad you enjoyed it too.     You did good and it was all for the FF.

[SwampDonkey]

Gee Frank, you lapped that up as if it were the last drop. And just last week they announced and over supply of the stuff on the market. :D :D

[Lenny_M]

I wait until the last end of the run.
the darkest amber workes for me.

like near time to give up for the season and clean the pans. 8) 8) 8)
  Dark and Flavor 8)

[Dana]

Frank, If that syrup was for the support of the forum, it was worth every penny spent. 8) It sure is nice to see how the members all chip in to make this forum what it is. 8) 8) 8)

[Don_Papenburg]

Swampy , They do that with all farm products to keep the price down and the producer poor .

[junkyard]

Talked with one of the big producers last night.   ( 6000 + taps ) Maple weekend this week he has about 800 gallons of sap no new or old syrup . Even opened the last gallon of house syrup. Still to cold to run maybe this weekend it will warm up.
                          Junkyard

[maple flats]

I have 300 taps in and have only gotten 327 gal sap total. That is less than 1 good day, BUT I think it will start running tomorrow and then run everyday for about 10 days if the accuweather forcast becomes reality. This would give me a good year after the worst start ever. Most of my woods trees have not even run yet. These were tapped in the last week, my open trees were tapped about 3 weeks ago and the first 100 were tapped almost 4 weeks ago. I should have had about 75-80 gal of syrup with 300 taps. In my early years I made almost .35 gal/tap and my sugar % usually averages over 3% for the total season. 3% means it takes just over 28 gal sap for 1 gal syrup. What little I have gotten this year has averaged 2.75% sugar. I have only made 1 batch of syrup and it was dark amber. The color grades are: light amber (= Vermont Fancy)= very delicate maple flavor, medium amber= more full maple flavor and dark amber = robust maple flavor. Then comes grade b, dark for cooking, this is the strongest maple flavor and some people like it best of all of them. This is also the one used commercially on the imitation syrup that says is "contains real maple" meaning they put a few drops of the commercial dark in for taste and the rest is usually corn syrup or some other type syrup that needs a boost.
If the forcast is correct i will be boiling for at least 12-16 hrs a day for several days in a row on my little 2' x 6' evaporator. The faster it runs the more likely a smaller producer like myself is to make some light amber. Mine gets treated with UV which helps make lighter but I still need volumn to get it because I need to boil it very fast and longer boils and not have start ups and shut downs in order to get lighter grades. After the next week I will most likely have enough to sell all who want some and except what I told Jeff I would donate to the FF auction it is much more reasonable than what Frank paid in support of the forum. I'm not sure what I will be able to process after next Monday as my wife goes in for cancer surgery on Tuesday and my duties change instantly at that time.

[Dana]

Maple Flats, Let your wife know we are all wishing her the best.

[Russ]

I tapped in January ? Been checking 85 buckets for two months. Burnt a couple gals, and bottled about 5 gals. Only had one real good run, hope for another before the seasons done. This forum is still the best on the web!!

[Dana]

Russ is that photo to the left of your dog? We have a Dalmation who has been a great dog with the kids.

[blueox]

I have a question....I have a jug of maple syrup in my fridge, we use it occassionally, but its been there about 6 months. I realized that it had a funny odor, when I looked in the jug it was "thick"...I didn't think maple syrup spoiled, but this obviously has. Can it be re-boiled or should it be dumped??

Thanks Laurel

[SwampDonkey]

Some time maple syrup will get a pennicilium (sp) mold on the top when you open it and aren't using out of it. That won't hurt ya unless your alergic. If it has gone cloudy or something the jar might not have been sterilized and I'de toss it, especially if it stinks. It might have even been late buddy sap too.

