iDRY Vacuum Kilns

Sponsors:

Yellow Maple sap...to boil or not to boil?

Started by sbishop, March 28, 2013, 09:41:16 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 3 Guests are viewing this topic.

sbishop

Hey guys, a few weeks ago, my son and i decide to try our hand at some maple syrop...this winter we notice he had a bunch of sugar/maple (about 25) anywhere from 6" to 24" in diameter...so we tap 15 or so and waited...well the first boil we made 1.5L which turned out great!....but i notice today that one of my red maples and 2 of my sugar maples produced a yellowish tint sap....it didn't rain. Anyone been in this situation? i discard 2 small buckets but i've got about 4 gallons...what to do?

here's a pic of the sryop 2 weeks ago.
thanks
Sbishop


celliott

Did the sap sit for awhile? It might have gone bad. Sap does have some bacteria in it, and the longer it sits, the more the bacteria grow. Might have to throw it out.
Are your trees budded out? Red maple buds out earlier than sugar maple. You don't want to boil sap from budded out trees, it will have an off flavor, and possibly off color in the sap.
Chris Elliott

Clark 666C cable skidder
Husqvarna and Jonsered pro saws
265rx clearing saw
Professional maple tubing installer and maple sugaring worker, part time logger

sbishop

The sap is about 5 days old...i don't think it has spoiled, the jug is covered in snow and attach to the red maple. I will discard it since i don't want to chance it by spoiling the batch!....i'm going to switch some red maples over to some sugar maples i found. Thanks

Axe Handle Hound

You don't have any neighbor kids that like to play jokes do you?   :)  Seriously, give it a taste and if it doesn't taste off, boil it.  I have a particular sugar maple that always gives off-color sap.  I'm not sure why it always has a yellow tinge to it, but it doesn't affect the flavor of my syrup. 

clww

Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

celliott

Red maples are fine to tap, they just don't give as high of a sugar content as sugar maple, and the reds bud out earlier. 5 days is a fair bit of time, I would try to not let your sap sit that long.
Chris Elliott

Clark 666C cable skidder
Husqvarna and Jonsered pro saws
265rx clearing saw
Professional maple tubing installer and maple sugaring worker, part time logger

Chuck White

Here, if the sap is yellow, it gets dumped!

Your syrup has some nice color SBishop!  smiley_thumbsup

Ours is turning out just between Light Amber and Medium Amber.

So far, we've made 72 gallons!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

martyinmi

What do you guys get for a quart?

I just paid $16 yesterday.

That seemed like a lot, but I haven't had any in 10 months, so I'd have paid $20.

French toast & homemade sausage tomorrow morning! 8)
No God, No Peace
Know God, Know Peace!

sbishop

I ended up dumping it out....there was no spell but i tasted it....it taste like nothing...compared to the other trees, you have a sweet taste. I got it all boiled down this afternoon...Just need to finish it on the stove in the morning...off to bed  8)



Thanks everyone!

sbishop

forgot to mention, all the reds have budded!

Chuck White

When they start to bud, it's time to pull the taps!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

Axe Handle Hound

Around here I've seen silvers and reds start budding during a mid-January thaw.  I've learned to just ignore them as the sap they give in the spring is as good as anything else. Sugar maples are a different story though.  If those start to bud it's definitely over!

sbishop

Here's a pic of my redneck setup  :)


Picture of the final product...about 1 3/4 liters.



loggah

You probably could have made grade "B" syrup with that yellow sap, would have been alright for cooking, maybe have a buddy taste. I pulled our taps today ,started to get milky made  just under 50 gallons. Don
Interests: Lombard Log Haulers,Tucker Sno-Cats, Circular Sawmills, Shingle Mills, Maple Syrup Making, Early Construction Equipment, Logging Memorabilia, and Antique Firearms

clww

I like your "redneck setup". 8)
As long as it works, that's all that matters. :)
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
"Go Ask The Other Master Chief"
18-Wheeler Driver

sbishop

This is my first year making syrop...never done it before..i'm hooked!...Wife has a broken foot...so i've had to stay close to the house...so making syrop was a great option!

MikeON

I'm in western PA and have 7 red maples tapped.  I tapped late February this year and got a little sap, then no sap at all for several weeks due to cold weather.  Just the last few days it is starting to flow again.  The sap is still clear.  Sure hope it continues for a little while.
I usually get 2-3 gallons of syrup a year.
Woodmizer LT40HD Super.  WM Single Blade Edger,  John Deere 4310 tractor, M35A2C Deuce and a Half truck

Chuck White

I think most of us that are into Maple syrup started out doing what you're doing sbishop.

Nothing wrong with that, and it works!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

GAB

This year I put in 32 taps.  One day, early in the season, my sap was on the yellow side so I tested it for sugar content.  The sap hydrometer read 3.4 which equates to less than 26 gallons of sap for a gallon of syrup.  You guessed it, I boiled it and made some fancy syrup.  The higher the sugar content, then fewer gallons of sap are needed to make a gallon of syrup, and the better the chances are of making fancy grade syrup.  Yellow sap because of age (age for sap is a lot dependent on the air temperature) or milky sap will generally get you B grade or cooking syrup.  Earlier comments about bacteria are true and coupled with high temperatures cause sap to age quickly.  Gerald
W-M LT40HDD34, SLR, JD 420, JD 950w/loader and Woods backhoe, V3507 Fransguard winch, Cordwood Saw, 18' flat bed trailer, and other toys.

Thank You Sponsors!