Maple Syrup Report

Dana · March 24, 2006, 05:40:39 AM

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 · March 24, 2006, 06:17:45 AM

8) 8)

Coon · March 24, 2006, 11:38:39 PM

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 · March 25, 2006, 05:46:01 AM

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 · March 25, 2006, 04:14:03 PM

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 · March 25, 2006, 04:51:45 PM

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 · March 26, 2006, 08:33:47 PM

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 · March 27, 2006, 07:28:20 AM

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 · March 27, 2006, 11:47:34 AM

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 · March 27, 2006, 02:07:56 PM

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

mike_van · March 27, 2006, 03:16:48 PM

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 · March 27, 2006, 07:54:42 PM

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 · March 27, 2006, 09:21:32 PM

Whatever works! ;) ;D

Dana · March 28, 2006, 06:40:30 AM

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 · March 28, 2006, 08:00:12 AM

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 · March 28, 2006, 01:11:18 PM

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 · April 03, 2006, 09:41:34 AM

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 · April 03, 2006, 05:58:44 PM

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 · April 03, 2006, 08:04:33 PM

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 :(.