[junkyard]

Running today!!! South side of the hill is running, We can dump ice tonight.For you guys that dont know the ice is just water the sap in the bucket didn't freeze as hard and melts before the water. It is a lot sweeter and makes syrup faster. Should have syrup tomorrow, then pancakes , jonny cake, sweet sap coffee, maple walnut ice cream with syrup on it, sugar cakes and all the rest. Just woke up from heven here on earth ( in the sugar shanty ) Can,t have that good stuff no more Diabetes. Well I can dream any way, and so far the smell dosen't affect the sugar count.
                              Junkyard

[Russ]

Yes Dana, this is our dog Oreo. She's good with the kids also. Had to get a barking collar for her. She barked so much my neighbor had to go to church and pray about it, his words not mine. I was going to have to give her up when someone at petco told me about a barking collar. Worth every penny, and my neighbor don't have to go to church any more!!!

[wiam]

Blueox  just heat it up to boiling and skim off any gunk on top.  Then it will be fine.  Syrup will keep for a lot longer in the freezer.

Will

[Vermonter]

Another half gallon tonight.  Heading south tomorrow, hope I have enough capacity to store sap while I'm gone.  I don't need the lighter grades now that I filled the gift packages.  I shop for the thinnest, widest bottles.  My grammy taught me that trick.

[Coon]

Well, I guess it's time for an update of what I have got going here.  So far this year it has been pretty slack and not much happenin until the past two days, where all h&!! has broken loose.  I have a total of 168 taps out all of which I now have in the white birch.  I pulled the taps out of the maple because they weren't producing the sap a well as the birch.  During the last two days run I have ran approximately 300 gallons of sap through my hillbilly setup.  The syrup is in the medium amber class of which I am getting 1 gallon from about 78 gallons of sap.  I do not know what the sugar % would be.  I have burnt almost 6 cords of slabwood and dry spruce and aspen woods.  The two evaporator pans average about 6 gallons of sap/hr and I must keep a close watch on the liquid in the pans and keep stoking the fire at the same time.  Got a friend coming to help me in the morning collecting the sap and am going to show him how the evaporating works.
A 15 hr day is a little too long for me with my back so, the bed is already calling my name.

Bidders get ready.  Once the sugaring season comes to a close be prepared for a bidding frenzy of the finest syrup you ever did taste.  Once you try the birch syrup you'll never go back to maple. :D

Brad.

[SwampDonkey]

I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I think pictures of syrup production are guarded from view from this thread. ;D :D

[Dana]

SwampDonkey best I can do at 5:30 in the morning. The buckets were empted last night and as you can see sap ran all night. Thanks Furby for the encouragement to just use what I have.

[SwampDonkey]

    8) 8)

[Coon]

I would love to share pics but............... until the sugaring season ends and I sell some syrup I won't get to the city to buy a dig cam.  You can't buy something that high tech in these parts unless you pay an arm, a leg, and your first born.   Don't have any extra cash floating around and will wait and save atleast $60.00 on a GOOD DIG CAM.
Brad.

[SwampDonkey]

Some pictures from my cousins sugaring operation.

Tap lines and collection system:



Collection tank on a small grove of sugar maple, about an acre and 1/2 here. He laid this out in February and there was only about 4 inches of snow then. This is yesterday. ;D



Main line of taps in that little grove above.



The taps are fairly high up, sap flows downhill. ;)



Main line and collection tank. That main line goes for over a km up to the sugar bush ridge and it follows a brook down to roadside. Those trees around the tank are balm-of-gilead. We don't tap them. ;)

[mike_van]

My season ended today, after a record breaking [for me] 8 day run of sap. From 50 taps, I ended up with 856 gallons of sap. This will finish off to just over 20 gallons of syrup. There will probably be some more early next week, but i've had enough, my back needs a break.  Previous years from the same trees, a good run was 60 - 70 gallons, last Wednesday I had 90, followed by 105 on Thursday. These are all yard trees, most of them huge with thousands of branches.  I had 4 & 5 gallon pails overflow on both those days.  The last batch I have to finish may be medium amber, most all was light amber.  Now I have to do all the cleanup, the evaporator, all the pails, some lines, etc. It was a good season here.  I charge the same as I have for 6 years, pints are 6.50, quarts 12.00, half gallon 22.00 and 40.00 for a gallon.

[SwampDonkey]

Ain't running anything like that here mike. We only had one boil down at my cousins and it ain't ran in days. Hasn't been freezing at night lately and in 40's during the day. Not going to be any good this week either. We need some clear nights, this overcast is keeping the surface warm.

[Nailhead]

Running like crazy in the U.P.  Can't keep up. We set up a pre-heater to our set up and are kicking out about 20 gallons a hour. (of water that is) Hoping for our best year  in a long time. I guess Mother Nature will decide.

[Dana]

I need some info. Our neighbor said to watch the thermometer and when it is at 219F. it is done. To me it seems to runny yet. Is he correct or should it go farther? Any other old time ways to tell? I final cooked some on the stove and took that too far, it ended up with a bunch of sugar crystals after cooling. There really is a fine art to producing this stuff.

[Nailhead]

Dana
He is correct in saying 219 or 7 degrees above the boiling point of water. But what you have to do is check the boiling point at the time your cooking. The boiling point of H2O will vary with eleviation and barometric pressure. So what you do is get a pan of water boiling and read you thermometer. Then add 7 degrees to it. At that point it is syurup, but not like I like it. I always go to 220 to 221 degrees or 8 to 9 degrees above the boiling point of water at the time your cooking. You have to be careful and not push too much heat in it too quick, A one degree change in temp will cause a lot of things to happen faster than you will be able to react to. I use both the thermometer and a hydrometer, they a cheap, around 15.00 and give a lot of peice of mind.  Good luck.
NH

[Dana]

Anyone boiling sap in a more low tech way than me? ;D

[mike_van]

Dana, early on I thought 219 to be "runney" too - 'till it cooled off - Lot thicker then, stickier too -  And, nailhead is right, a degree or two will really make changes, like in the whole batch "foaming" on you faster than you can stop it -  >:(

[Nailhead]

Dana
That is how I started out with my Grandfather about 30 years ago. It works and in some ways a person thinks it tastes better because you are out under the stars. But really, it all works and the end product is the same. There are a few pictures from my sugar bush from last year in my gallery, I'll try to post new ones in a few days, just got home from a full day, over 350 gallons collected again today!!!! 8)
What do you use for fuel wood? I now use only aspen. It burns hot and does't build up a lot of coals.
NH

[Furby]

Whatever works! ;) ;D

[Dana]

Naihead, I started out using seasoned maple boards that were cutouts from a big mill. I had to tend the fire constantly due to the large flat area cooling the fire till it ignited. Now I am using small Ash and Popple and it's staying at a rolling boil much better.
My wife canned up 13 pints last night. She was wondering if you all do a hot water bath to can it. That is what she did.
Anyone within a few hundred miles have a bigger sap pan they want to get rid of? I sure would be interested.

[mike_van]

This year I used some split red oak & butternut from a log too crooked to saw, mixed in slabs that were red ceder, hemlock, oak, locust, some white pine & sassafrass.  As long as the wood is REALLY dry and split well, boy it all burns hot. 

[junkyard]

Dana
Watch the bubbles when getting close to syrup they will get huge.
Get some in your scoop then tip the scoop up vertical the syrup will 'sheet ' all of the way across the scoop.
Do not try this at home but just before the sheet falls of the scoop you can colect it with a sweep of your finger. Amazes onlockers that it didn't burn your finger. It will be hot but if you wait it will not  burn.  Colllect it on your finger and stick your finger in your mouth it's great.
                 Junkyard

[Nailhead]

Cooked off the last batch on Sunday 8) It's so much fun to get started but it's nice to be done for the year. Every thing is cleaned and put away waiting for next year.
Had a good year for us, collected 1530 gallons of sap, after filtering and canning should end up with about 30 gallons of syurp.

[Stump Jumper]

the stump jumpers just finished making 40 gallons of maple syrup.  Glad that the season is over with for us.  Compared to last year at 16-17 gallons this season went real well.

Getting Ready for the Sap to Flow! Stump Jumper on Left, Stump Jumper's Dad in the Middle and Little Stump Jumper on the Right.


Little Stump Jumper Hooking up a Bucket


Cooking Down the Sap


Cleaning Up


Our Sleeping Quarters


The Rewards

[Ed_K]

 Season was good here, made 35 gals. Canned 15 and 20 will be headed to Bascomb's in NH tomorrow. I too am glad its over, went thru 6-7 cords of w/pine slabs. first yr of having dry wood to burn, it was great  8). Now the clean up begins  :(.

[Nailhead]

got a few new pictures in my galley, can't get them to post
we burnt 12 tier of aspen

[highpockets]

Thanks guys and gals.  Very interesting.

[SwampDonkey]

I still get a kick out of stump_jumpers avatar pic. ;D I hope he didn't let Red Green anywhere near the sugar shack. :D :D

[highpockets]

Well U.P.S. delivered me some maple syrup yesterday.  No, I ain't telling you who sent it but it will make a bisquit jump off the plate.   

[SwampDonkey]

I have a good idea, cause I got an IM not long ago. ;)

[highpockets]

Swampdonkey, mum is the word.

[maple flats]

My season is over. Will finish cooking down what was the tail end in the evaporator. Season here was below average qty for the 2nd year in a row. Started too late and ended too soon. On 300 taps I made 35 gal so far and will finish off and can the end as a batch. Looks like it will end at about 40-42 gal. On 300 taps I should get about 75 gal or 1 qt/tap. In 03 and 04 I did 1/3 gal/tap, then 05 and now 06 gave between 1/7 and 1/8 gal/tap. The weather is everything however I did end up having to dump about440 gal of 2.9% sap (which would have made just under 15 gal more) that spoiled when I was at the hospital while my wife was in for her surgery. I have others who will help bottle but no one who dares boil because it boils very hard and things happen real fast which need to be addressed NOW, such as foaming, temp for draw off and many other things plus add wood to capacity every 7 minutes, keep track of remaining sap so you shut down before it is too late etc. They are just uneasy trying and i don't blame them. Many a evaporator have been scorched and many a sugarhouse have burned to the ground by failing to do everything just right. Now I need to decide what I want to donate to the auction, not sure yet but will pick out something soon. (If I had ever figured out the picture posting I could get a picture and show some shots of the operation, maybe someday!

[maple flats]

I finally got the last of the syrup made and ended up with 42 gal total on 300 taps. My average from 03 and 04 would have given a hundred gal on 300 taps and industry says a qt/tap without vacume is average. I guess that is where averages come from. I have cleaned some of the equipment and pulled most of the taps. I start vacation after tomorrow and will get the rest done then. I have decided to donate 2 one pint bottles of syrup to the FF auction but hopefully furby is good enough to get picture posting 101 thru my head before it becomes official, as he said he will attempt it, brave man. I will get pictures taken this next week and then find out when he and I can put our schedules on the same page. He has his work cut out for him, may be the last time he ever volunteers to try train anyone on picture posting after he attempts to teach me.  ;D :D :D ;D .  Did someone say you need to remember steps or do you need to understand a concept? Encourage furby not to give up in less than 6 or 8 months please when my training begins!

[SwampDonkey]

My cousin has been still collecting sap and I see the buds are starting to flush on my yard maples. Need a picture I guess.  He doesn't seem to have a full tank on each trip, maybe 50 gallons a day. I always found that when the maples start flushing the sap is green, but he must put it through a filtering process as well as the osmosis machine.

[SwampDonkey]

Buds beginning to flush: box elder on left, sugar maple on right.

[Dana]

Maple Flats, Don't worry no one could be as dense as me. :D It took over a year for me to learn that picture posting thing. One small step I kept overlooking. It sure is easy once you get the hang of it though.